[dsoltz]

I recently bought a Sport 2 in mint condition, it is about 3 years old but was flown sparingly and was carefully stored for much of that time. The sail is still quite new, and may in fact have shrunk slightly because installing the fiberglass tip wands is quite a challenge. I often have to resort to lying under the wing and pulling the end of the wand forward with one hand while pushing the end of the leading edge back with my knee. Is there an easier way?

Also, on breakdown, I am unsure how best to fold the wing tip so as to minimize stress on this part of the sail when folded. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Dave

[ChattaroyMan]

To insert and remove the tip wands on my Sport 2 175 I first have all ribs removed and the crossbar detensioned. This gives you a bit more slack in the sail. I kneel in front of the leading edge facing the sail with one hand holding the end of the LE and the other holding the tip wand lever. I pull the LE towards me while pushing the tip wand lever away from me. I hold the tip wand lever pretty much right at the tip wand cup. It is a push/pull movement to and away from where you are kneeling. If you try to pull the sail away from the tip (such as to lengthen the sail) it ain't happening. Your pushing and pulling needs to be perpendicular to the LE.

I roll up the sail in a number of ways. If the ground is pretty dirty as opposed to being covered with grass, etc. I roll up the tips first by folding the leading edges of the tips towards the nose such that the upper surfaces of the tips and wing are now against one another (you could go the other way with the bottom surfaces against one another) - not sure if one is better than the other. At this point the rest of the sail is out over the top of the leading edge and wings are pretty much together near the keel. I then roll the folded tips towards the LE spar and stow them in the tip bags. Then I roll up the rest of the sail. Ideally, the leading edge with mylar insert ends up on top.

Another thing I do with the 175 when setting up is after putting the tip wands in and before tensioning the crossbar I insert the rib into the batten pocket that intersects the upper wing wire. This is the #4 rib on the 175 (not sure about the other sizes???). It can be hard to get my #4 rib in if the upper wing wire is tensioned (the tip of the rib hits the wing wire).

I welcome hearing how others set up and take down their Sport 2s as mine is the only Sport 2 I've seen. I'm headed out flying 7/1 and 7/2. I'll GoPro how I do the tip wands and roll them up. If someone hasn't linked a video on the tip wand method by 7/3 I'll upload the way I do it. Hope this helps!

[Eteamjack]

I've found that each wing is different and require varying strength and technique
to install the wands. There is a video on U tube that can assist. I put my wands in
prior to tensioning the wing. I do not fully spread the wing. I do not tension the wands until after the wing has been tensioned. Reverse is true on breakdown.
There is also a u tube video on how to fold the wingtip. It's easiest to watch someone else for the first time. I place a wingtip bag under the portion of the tip that contacts the ground.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6hcPuR0gNE

I have the strength to do the right side, but find I dont have the required
strength on the left using the above process.

Following is the setup process for my U2.
Install first four battens starting from the keel.
Install tip wands
tension wing
connect kingpost cable
install battens 5 and 6
tension tip wand.
install battens 7 and 8
install sprogs.
Connect nose wires

Breakdown
Disconnect nose wires
Unzip sprogs
remove battens 7 and 8
detension tip wands
remove battens 5 and 6.
disconnect kingpost
detension wing
remove tip wands after slightly collapsing the wings which slackens sail.
Bag the tips
Note be sure the VG chord is not cleated when collapsing wing.
Remove remainder of battens.
I use a piece of broken tip wand as a tool to pull the haulback back
and to pull the tip wand cups off. Wills sells a tool similar to this or any similar
item such as a plastic tube or pvc could be used.

Bagging the tips is relatively easy. Stand in front of wing tip. After detensiong wing and removing outer battens and tip wands. lift the trailing edge up and fold it in horizontal to the leading edge. The fold should be at the end of the leading edge. When you get a nice clean fold begin rolling it down neatly until you have a nice clean package to put into bag. I believe there is also a u tube video to watch.

[soarass]

The easiest way to install/remove the tip wands is when the sail is NOT tensioned via the haul back. INSTALL>Stand in front of the leading edge. After rotating the wand so the label faces the rear, grab the leading edge with your inboard hand and the tip lever with your outboard hand. The cup of the lever should be perpendicular to the wand, NOT parallel. Pull the leading edge tube toward you, and push the wand away from you, sliding the cup along the length of the wand until the cup rotates around the tip of the wand and slips onto it. It may take you a couple tries to get the hang of it. Key is how you grasp the lever/cup, so it won't rotate until the right time...REMOVE>Kneel behind behind the tip with your inboard knee up. De-tension the lever slowly, then reach in and grasp the wand near the tip. Brace your wand hand against your knee, so you have the added advantage of your leg muscles. Pull the lever toward you until roughly 90 degrees to the wand, grip the wand tightly, then rotate the lever outboard smartly, and it will slip right off. NOTE: Push the lever forward immediately, before relaxing your grip on the wand, so the wand does not get caught in the "pocket" behind the lever pivot. THat usually requires disassembly of the tip lever.
FOLDING>Once the battens, wands, sprogs are out, king post is folded, and leading edges are folded back parallel, pull the sail outboard over the L.E. tubes, fold the tips of the sail so the fold is roughly square to the leading edge. Then roll up the folded part and put your tip bag over the sail with the sprig inside. Repeat, then roll up the rest of the sail, using the lower battens and wands for a mandrel to wrap the sail around. I hope this helps you. One of the Wills Wing test pilots showed me these tricks, after I had forgotten what my instructor told me the first time. But I've always been a little slow....
HAH!! Jack beat me to it!!!! Gotta get up early to beat Jack......

