Hard to assemble glider

Hi

I fly a older Ventus and my glider wings are difficult to slide tight to the glider for pinning.

I have a 1 pin set up and start with my left wing. I keep my brakes open and flap in 3.

I can line up the inserted arm fine and line up the controls but, once I get to a couple inches it bogs down and is quite a workout for my wing man and me.

Any tips or suggestions on making this easier? I notice that even on the same glider type and model they can vary on ease of assembly.


Dennis

Insert the right wing first and tape at least the top joint. Then insert the left wing. Here is the trick. Open the canopy as the wing goes in you can easily see the alignment of the two spars and most importantly the relationship of the spigot to the hole in the right wing root. So now it is easy to get the alignment just right. If you do what it says in the manual and insert the left wing first, you can't see where the alignment problem lies. Also I suggest the flaps be in 0 and the spoiler handle in the middle. Always confirm the water dump is closed. If the dump is open, you will never get the wings on. Finally, speaking of water, if you have an issue with leaking dump valves, use the wax sold in hardware stores for sealing toilets.

Bob
Ventus C



On Monday, July 21, 2014 11:40:50 AM UTC-7, HGXC wrote:
Hi



I fly a older Ventus and my glider wings are difficult to slide tight to the glider for pinning.



I have a 1 pin set up and start with my left wing. I keep my brakes open and flap in 3.



I can line up the inserted arm fine and line up the controls but, once I get to a couple inches it bogs down and is quite a workout for my wing man and me.



Any tips or suggestions on making this easier? I notice that even on the same glider type and model they can vary on ease of assembly.





Dennis

If not already obvious, have the flap and brake levers in the same position when derigging as you want them for rigging. Also ballast dump lever if that affects line up.

HTH.

Chris N

Not sure what an "older Ventus" means but I have a B model and for it there is a pin for holding the air brake position while assembling; same pin as used for removal of water tank caps. Pull back the air brake handle until the hole becomes visible, insert pin in hole. According to my manual flaps should be set to S. Seems to work for me. I have found the help you receive makes the most difference in getting it together easily. Some people I have had assist me have made it a breeze and others turn it into a struggle. I just bought a single person rigging cart. I am hoping this can cut my reliance on random help.

On Monday, July 21, 2014 12:40:50 PM UTC-6, HGXC wrote:
Hi



I fly a older Ventus and my glider wings are difficult to slide tight to the glider for pinning.



I have a 1 pin set up and start with my left wing. I keep my brakes open and flap in 3.



I can line up the inserted arm fine and line up the controls but, once I get to a couple inches it bogs down and is quite a workout for my wing man and me.



Any tips or suggestions on making this easier? I notice that even on the same glider type and model they can vary on ease of assembly.





Dennis

Two posts with good advice. Here's another.

It could be one of the spigots is hanging up - likely on the left wing. Using help from a couple of people on a calm day, try the fitting left wing first. If IT doesn't go on smoothly, the problem is with one of the spigots.. Try gently swinging the wingtip an inch or so fore and aft while watching for the point where the swing is centered. That's the spigot that needs help. I found the left rear spigot of my N2C could barely be forced to engage. Replacing the "eyeball" bearing in the fuselage solved a similar problem.

On Monday, July 21, 2014 1:59:16 PM UTC-6, Bill D wrote:
On Monday, July 21, 2014 12:40:50 PM UTC-6, HGXC wrote:

Hi







I fly a older Ventus and my glider wings are difficult to slide tight to the glider for pinning.







I have a 1 pin set up and start with my left wing. I keep my brakes open and flap in 3.







I can line up the inserted arm fine and line up the controls but, once I get to a couple inches it bogs down and is quite a workout for my wing man and me.







Any tips or suggestions on making this easier? I notice that even on the same glider type and model they can vary on ease of assembly.











Dennis



Two posts with good advice. Here's another.



It could be one of the spigots is hanging up - likely on the left wing. Using help from a couple of people on a calm day, try the fitting left wing first. If IT doesn't go on smoothly, the problem is with one of the spigots. Try gently swinging the wingtip an inch or so fore and aft while watching for the point where the swing is centered. That's the spigot that needs help. I found the left rear spigot of my N2C could barely be forced to engage. Replacing the "eyeball" bearing in the fuselage solved a similar problem.

I meant to say right wing first.

On Monday, July 21, 2014 3:51:53 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Not sure what an "older Ventus" means but I have a B model and for it there is a pin for holding the air brake position while assembling; same pin as used for removal of water tank caps. Pull back the air brake handle until the hole becomes visible, insert pin in hole. According to my manual flaps should be set to S. Seems to work for me. I have found the help you receive makes the most difference in getting it together easily. Some people I have had assist me have made it a breeze and others turn it into a struggle. I just bought a single person rigging cart. I am hoping this can cut my reliance on random help.

