Hinging with cloth

Any liabilities at all with going the full length along the flaps and stab with cloth hinges? Seems like it wouldn't add too much weight...

Nope.

J

>Any liabilities at all with going the full length along the
>flaps and stab with cloth hinges? Seems like it wouldn't
>add too much weight...

Going full length on the flaps has the benefit of "sealing" ,e.g. not letting air bleed between the flap and wing TE.

The key is insuring there is no binding of any kind.

I have used a lot of material types for hinging. We used to use cotton muslin, but that has a bad tendency to dry rot, especially in hot, humid areas. Of late I have used polyspan and nylon tafetta. Both seem to work. Because the polyspan is thin and light, I place hinges along the entire hinge line. Done neatly it is both strong and light, and with a little sanding can be just about invisible.

There are a number of good posts that you can here by using the search engine that tell how to properly install cloth hinges.

Best of luck.

V/r

Hello TomK,

Tom Morris uses/sells Dacron material. This is the material which is used on full-scale ultralite aircraft.

Tom's Building Service
327 Pueblo Pass
Anniston, AL 36206

Pho. 256-820-6970
Email [email protected]

When you go full length and not the usual hinge route, it sometimes is hard to get the stab/el alignment just right. So be careful.

I would simply go with the usual hinge, over and under alternating technique. And get your two surfaces as close together as you can. I use weights, and a lot of patience.

I use Tom Morris Dacron hinge material full length of the flaps and elevators. First I do the center of the stab, middle, then tips making sure after each is glued that the elevator "flops" up or down with no effort, then I fill in between. The Dacron is so thin it can be slid in between the stab and elevator and glued or doped into place. Same for the flaps. My biggest problem of late in building is getting a "loose" control system, no binds, and they usually show when installing hinges. I have never done the nylon type (Klett)well.

>When you go full length and not the usual hinge route, it
>sometimes is hard to get the stab/el alignment just right.
>So be careful.
>
>I would simply go with the usual hinge, over and under
>alternating technique. And get your two surfaces as close
>together as you can. I use weights, and a lot of patience.
>

Currell;

When I posted above, I meant going the full length of the hinge using the under/over method.

Mea maxima culpa for any confusion.

V/r