Vertical stabilizer wont come out (Asw-19)

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone experienced anything alike before and
might have any useful insights:
My vertical stabilizer on the Asw-19 has always been a problem when
being disassembled and has always required little more force to remove
than it was called for. Anyways, today I have assembled a glider and I
was unable to remove it again - we have spent close to 3 hours trying
to unhook it from a fin. Has anyone experienced anything similar
before? Any ideas? I’m afraid it wont let go without breaking the skin
on the fin and punching the locking pins out directly...

Thanks

GK

On May 24, 7:48*pm, wrote:
Hi,
* I was wondering if anyone experienced anything alike before and
might have any useful insights:
My vertical stabilizer on the Asw-19 has always been a problem when
being disassembled and has always required little more force to remove
than it was called for. Anyways, today I have assembled a glider and I
was unable to remove it again - we have spent close to 3 hours trying
to unhook it from a fin. Has anyone experienced anything similar
before? Any ideas? I’m afraid it wont let go without breaking the skin
on the fin and punching the locking pins out directly...

Thanks

GK

Um, the vertical stabilizer damn well better not come off...
Perhaps you mean the horizontal tailplane ???

Stupid answer perhaps, but have you tried to move it forward, once it
is all disconnected?

I've made the mistake of just lifting up but it doesn't work that way
on a 19.....

Richard
Phoenix, AZ
ASW19

Did you remove the white tape ?

:-)

On May 24, 7:30*pm, Dave Nadler wrote:
On May 24, 7:48*pm, wrote:

Hi,
* I was wondering if anyone experienced anything alike before and
might have any useful insights:
My vertical stabilizer on the Asw-19 has always been a problem when
being disassembled and has always required little more force to remove
than it was called for. Anyways, today I have assembled a glider and I
was unable to remove it again - we have spent close to 3 hours trying
to unhook it from a fin. Has anyone experienced anything similar
before? Any ideas? I’m afraid it wont let go without breaking the skin
on the fin and punching the locking pins out directly...

Thanks

GK

Um, the vertical stabilizer damn well better not come off...
Perhaps you mean the horizontal tailplane ???

- My mistake, I had a worst weekend of soaring when I finally made it
home to type this message... Horizontal.

On my ASW-20B which is (I believe) similar, I would grab the leading
edge of the stab near the center and "rattle" it up and down to loosen
the pins.

-Tom

On May 25, 12:00*pm, 5Z wrote:
On my ASW-20B which is (I believe) similar, I would grab the leading
edge of the stab near the center and "rattle" it up and down to loosen
the pins.

-Tom

5Z

Do I need to go check my hangar to make sure MY ASW-20B is still
there?

On point, MY ASW-20b is sometimes a real pain to get off and the
temperature (usually cold) seems to be a factor. 5Z's technique
works and I also sometimes stand straddling the tail boom (i.e. with
the vertical stabilizer at my chest) and reach back and grab the
elevator on opposite sides of the rudder and GENTLY pull and rock (as
in a yawing motion) it back and forth till it pops loose. Four
letter explicatives may speed up the process.

If you ever get it off, you might want to make sure everything is
first clean on all the fittings and then re-lube everything.

Todd
ST

In message
,
writes
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone experienced anything alike before and
might have any useful insights:
My vertical stabilizer on the Asw-19 has always been a problem when
being disassembled and has always required little more force to remove
than it was called for. Anyways, today I have assembled a glider and I
was unable to remove it again - we have spent close to 3 hours trying
to unhook it from a fin. Has anyone experienced anything similar
before? Any ideas? I’m afraid it wont let go without breaking the skin
on the fin and punching the locking pins out directly...

Suspect it's the same arrangement as my glider and I have to pull
forwards, push down at the back and up at the front all at the same
time... When I get it right it pops off and I always have someone help
to make sure I don't drop it on the ground.

I had awful trouble one time and once it was out I used a green nylon
scourer on the pins and holes (my hand is small enough to reach down to
them) followed by lubrication - it's OK now.

The idea of lifting the front up & down sounds worth doing especially if
you can have someone push forwards on the back at the same time.

Also, does the stick position make a difference? Some gliders need it
in a specific place to rig/derig the elevator.

The other bit of advice is to go back another day and try again, maybe
when it's cool in the morning. I'm assuming it was hot when you
couldn't derig it.

--
Surfer!
Email to: ramwater at uk2 dot net

On May 24, 4:48*pm, wrote:
Hi,
* I was wondering if anyone experienced anything alike before and
might have any useful insights:
My vertical stabilizer on the Asw-19 has always been a problem when
being disassembled and has always required little more force to remove
than it was called for. Anyways, today I have assembled a glider and I
was unable to remove it again - we have spent close to 3 hours trying
to unhook it from a fin. Has anyone experienced anything similar
before? Any ideas? I’m afraid it wont let go without breaking the skin
on the fin and punching the locking pins out directly...

Thanks

GK

I had a 19 for 15 years and never had this problem. Based on my memory
of the attach fittings, I'd suggest putting the bolt in the hole just
far enough that it does not engage the thread. Then tie a cord round
the bolt and have someone pull the cord horizontally in line with the
tail boom at the same time as you gently rock the stab vertically at
the leading edge and in yaw from one tip.

There may also be enough clearance to thread a length of locking wire
between the top of the fin and the base of the horizontal behind the
vertical bar that carries the attach pins. That may be a better way
of getting some forward force on the pins.

I don't remember if the back sides of the sockets are exposed if the
rudder is removed but that might be worth checking.

Andy

On May 26, 12:06*pm, Andy wrote:
On May 24, 4:48*pm, wrote:

Hi,
* I was wondering if anyone experienced anything alike before and
might have any useful insights:
My vertical stabilizer on the Asw-19 has always been a problem when
being disassembled and has always required little more force to remove
than it was called for. Anyways, today I have assembled a glider and I
was unable to remove it again - we have spent close to 3 hours trying
to unhook it from a fin. Has anyone experienced anything similar
before? Any ideas? I’m afraid it wont let go without breaking the skin
on the fin and punching the locking pins out directly...

Thanks

GK

I had a 19 for 15 years and never had this problem. Based on my memory
of the attach fittings, I'd suggest putting the bolt in the hole just
far enough that it does not engage the thread. *Then tie a cord round
the bolt and have someone pull the cord horizontally in line with the
tail boom at the same time as you gently rock the stab vertically at
the leading edge and in yaw from one tip.

There may also be enough clearance to thread a length of locking wire
between the top of the fin and the base of the horizontal behind the
vertical bar that carries the attach pins. *


- We've wrapped a wire behind the vertical bar that carries the attach
pins and two other friends were pulling forward on the sides of the
stab; I, in return, was pounding with a hammer on the locking hex
screw that normally locks down the stab. The stab had not even moved a
millimeter... According to a Schleicher Engineer we can knock one of
the pin out, from inside, if we remove the rudder... Maybe the
electrical wire freeze will work, although from Physics it should
shrink the subjected metal and heating should expand it.

Thanks

Gregg