Chip Bearden wrote:
The Libelle 301 and 201 did it right way back in the mid to late '60s:
an over-center "wrench" that used metal pins embedded in the top of
the wing spars to lever the wings together the last few centimeters.
Sometimes "progress" takes us in the wrong direction.

The lever was almost a necessity, due to the multiple pins on the ends
of the spars that had fit into the sockets on the wing. What made the
system work well wasn't so much the lever as the access: without a
turtle deck, you could see the pins' alignment and guide the person on
the wing tip.

It might take more careful alignment to get the pins into a Schleicher
glider, but at least pushing in the second wing doesn't push out the
first one. If you like using a tool, a Schliecher glider can have it's
wings pulled together just as quickly and easily as the Libelle with
Cobra's eccentric wing pin tool. It does take an extra moment to put in
two pins instead of one, but it's better than fighting multiple spar end
pins that you can't see.

--
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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA