RAF Eaglet Setup & Break-Down

RAF EAGLET SET-UP & BREAK-DOWN PROCEDURE

SETUP

1. Lay glider bag on the ground (zipper up, wingtips into the wind)
2. Unzip the bag and turn the cross-tube coupling 90 degrees to the keel, both hang loops toward the nose
3. Pull the down-tubes up and attach the front flying wires to the nose plate bolt with wingnut and safety ring
4. Attach wheeled base bar to the down-tubes using the bolts, wingnuts, and safety rings
5. Rotate the glider upright onto the wheels and wingtips, remove the  bag and the center tie. Leave tips tied
6. Remove the crossbar tubes from the sail and remove the battens from them - lay all on the ground
7. Raise  the kingpost while tipping the glider onto its nose then attach the forward wire to the nose plate with
8. the pip pin and insert the nose batten onto the tang
9. Tip glider back onto its wing tips, insert cross-tubes into  cross-tube coupling with tip holes pointing upward (perpendicular to the keel)
10. Untie the wingtips, place all ties in the glider bag, then spread the wings
11. Remove safety rings and wingnuts from the leading edge bolts, insert bolts through cross-tube then attach lower flying wires, wingnuts, and safety rings
    • Remember to keep the deflexor wires outside of the the lower flying wires and care must be taken to not pinch the sail in the hardware as it must be free to rotate
12. Install deflexors into deflexor holes in leading edge then install & bungee battens
    • When inserting the battens, push them slowly into the pocket while holding the sail taut with the bungee
    • Upon reaching the pocket end, stop and rotate the batten so that it slides past the seam easily
    • If th ere is wind pre ssure on the sail, work the batten carefully past the point where the crosstube lies under the taut sail
13. Pre-flight thoroughly before test flying
     

BREAKDOWN

1. Turn glider with tail into the wind and on the ground.
2. Pull out both deflexors and remove all battens and lay them on the ground in right and left groups
3. At the leading-edge/cross-tube junction, remove safeties, wing nuts, and side flying wires
4. Separate the leading-edge from the cross-tube keeping the bolts in place in the leading-edges
5. Re-assemble side flying wires, wingnuts, and safeties to leading-edge bolts
6. Fold leading-edges all the way in while pulling the sail out over the leading-edges then tie the wingtips together with a short tie
7. Remove the cross-tubes, insert a set of battens inside each, then roll up the sail on each side around a cross-tube
8. Secure keel, leading-edges, sail, and cross tubes with a long tie where the top of the king post will end up when lowered
   • Tie will encircle sail, leading edges, cross-tubes, keel, king post, and down-tubes when glider is completely packed
9. Tip the glider onto its nose, remove the front upper wire pip pin, replace the pip pin into the turnbuckle then lower the glider back down on its wingtips
10. Gently fold the king post against the keel then re-tie to secure kingpost
11. Put the pocket-end of the glider bag over the wingtips of the glider then continue forward until the entire glider is covered
12. Pivot the glider onto it's back then turn the cross-tube coupling parallel to the keel
13. Remove the front flying wires at the nose-plate and replace the wingnut and safety on the bolt
14. Remove the base-bar/wheels then replace the wingnuts and safeties on the bolts
    • Hardware stays with the base-bar/wheels
    • Set the base-bar/wheels aside
    • B ase-ba r/wheels are not stored in the glider bag
15. Gather all of the lower wires between the down-tubes let the down-tubes fold rearward to the keel and secure with the tie that is already in place around the keel,leading edges, and kingpost
16. Make sure all wires are in the bag and carefully close the zipper
    • Do not force the zipper - Pull the bag together with your hands ahead of the zipper