Ka-6 Rigging

Yes, the CrPE is a bit more rare. However, there are two of them based at
my field! And they are the two that were at the 1964 Nationals, at
McCook, Nebraska. One flown by Graham Thompson, and one (mine) by Rudy
Mozer. The truely rare are what is sometimes called a "Ka-6-0" (Ka-6
Zero), or a Ka-6BrPE.

Also at my field are two Brs, two Crs, and an E. Yes, Nick, N6501D is
still at Sunflower. It hasn't been very active lately, as the owners
have been rather busy. But, they did get it inspected last Fall. I
haven't seen either or them or the plane since, though. Rudy Mozer is
here at Uvalde, and he flew N6501D to his Diamond Distance from Adrian,
Michigan, to Frederick, Maryland, ifI remember the article correctly.
Just under 400 miles.

Not sure why the manual would suggest the bottom pin first. Maybe to
prevent you from trying to raise the tips high enough to get a pin in the
top when the wings weren't all the way together?

Ka-6s are great fun airplanes. They are light, easy to rig, handle
wonderfully, are inexpensive, and there is just something about flying a
wooden glider that is an experience you just can't get when flying
anything else.

And, I am having fun at Uvalde, even though I am falling back down the
scoresheet. On the plus side, I don't have far to fall! Great Job at
Parowan with the Twin, Nick!

Steve

At 16:42 05 August 2008, Chris Reed wrote:

I owned a really cool Ka6CR, N6501D and I always needed someone to help me
rig it as [ at the time, things may have changed ] I could not find a self
rigger that would raise the wing high enough to work.

It is a real plus, once you fiqure it out, to have "it all ready to go"
so when you ask someone to help you, that you can pull the wings out with
no fuss and quickly get the pins in so your helper can move on. Take your
time the first few times you rig, with a patient helper so you can fiqure
out the angles, but after that you should only need a helper for 4 or 5
minutes to get the wings on, or off.
By the way, what a Totally Cool Airplane! Of ALL the aircraft I've flown
it was my favorite, super fun to fly ,easy to rig [ I did have a good
trailer which is a big help ] and good perfomance, I had several 500 km
flights in mine in Telluride Parowan and Ely, Just a all around
sweetheart, I wish I could have kept mine, but it did go to a ggod home
NicK Kennedy
At a minimum, make two trestles high enough for the wing tips when they
at approximately the correct rigging height. Aluminium step ladders with

pipe cladding on the top bar are good, if you can find them the right
height, though DIY wood is a bit cheaper and you can make a broad top to

allow some sideways movement.

This should mean (after some practice) that you can rig with just one
helper. Initially use two helpers to make sure you don't dislodge the
wing which is already in place.

The main point is that your helpers shouldn't have to take the weight of

the wings while you line everything up. No-one minds lifting a wing for
a few seconds (even my Open Cirrus wing), but holding up a tip for 5
minutes while attempts are made to line up the other can be really hard
work for someone who is past physical peak with a dodgy back (I think
that's most of us these days).

I used to fly a Grob Astir, and they have an undeserved reputation for
being tricky to rig. Once I invested in two trestles it was no problem
finding helpers.

vontresc wrote:
Well I finally got out in my (new to me anyways) Ka-6 the other day,
and I was wondering if anyone out there has some tips to make
assembling it any easier. Ideally I'd like to get to a system where I
wouldn't have to bother fellow club members too much for help. I
figure as long as I keep the beer fridge stocked with good beer, I
might keep my fellow member happy enough to continue helping me
rig :-)

Peter

On Aug 6, 2:41*am, vontresc wrote:
Well I finally got out in my (new to me anyways) Ka-6 the other day,
and I was wondering if anyone out there has some tips to make
assembling it any easier.

Hi Peter, It's good to hear from people that still love to fly wooden
ships.
I had the same problem trying to find people to rig my wooden glider
(BG12-16), so tinkered around in my workshop and after about 5
different versions came up with a one 'person' radio controlled device
that now fits the bill marvelously. The transmitter is tiny and can
fit in your shirt pocket or on a key-ring.
My wing roots are very heavy and awkward so I use a special 'clip-on'
trolley that picks up on the trailer fitting for the wing root so I
can wheel the wing out and only have to lift the tip out of it's
trolley and put it down again beside it. The rig does the rest.
I've since made another two for friends - one for a Nimbus and the
other for a Kestrel 19. The Kestrel owner rigs totally by himself,
and very quickly too might I add. - I wanted some pictures of him
derigging and in the time it took to get my camera out of the case and
turn it on he had one wing away allready! Needless to say he had to
get it out and start again so I could get the pics .

The rig entailed a lot of head-scratching to make it as simple and
compact as possible. The wing cradle comes off by pulling one pin and
then the thing just folds flat. I can quickly remove the wheels, or
if necessary, pull the axle out to reduce the width for stowing. My
one easily lifts 200 lb and the other two built lift 300 lb. I was
initially concerned about how the electrics would stand up to use in
the rain but they work fine (ask me how I know...) The last one I
made had the electronics in a sealed container just to be sure.
A couple of things to know if you try and build one, it needs to have
up and down movement of course, but must have a sliding sytem on the
axle to allow for back and forwards adjustment when rigging, and some
form of adjuster for holding the wing incidence. This last one is not
so important with fibreglass ships.

Good luck

derry
(New Zealand)

On Aug 8, 6:50 am, db wrote:
On Aug 6, 2:41 am, vontresc wrote:

Well I finally got out in my (new to me anyways) Ka-6 the other day,
and I was wondering if anyone out there has some tips to make
assembling it any easier.

