10/25/06

The Wing cradle in the trailer came about after a long discussion with the guys that run our vibration analysis lab. It turns out that carpet fibers rubbing against each other have a great damping effect. I use 1.5 inch angle iron to form the "U" shape for the support. I used 2.5" boat rollers for the top rollers. The carpet is held in place by a 1/8" metal strip in which I installed a bungee cord to help act as a shock absorber. The metal plat also acts as a stop in the event the bungee cord would break to prevent the wing tip from hitting the bottom of the frame. I normally add a second layer of carpet over the fist with a black plastic garbage bag over the whole lot to make contact to the wing. The carpet would be to abrasive and the 2-3 mil plastic works great. I thin sheet of Teflon would also be ideal. The wing spar is supported on top of a 2 X 4 mounted to a 2" square tube support structure. I secured the support to both the trailer floor and side to keep the wing from moving side to side. The wing root sits on the top of the  2 X 4 and is held in place by a set of shims cut to the angle of the spar for a very firm fit. The top 1 X 4 is bolted down through the other pieces of wood for a pressure fit on the spar. One wing allows the aileron bell crank to contact the wood and keeps that from moving on the other wing a bungee cord is used to pull the bell crank to hold it in place. I also use the 3M blue painters tape on the flap hinges and the gap between the aileron and flap to hold them straight and in place during transport. I have used this method the move my plane a number of times with two trips over 1200 miles and have not had a single scratch or and "hanger rash from this system.

The center of the trailer has a ramp that allows the nose wheel to come up about 3 inches and as the wheel rolls up the tail comes down and misses the top of the door as the tail enters the trailer. There are several floor flush mounted tie-downs and I secure the tail in all four directions. The nose wheel also gets secured with a single tie-strap that pulls the nose down and forward. I also block the side of the nose wheel with a 2 X 4. Be sure to place a small piece of cardboard between the rubber wheel and the 2 X 4 to prevent wear on the side of the tire from movement. The wheels act as shocks for the plane and the tie straps hold it all in place. The straps need to be firm but the plane needs to be able to move just a little to allow the stress of the road to be taken by the wheels and not the body of the plane.