Greetings
There was a discussion on KR/Freebird folding wings a few months back.
The folding mechanism itself is fairly easy and one example on a KR is seen
here: http://www.philskr2.50megs.com/photo5.html .
The Fisher Flying Aria folding wing bracket is very similar to those in the
link above although I personally believe the KR2 one shown is simpler and
more efficient.
The biggest headache is the efficient and safe attaching (and detaching) of
the Wing Attach Fittings (WAF). Summary of what I remember from the thread:
1. Currently, removing the WAF bolts is a pain in the rear and takes
time and a few expletives to do. This defeats folding wings if your
objective is to regularly fold the wings to save hangar space or like me,
trailer my KR instead of paying huge $$$ for hangar space.
2. One commenter mentioned that the plans do not specify a torque value
for the WAF bolts so I asked if quick-release bolts; like those on high-end
racing bicycles to rapidly remove wheels; with some sort of locking
mechanism would be sufficient to secure the WAF's?
3. What about adding a torsion tube (is this the correct name?) between
the individual WAF brackets to make aligning and attaching the wings easier
and quicker and also inserting the bolts more efficient (they slide through
the torsion tube instead of manually aligning the bolts with the holes).
Personally, the few additional grams of the torsion tube will add to total
weight is worth it for the reduced frustration of trying to get the bolts
into the WAF holes.
4. What about the wear & tear on the nuts & bolts and their threads?
Especially lock nuts.
5. How to safely & correctly secure the WAF bolts without having to
wire/split-pin them everytime
6. In the end, the consensus was that it may not be worth the risk of
using quick-release bolts & nuts or other rapid removal systems as none of
us have the skill and knowledge to know what the risks and likelihood of
failure would be. Essentially stick with the plans for securing the WAF's.
Now if there was a really bright and talented person out there who could
develop a solution for the quick & efficient attachment (& detach) of the
WAF's while maintaining the high level of safety & strength the WAF's
current design has ... that would be a game changer!
Regards
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם (Shalom aleichem)
Michael L Griffin
mileg...@gmail.com
Fax : 086 733 0650
Cel : +27 83 462 0462
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