Taking off the Wings (list archive)

[tcraft]

----- Original Message -----
From: "dave matthews" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 10:04 PM
Subject: Taylorcraft: How to pull the wings off?


> This weekend N36078 is going to meet Mr. Razor Blade.
>
> Any pointers on removing the wings from a pre-war? A step by step set
> of instructions would be really helpful. My A&P said that he hasn't
> taken a set off of a Taylorcraft in a lot of years. He didn't think
> that it would tip over with one wing off but wasn't sure if we needed to
> put some sandbags on the tail to keep it down.
>
> If I can get enough done on Saturday I will get the A&P over to the
> hangar to help me get the wings off. If I can't then I will cut the
> fabric with the wings on the plane and have him help me next weekend.
>
> I am going to do the wings and tail this winter. The fuselage is for
> next winter.
>
> Dave
> N36078 '41 BC-12-65, soon to be not useable :-(

[tcraft]

Reply by Hank Jarrett <[email protected]>


Just got the wings off my 41 a couple of weeks ago. The biggest thing is to
make sure you have several more people than you think you need (we had about
5 and were glad for the extra hands!!!). Start by removing all the wing
band pieces to expose the wing to fuselage attach fittings. Disconnect ALL
the cables and wires between the fuselage and wings and mark them so you can
hook them back up correctly (flys much better that way). GET ALL THE STUFF
UNHOOKED NOW AND TRIPLE CHECK YOU DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING (don't ask). If you
have wing tanks they will be a BEAR to get disconnected and we needed
several people to hold the wings while I got the lines loose. Couldn't get
them loose till the wing was free of the fuselage and we could separate
things a little. If you find a way to get that fitting off while the wing
is on, get pictures!! Take the bolts on the spar to fuselage out one at a
time and replace them with screw drivers. Same for all the strut bolts
(both ends). You want at least three people holding the wing while one
pulls all the screw drivers. You need an extra person to take the struts
away when they are loose. DON'T LET HIM LAY THEM DOWN WHERE THE WING WILL
GO (again, don't ask!). The wings don't weigh very much but they have a
HUGE sail area. Just a little wind will make them unmanageable. Watch the
ailerons, they will flop around and pinch the tip mans fingers (getting
tired of me saying "don't ask" yet?). Remember you will need a place to put
the wings as soon as they are off. I found out eliminating the dihedral
from the wings with them off made my hangar narrower than what I needed. I
knew my hangar was tight but never realized it was THAT tight. The biggest
lessons learned was get several extra people, watch for pinches and make
sure you didn't miss any wires or things like the pitot line going from the
fuselage to the wings. LABEL EVERYTHING, INCLUDING ALL THE BOLTS. Wasn't
the worst job and only took a couple of hours.
Hank

[Robert Lees]

A "step-by-step" method I used (with photos) on wing removal is available at https://www.taylorcraft.org.uk/how_t..._wing_tank.htm

(It obviously covers how to replace a wing tank too)

Rob

[CraigH]

Originally posted by tcraft
Just got the wings off my 41 a couple of weeks ago. The biggest thing is to make sure you have several more people than you think you need (we had about 5 and were glad for the extra hands!!!). Hank

I'll agree with you here. We pulled the wings off mine to start working on a fuel tank leak. Did it with three people but a couple more would have made things much easier!!