Hi Peter, It's good to hear from people that still love to fly wooden
ships.
I had the same problem trying to find people to rig my wooden glider
(BG12-16), so tinkered around in my workshop and after about 5
different versions came up with a one 'person' radio controlled device
that now fits the bill marvelously. The transmitter is tiny and can
fit in your shirt pocket or on a key-ring.
My wing roots are very heavy and awkward so I use a special 'clip-on'
trolley that picks up on the trailer fitting for the wing root so I
can wheel the wing out and only have to lift the tip out of it's
trolley and put it down again beside it. The rig does the rest.
I've since made another two for friends - one for a Nimbus and the
other for a Kestrel 19. The Kestrel owner rigs totally by himself,
and very quickly too might I add. - I wanted some pictures of him
derigging and in the time it took to get my camera out of the case and
turn it on he had one wing away allready! Needless to say he had to
get it out and start again so I could get the pics .

The rig entailed a lot of head-scratching to make it as simple and
compact as possible. The wing cradle comes off by pulling one pin and
then the thing just folds flat. I can quickly remove the wheels, or
if necessary, pull the axle out to reduce the width for stowing. My
one easily lifts 200 lb and the other two built lift 300 lb. I was
initially concerned about how the electrics would stand up to use in
the rain but they work fine (ask me how I know...) The last one I
made had the electronics in a sealed container just to be sure.
A couple of things to know if you try and build one, it needs to have
up and down movement of course, but must have a sliding sytem on the
axle to allow for back and forwards adjustment when rigging, and some
form of adjuster for holding the wing incidence. This last one is not
so important with fibreglass ships.

Good luck

derry
(New Zealand)

Derry,
I saw your wonderful invention at Piako's 50th and was really
impressed with
the ease it brought to rigging/de-rigging the Kestrel 19 good job.

Dennis
Ka6E #4009
Australia

I rig and fly a K6CR

If you make sure the fuselage is exactly upright (install a small balance
indicator in a suitable place to assist) Then it seems the wings come
together quite easily

I had about 30 years of experience rigging a Ka6E with only two of us. The
minimum equipment we used was either a car with a cushion on the roof, or
a trestle, plus a padded U-shaped cradle which I found is better if the
fuselage is a slightly sloppy fit in it.

To rig the first wing, I took the root, and the helper took the wingtip to
a position giving about 45° sweep back. Rotate the wing horizontally at
that point. The trailing edge of the root can now be rested on the turtle
deck. I then only had to hold the leading edge of the root to support part
of the root weight.

The wingtip holder then comes forward until the wing is at right angles to
the fuselage, in the normal rigging position. The drag pin can now be
inserted. I moved to the wingtip either to put a trestle under it, or
position the car with a cushion on its roof so that wingtip can rest on
it.

The wingtip helper and I then fetched the second wing and repeated the
process.

When both drag pins are in, the wingtip helper adjusts the height of his
wing. By rocking the fuselage slightly in its loose cradle, I was able to
ensure all holes lined up for the two main pins. This avoids the need for
either a second wingtip holder, or very precise alignment of the dihedral
of the first wing to the fuselage.

The point of the 45° sweep back is to avoid a very awkward stretch,
holding the whole weight of the root, until the wing root is resting on
the fuselage. Only a straight lift of the root weight was involved, not
lifting and stretching over it too.

Using a car roof and a cushion is a handy tip if the trestle is lost, or
has been left behind in the event of a field landing.

Chris N.

Thanks for all the great advice. Rigging this weekend went a whole lot
easier than the first few times. besides the wings are still lighter
than some of the plastic ships at our field.

On to the next stupid question. I'd like to install a TE probe. From
what I can tell It never had a TE probe, but rather an internal
Schuemann Compensator. since I currently have neither, I really would
like to install some sort of TE system.

I am thinking of installing a standard tail mounted probe. The ILEC
probe and socket look good, but I am a bit apprehensive about drilling/
cutting into the tail. Any advice on what to do and not to do?

Thanks

Pete

On Aug 5, 9:41*am, vontresc wrote:
Well I finally got out in my (new to me anyways) Ka-6 the other day,
and I was wondering if anyone out there has some tips to make
assembling it any easier. Ideally I'd like to get to a system where I
wouldn't have to bother fellow club members too much for help. I
figure as long as I keep the beer fridge stocked with good beer, I
might keep my fellow member happy enough to continue helping me
rig :-)

Peter

To make assembly easier, simply do what Tony and I have done with our
gliders: Take the glider off the trailer and assemble it for flight.
Then, take it apart and put it back on the trailer. Repete this
exercise about 25 times. After that, through a process similar to
evolution you will be able to to do it in a fraction of the time it
now takes.

MM

On Aug 5, 9:41 am, vontresc wrote:
Well I finally got out in my (new to me anyways) Ka-6 the other day,
and I was wondering if anyone out there has some tips to make
assembling it any easier. Ideally I'd like to get to a system where I
wouldn't have to bother fellow club members too much for help. I
figure as long as I keep the beer fridge stocked with good beer, I
might keep my fellow member happy enough to continue helping me
rig :-)

Peter

I've assembled my k6e for 8 years and found that concise instructions
to the wing tip holder, a wing tip stand and an additional stand near
the fuselage to stage the wing root is about as quick as it gets.
Consider raising the wing tip at the same time you bring the root onto
the fuselage, keep all the pins well greased, and use a third pair of
hands on a windy day. Finally, you can complete a critical assembly
check and a positive control check in just a moment or two with the
same help. All of this has never been a bother; help has always been
gracious and it's safe too.