So do Boeing 787's need wing sand, wax, buff, reprofile, refinish?

11th July 2007, 03:55 PM

I am intrigued by the construction of the Dreamliner...carbon
fiber makes it's way to commercial aircraft. This
got me wondering about the construction techniques
of glider wings vs how Boeing does it. Will the 787
have spar bumps after a few years? Are the wings pulled
out of molds? Do they buy gelcoat from the same German
manufacturer as SH or Schleicher? Or are they painted
in poly? Any Boeing types out there with some insights?

11th July 2007, 04:28 PM

On Jul 11, 2:55 pm, Stewart Kissel
<REMOVE_TO_REPLY.stewartkis...@m> wrote:
> I am intrigued by the construction of the Dreamliner...carbon
> fiber makes it's way to commercial aircraft. This
> got me wondering about the construction techniques
> of glider wings vs how Boeing does it. Will the 787
> have spar bumps after a few years? Are the wings pulled
> out of molds? Do they buy gelcoat from the same German
> manufacturer as SH or Schleicher? Or are they painted
> in poly? Any Boeing types out there with some insights?

most importantly, do they tape the wing roots? and if so do they use
the expensive 3M stuff or just electrical tape?

11th July 2007, 05:26 PM

Wander down the airport terminal and mumble 'I'm looking for crew'.
Watch crowds scatter :)

13th July 2007, 02:50 PM

PIKs were built in an autoclave, though I'm not sure they were done in
prepreg. My 31-year-old sailplane still doesn't have a spar bump...
unfortunately, the molds were't terribly stable...

Jack

17th July 2007, 11:44 AM

Guess you never rigged a Calif...

"P. Corbett " <zzuluzulu@> wrote in message
news:77Cli.78$OC5.469067@news.sisna.com...
> nimbusgb wrote:
>> Wander down the airport terminal and mumble 'I'm looking for crew'.
>> Watch crowds scatter :)
>>
> Surpassed only by the LAK-12 and the Caproni Calif.
>
> Paul
> ZZ

18th July 2007, 02:07 AM

Paul,

I owned one for many years. It's a 2-man task if trained well, but more
comfortable with 3 people. I prefer to rig a Calif rather than a Duo or a
Janus.

Bert

"P. Corbett " <zzuluzulu@> wrote in message
news:m5gni.84$YQ2.769123@news.sisna.com...
> Bert Willing wrote:
>> Guess you never rigged a Calif...
>>
>> "P. Corbett " <zzuluzulu@> wrote in message
>> news:77Cli.78$OC5.469067@news.sisna.com...
>>> nimbusgb wrote:
>>>> Wander down the airport terminal and mumble 'I'm looking for crew'.
>>>> Watch crowds scatter :)
>>>>
>>> Surpassed only by the LAK-12 and the Caproni Calif.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>> ZZ
>>
>>
> Bert
>
> Not quite right, Bert. I have assisted in that process many times. It was
> almost always a 4-man task.
>
> Paul