The Murphy Builders Site

I'm about one month away from mounting my wings on the Super Rebel to fit the struts, control tubes, etc. This is really scary, as the wings actually weigh quite a bit. I have room to do it in my shop, just barely, but it will save me from dragging everything to the hangar. Ted sent me some pictures showing how he winched his from overhead. I don't have the capability to mount anything overhead of my wings, my shop has a finished cathedral type roof. It was a mistake to not install some sort of beam for future work. So, I'm looking for good, inexpensive ideas on how to lift the wings up into place and support them while I fit the struts etc. Pictures would be wonderful.
Thanks,
Jerry

Go to my website and you can see how I did it with 2X4s and a little help from my friends
http://www.whitetaildeerfarmer.com/Airplane.htm The picture of the stabilizer shows it better that the one of wings but you may get the idea. After we got it up we fitted the struts. Make sure that your fuselage is perfectly level and cant move.

A drywall lift works well

I rented a mobile scaffold. Very easy, simply assemble it to the exact height and roll into position. Make minor adjustments with blocks of wood.
Roger K

Good idea Roger. Will obviously need precise measurements to get the correct dihedral set.

My 2x4 system is a lot cheaper then renting a scaffold or sheetrock lift and it is less clutter in your work space.
You just raise the cross piece up to the desired level and clamp it with a c clamp or vise grip. When you are satisfied with your height you screw it on with torx screws. If need be you can use some window or door shims taped in place to make final adjustments

My concerns are that the Super Rebel wing is larger and much heavier than the Rebel wing. In addition, they are mounted much higher as I can walk under the wing of a Super Rebel and I'm 6'2". I do have a Harbor Freight Sheetrock lift, but question its ability to do the job safely. Once I get them up and attached, I like Wayne's idea on how to hold them in place. Perhaps the sheetrock lift modified with four guys or so to help?
Jerry

Hopefully the attachment is coming through. I made two stands like the one sketched out in the attachment. The stands with the 4 ea. 1/2 inch threaded rod allowed me to adjust all of the related angles to mount the wings and allowed me to move them in and out from the air frame as needed during fitting. When finished with the mounting of the wing I dis-assembled the stand to remove it from the wing.

I welded up a set of jacks that work perfect and adjust to any height and angle and are multi purpose, If Jerry or any of you are interested I will try to get some pictures.

I'm finally getting around to mounting the wings. I spent too much time on restoring a Cygnet (1989 Reserve Grand Champion at Oshkosh) to get it to Oshkosh this year. Now I'm back on the Super Rebel full time. For those of you who are retired -- full time is relative. The refrigerator coils froze up this week, my wife hit a curb and blew out two tires, and I had to spend a day troubleshooting an electrical problem on the John Deere.

So, this morning, the tall strong men in the neighborhood will help me lift the first wing (left) in place. I've turned the aircraft 90 degrees in my shop, and will have a bit less than one foot on each side to spare after I put each wing on. To do this, I've built a fixed stand similar to the one Wayne described, actually from some pictures Charlie Starr sent me, and the adjustable and movable stand Tailwind described. I've attached a photo below. The plan is to set the wing in place on saw horses, put guys on each corner (and then some) to lift it up high, then roll the adjustable wing stand underneath. I can then maneuver it to fit and then put the fixed stand in place. I will then disassemble the adjustable wing stand, slide it under the aircraft and reassemble on the other side to fit the right wing in place. I'll add more pictures later today.

I've also welded up two Cessna type jack points to level the fuselage before building the struts.

Best,
Jerry Folkerts

Fun!! It can be a struggle to have people hold the wing while you try to get the bolts in place. My neighbor showed me to use a punch or something similar in the front holes. This immediately takes weight off and let's you easily fit the rear bolt and then the front. If not there can be a lot of wing holding, groaning, and such just trying to get the first bolt in. Once the bolts are in the strut is a piece of cake. Not sure about the super rebel but the rebel has the spacers in front of and behind the front bolts. Good time to make those up. I made two wing stands similar to yours and was able to unbolt the wings and slide them back a foot or so to work on torque tubes or whatever. Then, when needed just slide them right back. Have fun, be careful, AND cut that strut tube carefully! Craig

Success!!!! I'm really happy I made the adjustable/movable wing stand.

The Elite wings do not weigh near as much as your Super Rebel's. Here is my scaffolding setup when I first mounted the wings and cut the struts. Amazing how accurate you can get things dialed in just shimming off your scaffolding. The most important item was waxed dental floss stretched between wing tips. This was used for very accurate measuring and getting dihedral correct.

Eric Fogelin
Elite Amphib N645E

After getting your front and rear attach holes drilled and reamed, next is the scary job of cutting your struts.

I made test pieces out of scrap wood and MDF. This let me get the cut angles and lengths correct before going after the expensive real struts.

I used a chop saw. It was over in a moment...and cut correctly! Whew!!!

Eric
Elite Amphib N645E