Wing Removal

Time: Hours

I started the process of removing the wings for moving the RV to the new home. I started with the left wing as that poses the hardest removal of the close tolerance bolts due to the fuel valve and lines that are on that side. I first removed the fuel valve and moved as many of the lines out of the way. Then I started with the lower large bolts. I used a rag to protect the skin and used the flush set to back the bolts out as far as they would go. I then worked one at a time using my 7/16″ drift pin(a hardware bought 7/16″ bolt with the threads ground down smooth) to drive the bolt all the way. This way the pin replaces the bolt and still provides temporary support. I found the need to use several tools to get the bolt backed out enough so that the drift pin could be inserted. I had a air chisel set that had a point on the end and this worked well. I just had to go slow and be careful so I didn’t slip and damage the center section. Once I had enough of the bolt pushed through I could inset the pin and drive the bolt out with the flush set. It took me almost 3.5 hours to get all four of the large bolts and all four of the smaller bolts out. It wasn’t a particular hard task except for how tight it is in that area. I took an long break and then started on the right wing using the same process. All of the bolts look good and had no burrs or damage. I will use new wing bolts and nuts when I put the wings back on per the advice from Vans. With the help of my son we spent the day moving the rest of my tools and the fuselage/wings from the hangar up to our new home. The drive takes about an hour normally but I drive slower with the trailer and parts. It took two trips but we got it all done without any issues. I have a lot of honey-do’s to take care of in the new home as well as the big task of organizing and setting up the new hangar space. Once that’s done I can start the process of putting the wings back on and getting back to building.

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