Dg400 rigging tips

One thing i always suggest when a glider is difficult to rig is to clean
and regrease the pins and their fittings. I've seen people struggling for
ages, they do that and everything just slips together.

Chris

At 05:15 28 February 2018, 2G wrote:
On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 2:56:26 PM UTC-8, Steve Cameron wrote:
Guys, I'm a new DG400 owner, and was wondering if there are any tips or
s=
uggestions that others have learned to help rigging. My ship came with an
e=
lectric self rigger with remote, and the first time I used it I got the
win=
gs on with little problem. Today was a different story, not only did it
tak=
e considerable time to get the wings in, but than I fought the spar pins
fo=
r a while before throwing in the towel, figuring it just wasn't my day!
An=
y suggestions?
Thanks,
Steve Cameron

The key to easy assembly of the 400 is alignment - if the wings are out
of
=
alignment no amount of pushing, hammering or swearing is going to get the
s=
par pins in. As Paul mentioned, the wings need to be parallel to the
fusela=
ge, but that is not the only factor. The wing dihedral must also be
correct=
.. You can check this by looking at the gap between the wing root and the
fu=
se: it must be the same on the top and bottom. If it isn't, raise or
lower
=
the wing to get it the same (you can also raise or lower the fuselage,
but
=
only for the first wing). Just because the wing gap looks on the top side
d=
oesn't mean that the vertical (dihedral) is correct: you must also look
on
=
the bottom side.
Once both wings are in the gaps look good, I check spar bushing alignment
b=
e my special feeler gauge tool: my finger. Of course, you will be able to
s=
ee gross misalignments visually, but this will not get you the whole way.
I=
f they have even the slightest misalignment, you will be able to feel it
wi=
th your finger. Just rub it back and forth over the joint.
What needs correction depends upon where you feel a misalignment. If it
is
=
on the sides of the bushing, one of the wings (or both) need a fore/aft
cor=
rection. If it is on the top or bottom, one or both of the wings need a
ver=
tical adjustment. The first time you go thru this just pick a direction
and=
see if it makes the gap better or worse; if worse you went the wrong
way.=
=20
I showed this method to another 400 owner who was having a similar
experien=
ce to yours. He said he had his pins dripping in grease and they still
woul=
dn't go in. I had him go thru this procedure with my dry pins and, once
eve=
rything was in alignment, the pins slid in with next to no effort.

Tom