WWA Info Exchange

I started to permanently rig the wing. I used 1/16 in. aircraft cable and 3 1/4 in turnbuckles, I get more turnbuckles later next week. When complete I can remove the wing support frame. I will make the final adjustments to the cable at this time.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Great progress. Is this rigging like the standing rigging on a sail boat, static and for stuctural integrity only? Also, as this is a scaled down version, will the weight of the turnbuckles and rigging become an issue?

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Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon

I am not familiar with standing rigging on a sailboat I hope you might enlighten me, I do know that this rigging will strengthen the structural integrity and provide the required droop (anhedral) to the wing. The real structural integrity for the wing comes from the fabric covering, when applied properly the wing becomes a solid beam. The old photographs of the Wright’s aircraft were not very detailed, to show the rigging and any turnbuckles they may have used but different tensions were required to stabilized the wing and form the anhedral , I would think some form of turnbuckle was used. Since this is a non flying machine the weight of turnbuckles (under 1 pound) and the cable only weighs in at .0042 per foot, should not be an issue.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Hey Pilot,

Sounds about the same. The standing rig of a sailboat is a series of static lines that is used to support the mast through tension. Conversly, the Running Rigging are the dynamic lines used to hoist, position and tension the sails. On most modern boats, the standing rig is made from SS wire rope/cable, and has turnbuckles to adjust the tension.

Believe it or not, there's not a lot of difference between a sail and a wing. They both maintain an air foil shape and develop lift, but while the wing uses the lift to fly, the sail uses the lift to move it through the water.

Can't wait to see the Running rig for your glider.

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Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon

It's sounds like the running rigging would be the control lines, that pull or twist the wing into the shape you want so one will bank to the right or left.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Exactly. I've always heard that the Write's birds didn't use control surfaces as we think of them today, but that they used a technique called Wing Wraping. As I understand that, the control lines were set to wrap the wing out of square in order to increase or decrease lift. As you've already built the wing, how do you keep it rigid, and flexable at the same time?

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Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon

The 4 guy wires clostest to the pilot 2 each side run from leading edge to tailing edge all other rigging run from left to right along the long axes of the wing this allows the wing to be flexable at the tips, The skin of the wing is cut on the bias and installed on the bias. This allows thousands of weaven threads to form a platt tress, which is a lot of triangles and that give each wing its strengh. The hinged wing struts allows each wing to twist at the end to make the wing warp, giving just enough control to roll the aircraft. Hope this helps.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

So with the wing frame warping, did you have to make the joints of the ribs to the frame, and even the frame ends, flexable?

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Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon

All of the ribs were lashed to the leading and tailing spars with waxed linen cord, no glue or any other fasteners, not for flexability but not to put any holes in the spars. Lashing makes the joints very tight, if done right, old boy scout trick. Please let me go back a bit, in the 1900's people only had hide glue and paste , not good quality, but most people of the time knew knots and lashing and could do it well. The Wright's to save weight used lashing when ever possible. The Wright's used 2 lashings most the square or saddle lash and the wrapping lash. See photo for the square lash. see the second for the wrapping lash. Both are very strong lashings.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

It's really coming along Tom !!! Great work !!!

If you ever come back east and go to Kitty Hawk NC, they have a full scale replica in the museum there...

I've got a lot of pictures of it in storage somewhere.....I'll try to find them and scan them for you....

I used to go out to the outerbanks every year for the oldest, continuously, running hang gliding competition, but haven't been in about 5 years or so.

Skyrider

Thanks, I found several photos of the one showing at Kitty Hawk, I would love to travel to kill devil hills.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

It sure is comming together, and looking fine. Lots of work into the bird already, the progress photos are much appreciated.