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Old 21st Oct 2012, 08:11
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RMC
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
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Dave R - I think he did mean it... all Airbus wings are built separately.
Go to the Airbus factory in Chester and you will find that the port jig runs from Rib 2 outboard. The starboard jig is 2 metres away (one of the main reasons they keep them close because the ambient temp in parts of the factory is up to 10 degrees different and this expansion / contraction difference would seriously distort the wing during the "bolt up" phase).
It is only when they get to the Final Assembly Line (FAL) that the wings are attached to the cetre box section. The jigs are calibrated but still drift slightly over time (which is one of the reasons why no two aircraft are ever truely identical). Airbus couldn't actually sell one aircraft for over a year because it had to use 50% of roll trim to maintain level... serious fuel penalty.

Last edited by RMC; 21st Oct 2012 at 08:12.
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