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Wiil I get the award for the dumbest screw-up

pgroell

Well Known Member
Friend
Last week I was assembling my wing skeleton an drilling the ribs and spars. Some ribs and spar holes don't align so you have to use the spar as a drill guide. All goes well with the main rib and rear spar, I then walk around the assembly and drill the leading edge holes.. I then notice but only in the evening is that I drilled from the rib side into the spar and added nice new holes into the spar. Silly me!!!

http://www.notreavion.net/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=108?sel_lang=english

I send the picture to Vans, but did not get an answer for the time being. They must still be rolling on the floor laughing, or maybe it's a real show-stopper and they have to have a big meeting to decide what to do about this.
Well, I stored my drill and undertook house renovation while waiting.
 
screw up.

All you need to know is that with all the other builders out there you can bet that someone's been there before, of course after 2 rv's I've not made any mistakes myself. :)
 
I am gonna go out on a limb here and guess that they will tell you to put rivets in those holes and press on.

Keep us apprised of the official answer!

;) CJ
 
Captain_John said:
I am gonna go out on a limb here and guess that they will tell you to put rivets in those holes and press on.

Keep us apprised of the official answer!

;) CJ
Before I even read what your screwup was, I knew the answer was "No, you aren't going to win the award" ;-)

I agree with CJ. Van's will, in all likelyhood, tell you to fill the holes with rivets and push on. Relax, it isn't bad at all, in my opinion.

Cheers
 
I can bet there have been far greater screw ups. Vans stresses caution when building the wings so as not to build 2 left or 2 right wings. I gotta believe that it was done often enough in the past that they decided to put that extra note in the instructions.

.....and while we're on the subject, does anyone know of wing spar damage (like a tree limb through roof of shop or other) so bad that a spar had to be replaced? Since there's a match drilling thing with the center section of the fuse it seems to me that there would be complications in ordering just a spar. Can you order just a spar? How much $$$$.$$? Would you have to send your center section back to Vans for match drilling of the spar?
 
Robert M said:
Can you order just a spar? How much $$$$.$$? Would you have to send your center section back to Vans for match drilling of the spar?

Not sure about ordering just a spar, but I read in another thread recently about somebody who had a mistmatched wing spar/center spar and it worked out fine. They drill them in a jig so there shouldn't be too much variance.

I can't even imagine what the "dumbest screw-up" would be. We've all been working on the plane when we're too tired, or the mind is wandering, or it's too hot, or too cold, or we're not paying close attention. And then something dumb happens. When you're looking around everywhere for the cleco pliers for 15 minutes and you realize they're in your pocket, it's time to take a break. ;)
 
pgroell said:
.......... I drilled from the rib side into the spar and added nice new holes into the spar............. I send the picture to Vans, but did not get an answer for the time being. They must still be rolling on the floor laughing, or maybe it's a real show-stopper and they have to have a big meeting to decide what to do about this.........
Pascal,

I doubt Van is so easily humored or all that concerned about what your photo depicts as a relatively minor builder error....they have much bigger fish to fry. There are any number of fixes. My guess is they will offer you one of three simple options. One is to plug the holes, two is to ignore the holes, or three...since you have adequate hole spacing between the errant holes and the holes immediately next to them, to continue to drill the two additional #40 holes that now exist in the spar web through the rib flange and install AD3 rivets in same. Disclaimer: I edited your photo for illustrative purposes only. It is not meant to be portrayed as an approved disposition written up by a qualified engineer, which I am not.
118editqr6.jpg

Let us know what Van eventually tells you. Inquiring minds want to know.
 
Vans answer

Hello everybody,

thanks for all your input. I just thought this was really dumb as it it very well explained in the instructions. Here is Van's answer :

You aren't the first guy to do this. Luckily, it's not a big mistake. You
just need to drill the holes in the rib flange to match the spar, and put
rivets in all the holes.
And just to be precise, they'll be AD4 rivets in all those holes as the holes in the spar are already 1/8.
 
Spar Damage

One of my spars looked like it had been hit by a forklift blade, big dent in the web, Vans replaced & the trucking Co insurance paid, took a while to sort but I eventually got a new spar, was assured it would fit, haven't fitted the wings yet so time will tell but Vans didn't seem concerned.
 
You're not even close to winning the screw-up trophy. I remember reading about one builder who built the entire set of wings with the spar upside down!!!
 
The topper

An A&P/IA friend if mine told a story from A&P school that is probably the topper.

This guy built a gorgeous Steen Skybolt and the DAR was curious about the color of the tubing in the fuselage so he asked if he could scrape a small section of the paint. It was silvery under the paint so he asked what kind of tubing it was. The builder said, "here's a piece" and produced a section of thin-wall conduit tubing that you run electrical wire in houses through!!!

ps Don't shoot the messenger.... :eek:
 
I AN SURE IT IS NOT THE DUMBEST. I READ SOME TIME AGO ABOUT SOME ONE WHO WAS TRYING TO INSTALL THERE WINGS IN THE FUSLAGE AN THEY WOULD NOT FIT. THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY BUILT THE WINGS UPSIDE DOWN ON THE SPARS. I AM SURE THAT IS A LOT MORE TROUBLE THAN YOU HAVE.
 
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