| Michael has reminded me of some important points, thanks , that link is from my web page 1- In Australia we are not allow to use the 4 separate bolts on the WAF as per plans, by our national body CASA ( Civil Aviation Safety Authority) we have to use only 2 bolts with a thick spacer between the WAF to lock them together. 2- I assume the FAA is the same, but when the wings are removed ( or any major control is disconnected ( aileron) when refitted before any flight, a log book entry must be made and signed by a second approved pilot, engineer, that it’s been check and operates correctly ( in the correct direction.) 3 - I glued a block of spruce on the end of the spar and under the top WAF, so when you are fitting the wing, the WAF sit on the block and aligns the single bolt through the neat fitting spacer. 4- I seldom remove the wings. On every 2 nd annual I remove them to check or corrosion on the WAF bolts and their tension Also spar inspection
Phil. Sent from my iPhone On 5 Apr 2024, at 19:34, Michael via KRnet <krnet@list.krnet.org> wrote:
Greetings
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:
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- What about the wear & tear on the nuts & bolts and their threads? Especially lock nuts.
- How to safely & correctly secure the WAF bolts without having to wire/split-pin them everytime
- 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!
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