I have a B and I never had a pin for the airbrakes. I have never used water while flying here. What does the pin look like?

Dennis

Dennis,

There is the tube that is the airbrake handle. It slides over another tube which is basically a guide. If you open the airbrake handle 2-3 inches you should see that the guide tube has a roughly 1/4" diameter hole drilled in it. You can put any metal rod in this hole and it will prevent the airbrake handle from moving forward to the full closed position. Many people use the tail assembly threaded tool. With the airbrakes held partially open, you won't be fighting the airbrake over-center lock when you push the wings together.

The next thing is to make sure that the end of the spar of the first wing is centered vertically in the opposite spar cut out and is aligned forward/aft and up/down such that the pin on the end of the spar will line up with the socket in the opposite root rib.

The last trick if you can get the wings to start to go together (end of spar pins are engaging the root sockets) is to use a metal pry bar to pull the wings together the last 3/4". To make one of these pry bars, go to lowes or home depot and buy an 18" piece of 1/2" round bar. Use a grinder and aggressively grind one end so that it starts to look like a flat blade screw driver. Be sure to remove any sharp edges. Cover the bar with a piece of tygon tubing except for the last 1-2". Be sure the last 2" are well rounded and very smooth so you don't put any marks on the inside of the main pin bushings. When you can see the aft main pin bushing hole through the near bushing, insert your new rigging tool and you can lever the wings home with minimal effort.

Mark

My Ventus 2 does not have this airbrake hole, although the POH still
mentions it, so I set the air brakes about 2.5" open for rigging. Mark,
if you have this guide hole. can you measure how far your brakes
have to be open, exactly, so I can use that in future?

I thought the suggestion of taping the first wing sounded a good
idea, I'll try that.

My experience is that its 99% a matter of wing alignment, plus
having the cockpit levers set according to the POH. I've found that
anything lying in the cockpit that causes the control column to sit off
center will also cause a problem. I check the wing-fuselage gaps,
both on top and lower surfaces, as an aid to wing alignment. If the
wing pins are aligned, and all controls set right, very little force is
usually needed to pull the wings together on the Ventus. If
something isn't aligned, no amount of force will help.

The final inch does have more resistance, I guess because the pins
are naturally made to be tight-ish fits. I find an plastic eccentric tool
helps a lot with the last 1/2" with no chance of damage. I got mine at

http://glidersource.com/cgi-bin/post.cgi?id=145



At 02:30 22 July 2014, wrote:
Dennis,

There is the tube that is the airbrake handle. It slides over another
tube=
which is basically a guide. If you open the airbrake handle 2-3
inches
yo=
u should see that the guide tube has a roughly 1/4" diameter hole
drilled
i=
n it. You can put any metal rod in this hole and it will prevent the
airbr=
ake handle from moving forward to the full closed position. Many
people
us=
e the tail assembly threaded tool. With the airbrakes held partially
open,=
you won't be fighting the airbrake over-center lock when you push
the
wing=
s together.

The next thing is to make sure that the end of the spar of the first
wing
i=
s centered vertically in the opposite spar cut out and is aligned
forward/a=
ft and up/down such that the pin on the end of the spar will line up
with
t=
he socket in the opposite root rib.

The last trick if you can get the wings to start to go together (end
of
spa=
r pins are engaging the root sockets) is to use a metal pry bar to
pull
the=
wings together the last 3/4". To make one of these pry bars, go to
lowes
=
or home depot and buy an 18" piece of 1/2" round bar. Use a
grinder and
ag=
gressively grind one end so that it starts to look like a flat blade
screw
=
driver. Be sure to remove any sharp edges. Cover the bar with a
piece of
=
tygon tubing except for the last 1-2". Be sure the last 2" are well
rounde=
d and very smooth so you don't put any marks on the inside of the
main pin
=
bushings. When you can see the aft main pin bushing hole through
the near
=
bushing, insert your new rigging tool and you can lever the wings
home
with=
minimal effort.

Mark

I found with the Ventus and Nimbus it is good to clean the pins on the end of each spar root and wing root should be cleaned with 00 steel wool every few years and then lubed carefully. The spherical bearings on the fuselage and on the wing roots should be cleaned until they move freely. They can be rotated and removed if installed correctly (incorrectly and they go into the tubes). Q-tips and solvent will help free then up.

I have found many ships have never been cleaned in years.

Usually the tightness for the last 1/4 to 1/2 inch are from lack of cleaning as long as the flaps, spoilers and dump valves are set correctly.