Wings - Slats

Started working on the slats for the right wing. Pulled all the hardware and began first by installing the arms in the wing. The slats were built by the factory, mounted and the arms were adjusted. So, I just had to reinstall them and verify I had all the parts. The arms were engraved at the factory to ensure proper placement on the wing.

First, I installed the rubber arm bumper on the arm bracket. Next, I had to install bearings on each bolt which I pressed on. Once those were all in place I could install the arms into the wing. There are two bearings per arm.

Each slat must be installed in a specific spot. Once I figured the order I started trying to fit each slat onto the arms. There is a trick to installing them which took some time for me to figure out. The manual is moot on this. Anyway, the slat needs to be rotated onto the arm while the arm is almost completely retracted into the wing. I found that it is easier to do this with the wing inverted on the rotisserie.

 

After much trial and error, I finally was able to get the slats temporarily mounted on the wing and check function. They worked as they should. Once installed, I was able look at where the outboard slat tips will be mounted. They will be riveted on to cap one end of the slat. There are also a couple of rubber bumpers that install in the inside tip of the outboard slat that provides a cushion when the slats bump together. The bumper hits against the slat tip that gets riveted on to the opposing slat.