Mike,
Your top skin installation technique is what is the variable that we
can't answer or fix for you on the gap difference between aircraft.
I've finished a number of Europa's and most of us have about 1/16
finished up to an 1/8 inch if you lay a straight edge along the wing
surface, again depending on top skin installation. To be honest, if
you filled your ailerons and flaps before putting on the top skin, your
gap spacing is more accurate and easier to do. Your weight arms will
require extra filler on the top of the aileron and will help make an
even fill of the gap. If you left your top skin untrimmed then put an
1/8 inch spacer (instead of the single mixing stick and tape spacer
loosely called for in the manual) between the high point of the aileron
and wing skin, the gap gets pretty large. If you let the top skin lay
flat on the aileron and shimmed only the joint area at about 1/16 inch,
the gap is pretty small. The top skin fit takes a little time to get
right and get level.
I filled one once to get it dead level, then put wet filler on the
leading edge of the aileron and moved the aileron up and down to get the
fill level exactly right to make the gap exactly match the upper wing
surface and the flap (that was a builder's error we won't discuss). By
the time, correction, extreme time it took me to get it finished, I
added so much weight to the aileron, I had to add weight to the
counterbalance arms to compensate. Now I just accept the small bump
down and go with it. The foam contour of the aileron is pretty close to
the radius you need so not a lot of leading edge radius work is
necessary.
Now to the fix: Sometimes the aileron itself is a little low on the
lower surface, and a shim of epoxy glass or metal needs to be added to
the wing hinge area to make it flush, or may need to be shimmed to make
the top gap look better. The aileron will need a very small amount of
filler to the lower surface near the hinge... This shimming will make a
slightly off aileron look much better and require less filler. Call me
lazy, but it is a lot less filler and is lighter to leave the small
amount of gap and have a full aileron travel with a long 1/16 inch
clearance between the skins with full up aileron.
The Glider wing has the closeout skin on the bottom, and that is no
picnic for getting the gap right either. In fact, on the glider, it is
much tougher to get the closeout of the wing to work out well without
building a jig. So be thankful for your small gap and a much easier to
clearance aileron with the small bump.
As a side note, the plane with the finished level aileron flew no
differently to my taste. Just keep the lower hinge gap small ( just
short of 1/16 inch finished) to reduce aileron gap seal leaks and it
will roll delightfully.
Bud Yerly
Custom Flight Creations
----- Original Message -----
From: DuaneFamly@aol.com<mailto:DuaneFamly@aol.com>
To: europa-list@matronics.com<mailto:europa-list@matronics.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 9:04 PM
Subject: Europa-List: Aileron Thickness
Good day All,
Quick question........when I install my ailerons, the top surface of
each aileron is lower than the trailing edge of the wing.....how much is
acceptable? Should it be filled with micro to make it flush with the
wing trailing edge and then tapered to the aileron trailing edge?
Mike Duane A207A
Redding, California
XS Conventional Gear
Jabiru 3300
Sensenich R64Z N
Ground Adjustable Prop
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