Wooden Wing Construction Quiz

The main lengthwise members in a wooden wing are called:

• Ribs

• Spars

• Stringers

In a truss-type wooden wing, the members that separate the spars are:

• Drag wires

• Compression members

• Stringers

Sitka spruce spars on light aircraft are commonly:

• Solid only

• Laminated only

• Solid or laminated

Steel or heavy-wall aluminium tubes between spars primarily act as:

• Tension ties

• Compression members

• Torsion boxes

Drag wires run:

• Rear spar inboard → front spar outboard

• Front spar inboard → rear spar outboard

• Between ribs only

Anti-drag wires run:

• Rear spar inboard → front spar outboard

• Front spar outboard → rear spar inboard

• Tip rib → root rib

A box spar added between spars primarily increases:

• Fuel capacity

• Bending and torsional stiffness

• Ease of inspection

Typical wooden box spars use long upper/lower belts (“booms”) linked by:

• Steel webs

• Plywood webs

• Fabric webs

Before detailed inspection, aircraft should be:

• Stored outside to ventilate glue fumes

• Housed dry and well-ventilated with panels removed

• Washed with water to expose defects

A musty smell on opening panels most likely indicates:

• Lead paint

• Fungus/dampness

• Fuel vapor leak only