rig k6

THis read on rec.aviation.soaring from american source


I had about 30 years of experience rigging a Ka6E with only two of us. The
minimum equipment we used was either a car with a cushion on the roof, or
a trestle, plus a padded U-shaped cradle which I found is better if the
fuselage is a slightly sloppy fit in it.

To rig the first wing, I took the root, and the helper took the wingtip to
a position giving about 45° sweep back. Rotate the wing horizontally at
that point. The trailing edge of the root can now be rested on the turtle
deck. I then only had to hold the leading edge of the root to support part
of the root weight.

The wingtip holder then comes forward until the wing is at right angles to
the fuselage, in the normal rigging position. The drag pin can now be
inserted. I moved to the wingtip either to put a trestle under it, or
position the car with a cushion on its roof so that wingtip can rest on
it.

The wingtip helper and I then fetched the second wing and repeated the
process.

When both drag pins are in, the wingtip helper adjusts the height of his
wing. By rocking the fuselage slightly in its loose cradle, I was able to
ensure all holes lined up for the two main pins. This avoids the need for
either a second wingtip holder, or very precise alignment of the dihedral
of the first wing to the fuselage.

The point of the 45° sweep back is to avoid a very awkward stretch,
holding the whole weight of the root, until the wing root is resting on
the fuselage. Only a straight lift of the root weight was involved, not
lifting and stretching over it too.

Using a car roof and a cushion is a handy tip if the trestle is lost, or
has been left behind in the event of a field landing.