Aileron hinge installation Part 2
While I was looking at the misplaced hinge on the center of the aileron spar, I realized that that wasn't the real problem. It was off center vertically a bit, but only because there was something else not quite right.
I got out the laser level to see where things got off track. It turns out the tip hinge on the rear wing spar was the culprit. It was low by about 3/32". I had it centered on the spar, but the spar isn't quite centered at the tip. This was caused by the spar extensions and scarfing them by hand. The ribs are in the right place, because I located them based on the other ribs. The tip of the extension is only off a tiny amount, but it was enough to throw off my hinge placement.
Once I figured out the real problem, the fix was easy. The tip hinge had to move up by about 3/32" to get everything lined up right and on center with reference to the ribs. I doweled the 1/4" holes since the new holes will overlap a bit. Since I didn't want to waste the extra epoxy, I glued the remaining ply wood strip on the trailing edge as well. I should be able to sheet the leading edge of the aileron next.
I will need to change up how I'm doing the spar extensions so that I can be more precise. I've got a couple ideas that should help. The extensions on the existing wing will work fine since the new ribs are in the right place, but I'd just like things to turn out a little better and with more control over the process. I should be ready to extend the spars for the other bottom wing in the next week or so. Sometimes building everything from new parts is easier than modifying old parts. This is one of those times.
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