Wing X Install – Part 1…
February 29, 2016Orig published over on BCP.org March 2015… This article is for entertainment only and is NOT an approved or instructional material. Consult the proper installation documents for reference.
Alright… The Wing-X.
First thing to talk about is just WTF is this all about. Most 100 series Cessna owners knows about it, but exactly what is involved can be a bit of a mystery as there isn’t much install info on the web. One thing is for sure… it’s damn expensive. At $5k for the kit alone, its no joke. A shop that has done em before is in for 40-45 hrs while a first timer may be in as much as 60.
The WingX website claims the additional 12 sq feet will give a 25% reduction in ground roll (on wheels,) a 12-15% increase in climb performance, 1000′ increase in service ceiling, and a GW increase.
All sound good, so lets do it right?
Bummer is for me, I already put the big stab and Kenmore GW increase on, so nothing there… Increased T/O roll sounds nice though… An easy take off in the wagon is 250-300′, but any decrease is welcomed. A really good crisp cold day with light fuel is about 1700’/min so another 200’/min might be real nice indeed…
For the most part, the general consensus seems to be that for floats, the kit is for sure a winner. For wheels, it gets a bit more convoluted. I’ve tried to do the research, and unfortunately the “been-there-done-thats” that I trust generally say not to install it. I’m not sure if this is because they say it its tough in the x-wind, a bitch to get to stop floating/flying, or just damn near impossible to get inside a regular hanger, but because I own the kit, AND its super easy to take off once the install is done, I’m gonna put the damn thing on and make up my own mind.
You can order it for the stock wing, or as in my case, for the Sportsman. I did test fit the kit while I was doing the Sportsman install and the fit is pretty snug. Paul from WingX and Willie Stene work very closely and have worked out all of the bugs, so I expect no issues due to mod conflicts.
Here goes….
First understand the kit breaks down into three basic steps. 1) The stainless strap, 2) the packer, and 3) the tips. If applicable to your A/C
The stainless strap is used if your A/C does not have the later beefier angle bracket at and around Sta 100 and if you want or are operating above a certain GW. This strap is centered at Sta 100 (just under the strut) and is stuffed under the leading edge skin trailing edge. The bitch here is you will have to unload the strut by lifting the wing and then move it down about 12″. It also sucks ass to drill the stainless… But not impossible if patient. Go slow, and have some extra bits handy. The packer is fitted using #6 universal head cherries so make sure you have the proper pneumatic puller.
The packer is made up of two bits of alum straps that are riveted up under the forward spar cap centered around Sta 136. These are aluminum and much easier to drill, but require some modifications to the ribs to get them to fit.
You will need to cut at least two new inspection ports in two bays to gain access to buck the rivets. The Wing-X drawings are God awful, don’t follow standard A/C convention, and have a bunch of confusing illustrations (e.g. large views of the left wing with exploded views of the right.) Might take an experienced sheet metal worker a couple of head scratches and some time to sort it all out, but in the end, it ain’t rocket science. Actually being smart might be a detriment as I’ve seen the less experienced A&P just push thru this install w/out asking the important questions. Their installations aren’t pretty, but they go quickly.
Regardless, I will say that Paul C at WingX is FANTASTIC and will be there (even on the weekend) for support. Top notch customer service IMO. Although confusing, he provides a good and complete kit.
Last of the three components are the wing extensions. These come primed and will eventually just screw on like wing tips. Patience here is important as it is fairly critical to get the geometry perfect.
More tomorrow…