[ChattaroyMan]

One thing I've been doing with success is having the cup parallel to the tip wand instead of perpendicular to it when installing. I'll try perpendicular and see how that goes. It does take practice and I now wonder why I found it so hard to install and remove the tip wands early on. It can be easy to get the tip wand stuck between the lever grommet and the LE of the sail. That was the last issue I had to master - how to move my wrist back at the right time as the wand was coming out of the cup - pushing the wand away from the cup/lever with the heel of my hand. The video makes it look very easy - it does take practice!

[aeroexperiments]

I pretty much follow the manual. Put 3 battens in, tension the crossbar with tips still bagged (slide the bags back a bit and loosen the velcro to minimize stess on trailing edge during tensioning), put in tip wands and tension them, put in rest of battens, do the tip string before flipping the other batten tips into place.

For takedown, take out battens (or at least outboard 3), detension tip wands but leave cups in place, temporarily bag the tips, detension wing, take out rest of battens, pull in leading edges a bit before taking the cups off the wands which should be easy at this point, rebag tips (loosely-- I guess I take bags off one more time when leading edges are fully pulled in so I can roll sail before bagging tips the last time.)

Also I'm pretty sure I do I have the long axis of the tip wand cup fixture parallel to the tip wand not perpendicular to it, as I slide the cup up the wand to get it into place and tension the wand. I did it the other way on my other curved-tip glider (Laminar).

Not necessarily the best, its just what I do.

Steve

[aeroexperiments]

One very experienced pilot around here says that tensioning a curved-tip glider with the tips still bagged stresses the trailing edge and leads to trailing-edge flutter. I don't know, I'm not sure I'm convinced, especially if you loosen the velcro and slide the bags back to give the fabric more room before tensioning.

Steve

[Dan Harding]

NOTE: Push the lever forward immediately, before relaxing your grip on the wand, so the wand does not get caught in the "pocket" behind the lever pivot. THat usually requires disassembly of the tip lever. "This is a great tip!!!"


Read more: http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=26521#ixzz1zNq7m4hW

I have had this happen to me on my Moyes, and it required tools to get the tip wand out of where it was stuck.

[Eteamjack]

I never have the problem with wand going behind the lever since changing my
technique. I did have one go behind when I owned my Talon and it was a B****

[David W. Johnson]

I always put the tips in before tensioning. I couldn't do it with the tension on.

[Alan]

This is one of those things in Hang Gliding that seem totally impossible until you learn the right technique, then you wonder why you ever had trouble with it.

The reason to insert the tip wands after tensioning the wing is that it minimizes the amount of dragging of the wingtips over the ground. I know it seems impossible -- like forging cold steel with your bare hands -- but if you learn the right technique it becomes ridiculously easy.

My specific Sport II seems harder than other gliders that I have observed. But even a weakling like me can do it.

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6hcPuR0gNE

[blindrodie]

I know a pilot that really struggles with his Sport 2. I met another with the same issues on his U2. I frikin PROMISE it's all just pure technique. NO muscle just leverage and smooth movement once you are ready to do the job...

I watch them struggle and ask for help and then just go over and do it myself.
It seems to be hard to get the technique even after showing some one numerous times. Watch the body language and the way the wing is held and imitate exactly!
It will work.

Keep practicing!

[Mavi Gogun]

Others have commented on the cost in sail wear of addressing the tips with the sail detensioned. Like Steve, I loosen the tip bags when tensioning the sail, then install the tips ; I also don't fix the baton clips until after the tip wand is installed.

[hckilgore1]

good stuff...i'd like to see a video from someone one here putting together their sport 2..i have recently bought one myself...i'd also like to know how to roll the sail...very frustrating to roll that thing and be consistent in the roll from top to bottom...lots of great tips here..thanks folks...

[oshi]

asked the same question when i picked up my glider at WW. this is what they recommended and taught me....

This is what i do on my S2


1. Insert the first 3 battens on each side of the wing (but do not clip it on)
2. Loosen the tip bags (do not remove)
3. clip the luff lines on
4. Tension
5. remove the tip bags and install the tip wands.
6. continue to insert the rest of the battens
7. clip the battens in place starting from the keel out
8. insert under surface batten and zip sprogs
9. nose batten/nose cone

if you get your technique correct this will be the least sail taxing method for your glider.

[dsoltz]

Comment on this last posting; the nose batten on my S2 must be positioned before anything else. Otherwise it will not go into place. I verified this the hard way by forgetting to do so, and then having to remove battens/de-tension/removing the tip wands (after so much effort and been invested in inserting them), properly positioning the nose batten, and then repeating the arduous task of wand insertion and everything else that follows, all of which cost me about 20 minutes and my position in the launch queue.

In the end I still find that lying under the wing and bracing the end of the leading edge with my knee while pulling the tip wand back with my arm seems to work best and is consistent, at least in principle, with the other postings.

Thanks for all the input. Above everything else it is reassuring to see this is a common issue, and that it is only resolved with practice and development of better technique.

Dave (H2/P4)

[pjwings]

[Mavi Gogun]

[pjwings]

[macsux]

Here's a very very easy "hack" if you can't seem to get the "official" technique right:

Put in the tip wands while the wings are still folded. They will just go right in (at least on a sport 2). Just pop them in there, then spread the wings, and lock them with the lever afterwards.

Downside is you have to take the bags off the tips so it may pick up more dirt, but when the wings are still folded and everything is de-tensioned they will fit in there without bending (or with very minor bend). I was using this technique for 2 years until I learned to do it the official way.