Beached Whale
Everyone has seen a picture or video online of a beached whale. It is resting there in a very unnatural state. People are standing nearby in dismay; others are looking from a distance. But no matter who you are, your heart sinks. You may even cry a little inside.
Now imagine the scene as I drove the golf cart around the edge of the hanger to see a Cobra trailer open, the fuselage still in its dolly laying on the ground on its side. It was genuinely heartbreaking; it also turns out canopy-breaking.
How to avoid this misfortune.
Checklists. You should always have checklists. Maybe you get distracted or have taken some time off. You might be dehydrated and not operating at 100%. A step-by-step checklist would avoid most mistakes like this. I know it takes longer, and you rarely see your friends using them. However, experienced and novice glider owners damage their gliders.
Assemble with the gear up.
Some people use the gear height to help with alignment when using their one-man rig. However, it is a good idea to bring it back up. If the hydraulic ramp fails for any reason, mechanical or operator, the fuselage will lower back down. Nothing can keep it from rolling if the weight goes back on the wheel. Even with one wing on, it will easily roll. The wing will slide in the spar box. I have done repairs where the spar end gouged the inside of the glider above the spar box. I have also watched as it began to roll towards the one assembled wing, knocking the wingstand over resulting in a wingstand leg going through the wing. A few layers of carbon or fiberglass are no match for a metal tube.
For those who need a physical alignment guide, a better idea is a block that goes under the rear ramps. It keeps the alignment height consistent and also adds safety in case the hydraulic jack fails.
Don’t put your horizontal tail on yet
Wait until the wings are on before attaching your horizontal tail. If your fuselage decides to roll over on you, you do not need to also repair the horizontal or any of those connections. I learned this one many years ago while assembling the Nimbus, as I got an earful from just about everyone there. We had the gear up, but it is a bad habit. Many new 18-meter gliders have the wingtips stored hanging under the horizontal, and it has to be first off and last on anyway.
Tail dolly
Have the tail dolly off while assembling. During the beached whale moment above, the dolly wheel rotated and began to roll off to the side as the fuselage rolled. This played a part in the fuselage dolly completely departing the ramp and laying on its side. When you get it lined up and near the fuselage cradle, take the tail dolly off, then push it into the cradle. It is also much lighter when you can pick up the tail and rotates from the main wheel, not the fuselage cradle.
Banner Photo Credit Inaqui Ulibarri Garcia
Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.
