Post Wing Mounting Work - Part 5 - Installing Ailerons

Posted Jul 21, 2026 Updated Jul 22, 2026 2 hrs

By Fan Zhang

2 min read

TLDR

Installed both ailerons

Details

After addressing the boost pump wiring issue, I went back to my normal project list. The next task was to install both ailerons.

The installation was pretty straightforward, with a few tweak points.

Bolts and Washers

Each aileron is connected to the wing by two AN4 bolts through the hinges. On the outboard hinge, when I moved the aileron up and down, the aileron hinge rubbed against the wing hinge.

The rubbing was so slight that only about 1 millimeter or less of clearance was needed between the two hinges.

I experimented with adding and removing washers between the hinges to achieve the necessary clearance. The instructions said I needed a thin AN4 washer between the two hinges. I ended up using one thin washer and one standard washer.

Everything else was easy. There was no more rubbing, and the clearance was good, so I torqued both AN4 bolts to secure the aileron.

Torque Tubes

Then I installed the torque tube that links the aileron to the main bell crank inside the wing.

I tried to start the screw that connects the torque tube to the rod end on the aileron, but I could not fit my finger into the small hole to hold the rod end. I’m sure some people can do it, but I decided to remove the aileron to gain more room.

So I removed the bolts I had just torqued, took the aileron off the airplane, connected the torque tube with only a few threads engaged, and then put the aileron back.

Then I connected the other end of the torque tube to the bell crank through the wing’s inspection hatch. There were no access issues there, so the work was finished fairly quickly.

Next, I connected the long torque tube in the wing to the control stick’s rod end. This completed the entire control stick-to-aileron torque tube linkage.

I did the same on the left side after finishing the right side.

Fine Tuning for Later

With the torque tubes connected, I moved the control surfaces up and down to ensure that the movement was smooth and that there were no unusual noises.

I roughly adjusted the tubes so that the control sticks were at the neutral position when the ailerons were flush with the wing. I have not measured the actual movement range, nor have I torqued the set screws. I will do that later during final rigging.

But for now, I have all my control surfaces on the airplane!