wing removal for transport

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seatofmypants
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2020 1:08 pm

wing removal for transport

Post by seatofmypants »

Greetings gentlemen. Brand new to the forum and brand new to the Piet. Camper. I just bought one yesterday. It was built in 1992 by Clarence S. Salmon. Out of Watertown Wi.
I need to remove the wings to transport it to Mn. from Wi., about 250 miles. I spoke with Andrew at the Piet. offical site earlier this afternoon about the best way to keep the wires taught while I remove the wings so as not to violate the fair lead that controls the ailerons. This plane has the 3 wing construction. There are some inspection, access plugs so to speak in strategic places on the underside of the wings. If the aileron control wires come off of the pulleys it could be a nightmare. So, hence my question Does anybody out there have any suggestions on how to do this carefully so as to keep everything in tact?
Maybe the man that built it built it in such a way that the wires will stay in there grooves and maybe not. If I can keep them taunt throughout the removal process I should be ok.
A brief backround. I am a retired heavy equipment and machinery hauler living on a little hobby farm in N. central mn. My name is Clyde. Thank you for reading. Regards, Clyde
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taildrags
Posts: 637
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:39 pm

Re: wing removal for transport

Post by taildrags »

Hello, Clyde;

Having done this several times with my Air Camper (removed and reinstalled the wings), I can tell you that if it's been constructed as per the plans and with reasonable care, the cables will not come off the pulleys inside the wings and you needn't worry about that, but even if they do, there should be removable inspection covers on the underside of the wing that let you get to the pulleys to get things back on track. For the aileron control cables, there are basically three places where you disconnect them to remove the wings. Two of the points are where the cables attach to the control horn down at the base of the control stick. It's a bit tricky, because when those cables leave the bellcrank headed up to the wing, they cross over each other and pass behind the instrument panel and up through the curved aluminum top cover before going up into the wing and you've got to thread them through there. If you can view pictures online, someone here will be happy to post a few that show how the cables thread their way upwards. Once those are disconnected, they can be pulled out with the wings.

The third cable is the crossover that connects the port and starboard ailerons to make them work in unison, one up and one down. That crossover cable must have a disconnecting link in it somewhere along its run, and that's in the centersection of the wing. Mine is accessible when I lift the "flop" section that I flip up and out of the way to get into the cockpit easier, but not all Air Campers have that flop. Some have a cutout in the aft part of the centersection, while others may provide access to the crossover by opening a removable cover on top of the centersection. The aileron cross-connect has to be separated and I'm 99% certain that you'll find a removable link or coupling somewhere in there. If you can view pictures, here's a picture of how it is inside Mike Cuy's Piet, with a turnbuckle on the cross-connect to tension it properly.
xover.JPG
The other cables that you'll need to disconnect are not control cables, but the wing strut X-brace cables. You should be able to get to those without any trouble. Let someone on this list know when you're ready to reinstall the wings and we'll try to help, because there are some tips that will make it an easier job. Incidentally, there are numerous Piet people in Wisconsin and Minnesota, so if you'll let us know where you're moving it to, there might be someone nearby who can help you. Good luck!

Oscar Zuniga
Medford, OR
Air Camper NX41CC, A75 power
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