Brief Description: Flap and Aileron Alignment Check
Today I finished hanging the ailerons so that the flaps' full-up positons could be checked relative to them. I had to re-hang the left aileron to solve a hinge misalignment that was causing binding. (Photo 1)
The left flap fits the fuselage almost perfectly, but will require trimming to maintain clearance in fight. With the left flap and ailerons clamped in alignment and the left aileron aligned with he chord of the wing, the left flap bottom skin misses the bottom of the fuselage by about 1/16-inch (Photo 2). I think slight tweaking of that skin will bring it flush. The Right Flap interferes slightly with the fuselage, not allowing the flap to reach its full-up position (photo 3). I marked both flaps for trimming so there will be a 1/8-inch gap between the top skins and fuselage sides.
I also drilled the left side of the bottom skin for the screws that attach to the bottom of the inboard main wing rib. Since I had already installed the nutplates in the wing rib I needed to very accurately locate the holes in the bottom skin. To do this I fabricated a dimpled hole duplicator tool. Check my tool section for this date for photos. It was more difficult to precisely locate than I anticipated, but seemed to work OK. I will know for sure after I dimple the holes and reinstall the wing.
Left Aileron Inboard Hinge
Left Flap Bottom Skin Will Require Very Minor Tweaking to Fit Flush
Inboard Edge of Right Flap Interferes with the Fuselage
