wing wires

Were turn buckles used to tighten the wires? Where were they located?

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Lary Bates:
Where stranded steel cable was used for rigging turnbuckles were used. The turnbuckle were most often located on the end of the cable that was attached to the lower wing for easy access for tueing the rigging. The RFC/RAF aircraft were rigged with RAF Wires, which were steel rod swaged to a streamline shape. These had left and right-handed steel clevis universal fittings at each end. By turning the swaged rod (wire) one way would tight the wire the opposite direction would loosen the wire. These were superior to the round cable inasmuch as they had a lower drag. The S.E.5a, Camel, Dolphin, Deh.4, etc all had RAF wires.
Blue skies,
Dan-San Abbott

Thank you for your help.

[Dean]

Dan-San,

While we're discussing wing wires, do you have any information on the tension of the wires? Over on the Nieuportbuilders newsgroup, they've been talking about how much tension to put on the rigging. Graham Lee ( the original designer of the 7/8ths scale Nieuport 11 flown by most newsgroup members ) says he does it by sound. He says if the tension is right, it goes "thub". If if goes "twang" it's too tight, and if it goes "thung" it's too loose. (Makes you wonder if the best riggers had been piano tuners before the war!)

Was there a more systematic method employed during WW1, or does the "tuning the wires method" sound plausible? Anyone?

VBR,
Dean

PS I'll be dissappointed if Ginger doesn't have a good response to this one! *grin*

[Barrett]

It's been a looooong time since I was concerned with rigging biplanes but none of those were WW I birds. However, it's possible that an all-wood airframe that'd been subjected to high G could become warped to the point that a Twang would be preferable to a Thub--at least until the bird was returned to depot for overhaul.
At any rate, the rigger & fitter's art is just that--an art, not a science.

[mike_baram]

I have a very disturbing image of a ground crewman going from plane to plane and striking the wires with a light mallet to play a string version of the "1812 Overture".

It is possible that rigging was tuned by ear an old trade(listen up/oop Ginger!!)of steam driven loco`s was the "Wheeltapper". This was a man who would tap a locomotives wheels with a hammer.If the wheel went "thunk" it was cracked and needed replacing if it didn`t it was sound,incidentaly when I am roping and sheeting a load on a lorry,yes we STILL do it!!,I use the same method for checking rope tension.Why? because it works.Regards andy the tyke

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Gentlemen:
The british aircraft manufacturers use a "Tautness Meter" to check the tension on a cable, tie rod or RAF wire. It was a device with two rollers that could be put on the wire and by deflecting the wire between the rollers determined the tension in pounds on an indicator on the devce. The wire could be adjusted accurately to the specified
tension. I would assume the French and Germans had simular devices. Over tightning would damage the attachment fitting and turnbuckle or clevis. To describe the rigging procedure ,say for an S.E.5a would require about four or five full parts and a lot of time.
Blue skies,
Dan-San Abbott

[Ed]

Was there a method for adjusting the trueness of wings for cantilever aircraft like the D.VII? Or were they "factory set" and that was it?

I know from my readings that the quality of the rigger's art not only affected the aircraft's performance, but could be used to adjust the flight characteristics to the liking of an individual pilot. I wonder if some of this personalization was lost with cantilever wings and if it was lamented by some pilots.

My understanding is that the RAF streamlined wire offered 1/10 the drag of conventional round cross section wire. Big difference.

Byron