Solo Rigging Equipment

On Apr 2, 7:17 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Bill Daniels wrote:
There is a variation on Bob's and Greg's systems that may work better for
some.

The key is a wing root dolly that allows the wing to swing out like a gate
once the wing root is rolled to the tailgate. It doesn't allow the wing to
rotate about its spanwise axis. You need a Udo-type 1-man rig dolly too.

The proceedure is to roll the fuselage off the trailer first. Then roll the
wing out until the root dolley hits a stop at the tailgate. Then swing the
wing out about 45 degrees - practice will determine the exact angle.

This would not be good solution in our area, where we frequently have
wind during rigging/derigging. We use the Udo/Cobra style dollies, with
the trailer pointed directly into the wind. The wing is pulled from the
trailer with the trailing up. After it is on the dolly adn still lined
up with the wind, it is maneuvered a little ways from the trailer, then
the wing is rotated until it is flat.

Once it is flat, the wind has much less effect on it, and the wing can
be moved perpendicular to the wind and the root slid into the fuselage.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Expanding on Eric's comments, I have used the Udo dolly for around
8-10 years. I place the dolly beside the fuselage with the trailer
pointed into the wind. This allows me to pull the wing out of the
trailer w/o any side forces on the vertical (and vulnerable!) wing. I
lift the wing over the dolly's saddle as I pull the wing out. After
the wing is all the way out, in the saddle and the dolly clamp
attached, I lift the wing tip and move the wing (and dolly) about a
foot away from the fuselage. This allows the dolly's tires to clear
the fuselage. From here on out it is the pretty standard procedu
move the wing back until it is clear from the fuselage, rotate the
wing horizontal, manuevour the wing root into the fuselage, place wing
stand under the wing and repeat for the other wing.

I have used the Udo dolly on rough (dirt) surfaces and winds up to 20
kt successfully. It can also be used to rig and derig a glider that
isn't at the trailer (read "retrieve"). The only problem I have had
with it is the step of lifting the wing and dolly applies force on the
top of the hand crank, which eventually cracked. I had to have it
brazed to fix it and have not had any problems since.

Having a dolly that allows the fuselage to tip, or rock, slightly is a
huge advantage during one-man assembly. This eliminates the need for
an electric actuator on the dolly to raise and lower the wing (or a
lot of back and forth adjustments).

The key to a some rigging is good alignment. I have a DG-400 and the
position of the wing relative to the fuselage, both yaw and roll, is
critical. Get it right and it goes like a piece of cake. Get it wrong
and you will learn some new swear words.

Tom Seim
Richland, WA