Bruce wrote:


From my limited experience I would expect there to be procedures for
shimming or replacing the bearing pins on the wings at the leading edge
and at the drag spar. This is a critical connection - it should be right.

One reason for developing the play on long wings is when misguided or
moronic "helpers" manhandle glass ships by the wingtips. This puts very
high loads into the pins and they will get loose.

Does anyone know if there are certification standards for this kind of
ground handling force? I see people manhandling the wingtips, but I've
never heard of damage as a result, so I suspect the designers expect it
and design accordingly.

I've carefully avoided that kind of stress, but my Libelle 301 and ASW
20 C still developed audible wing play. My ASH 26 E, with more time than
the 301 and 20 combined, has not developed wing play. Go figure.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org