Rib stitching problem

[Flyboy66]

I think I am about ready to cover the wings and now I have a question about rib stitching. The Kitfox construction manual calls for structural adhesive between the fuel tank and the number 1 and number 3 ribs. With the adhesive in place, how do I Rib stitch the fabric to the number 3 rib?

Did I misunderstand the instructions in the manual?

What do you recommend I do?

Steve

[efwd]

People are just drilling holes through that adhesive at the edge of the rib. In my case, I used Oratex and Im relying on the strength of the glue so I did not stitch there. I did stitch the short segment behind the aft spar. They say that stitching is not necessary with any of the products we use since the ribs are 1" wide but most everyone is stitching their ribs. I know of nobody that stitched the very end rib so everyone must be trusting the adhesive integrity out there. Yes, at the tip, it is also sandwiched under the Wing tip fiberglass as well.

[Flyboy66]

Great, thanks for the info. I thought I had misread the instructions.

Steve

[efwd]

Also, many people make note of the spacers that were installed underneath the tank before they cover, so that they are able to stitch that false rib as well

[aviator79]

Also, many people make note of the spacers that were installed underneath the tank before they cover, so that they are able to stitch that false rib as well

I just drilled holes through the fuel tank. Worked great!

[aviator79]

(disclaimer: the above post is a joke. Please don't drill holes in your fuel tank.);)

[Flyboy66]

So, holes drilled through the tank. Do I run the stitching outboard of Rib three, then through the tank, and then up on the inboard side on rib one?







:)

[Esser]

I didn't use hysol between the tank and rib. I figured the wooden spacers were stiff enough.

[David47]

So, holes drilled through the tank. Do I run the stitching outboard of Rib three, then through the tank, and then up on the inboard side on rib one?







:)

Yes .....:eek:

[Flyboy66]

Perfect! Next, addressing the potential fuel leak.

[aviator79]

I didn't use hysol between the tank and rib. I figured the wooden spacers were stiff enough.


I didn't either. The gap was pretty large, and I don't think a Hysol bridge across that gap really does anything for you except make it hard to rib stitch. If Josh's fuel tanks fly out when he flies his plane (You are going to fly it, right Josh?), maybe I'll re-think it.

[jiott]

I installed my tanks more to the outboard side to give more room for the fittings on the inboard side. That made the tank-to-rib gap pretty narrow on the outboard side, and quite wide on the inboard side. So I only filled the outboard gap with Hysol (and drilled it for rib stitching).

[Dusty]

My tank to rib gap is about 1/4 inch.I assume there is no hysol,as there is a lot of flexing between the two which has caused the paint to start failing.
A bridged joint would possibly eliminate this.

[Flyboy66]

My tanks were not square, and I had to do some trimming on the right tank to get it to fit in between ribs 1 and 3. The hysol bridge is about 5/16” on the outboard side of the tank. The tanks also had some twist to them so they rocked a bit. The hysol is pretty hard, so I decided to drill through the top and bottom of the tanks to allow rib stitching, instead of drilling through the hysol to save time. This is going to be awesome.

[colospace]

I did the same as Jim and for the same reasons.

[David47]

I did the same as Jim and for the same reasons.

Same here ....

[Delta Whisky]

Perfect! Next, addressing the potential fuel leak.


Just slosh your tanks, that should take care of any leaks. :D

[Brandon Petersen]

You need to pressure test the tanks if you actually drilled through the flange. It would have been better to drill the Hysol.....

[jonstark]

Just slosh your tanks, that should take care of any leaks. :D

Sarcasm nugget of the week!

[Cherrybark]

Sloshing the tanks after they are installed in the wing might seem like a daunting task. There may have been a thread discussing attaching a washing machine motor to a wing rotisserie to make the job easier. An advance thread search might be required.

[Rob3782]

Do you consider the bottom part of the wing to be concave and therefore follow appendix c??