Ka-6 Rigging

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

The ingrates should be honoured to be allowed to touch the vintage structure ;-)

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

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

Steve, Wow I see you have a CR with a pendulum elevator, not
many of those were made, I saw one in New Zealand many years ago.
Mine also has a pendulum elevator however it's on a Ka6E :)

My manual suggests putting in the bottom main pin first, perhaps that
could be worth a try on the CR's as well I have also made fuselage
dollys
which makes managing the fuselage a snap,just roll it out and leave it
sit.

Agree with Bruce about the ingrates :)

We should remind them that our aircraft are made of a unidirectional
reinforced
laminated composite material consisting of micro-tubular fibres
embedded in a
long chain polymer matrix and having a near infinite fatigue life.

Dennis
Ka6E #4009


On Aug 7, 6:55 am, Steve Leonard <zuni...m> wrote:
> Ka-6s go together quite easy. Left wing on first, bring it in square or
> slightly tip forward. Get the drag pin in, then move the tip aft until
> the lift fitting bottoms out. Put a stand under it to make the bottom of
> the spar roughly parallel with the fuselage deck. The leading edge is a
> straight line from tip to tip, so tell your tip person this. That will
> get you right on the fore and aft part for the second wing, so the wings
> can slide together. I always put the drag pins in before the main pins.
>
> To get the main pins in, I always have to tell the new guys to hold onto
> the spar when you push the pins in. If you don't, the fuselage will roll
> back (ours sits on its wheel with a stand to keep it upright) if the
> fittings were not absolutely perfectly aligned, and the fitings will go
> out of alignment, making the pin impossible to put in. Is this maybe when
> you start to have an issue? I always like to go up as required to get the
> top pin in first, then go down and get the bottom pin. Once both wings
> are in place, it should take less than 30 seconds to get the pins in.
> With the wings sitting on pads beside the fuselage, putting each one on
> shouldn't take much over 30 seconds from Lift to On.
>
> We find it is easiest to have three people. This way, you can easily set
> the wing onto the fuselage, with one person suporting the wing by the
> laeding edge, and one supporting it by the trailing edge at the root. The
> TE guy can also tell you what needs to happen to engage the lift pin. Oh,
> and with three people, nobody has to lift over about 40 lbs, or do a lift
> in an awkward stance that might hurt your back.
>
> Steve Leonard
> Ka-6CrPE
> N958Z

On Aug 5, 9:41 am, vontresc <vontr...@> 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 <vontr...@> 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.