Redimensioning plans

I have already made two mistakes on the empenage related to how the plans are dimmensioned. Early 3 builders, and early 4 and 6 as well, know that the drawings where dimmensioned from point to point as apposed from a datum to all points. Hence, if you screw up one dimmension all following it are messed up too. It also allows for minor discrepencies to "grow" down the line. I know this, yet, it still bit me twice.
While I was picking up my new VS-303 and VS-307 today, (option #1 - Vans left them out of the kit, option #2 - I totally screwed them up) I suggested to Ken Scott that I would be redimmensioning the plans to try to avoid my idiot mistakes. In his usual friendly yet dry and somewhat condenscending manner, that I enjoy as he is my friend, he said "good luck". However he did offer a great suggestion. Get a carpentors calculator which adds fractions automatically and converts them. I intend to pick one up and start to work on the plans. I will try to make the corrections neat enough to reproduce for anyone interested.
Fun fun fun....

Community re-write of the plans into some sort of CAD program? Wonder how much it would cost to farm out?

My wish is for Vans to convert all measurements to metric sys so we won't have to deal with fractions and can be more accurate.

Glenn
RV-4
N654RV @ MLJ

glenn654 said:

My wish is for Vans to convert all measurements to metric sys so we won't have to deal with fractions and can be more accurate.

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I bet the rivet and bolt call-outs would be interesting

Cheers,
Rusty (setting some 3.175 mm rivets in the morning)

The early plans were not to scale even if Vans said they were and in some places, they had two different dimensions for the same part! There were plenty of howling errors on the plans as well- ten years after the kit came out.

I don't miss the old days of hand drawn plans. Must have wasted 200 hours figuring out stuff like this on my 6A kit.

The -10 is a joy for the most part.

Metric fractions

13brv3 said:

I bet the rivet and bolt call-outs would be interesting

Cheers,
Rusty (setting some 3.175 mm rivets in the morning)

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You're not kidding. I was just installing some 4-3/4 mm diameter by 51/64 mm pitch bolts today.

Geronimo4497 said:

Community re-write of the plans into some sort of CAD program? Wonder how much it would cost to farm out?

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i'm not sure about copyright issues but if i do build i think it would be easier, with my background, to lay stuff out in the computer than by hand. i have been looking over the plans with a scratch build also in mind and some measurements are for sure missing in a big way, at least on the preview plans. i can't speak to the regular plans if they are any different.(let em know). i saw on a different thread that some parts came with holes now so maybe vans improving the kit. again i am not holding my breath.
leon

Rv-3 build wiki ?

Perhaps a good start towards clarification of the plans would be a builder editable wiki, with heavy reliance on part numbers as an index, which a more formal clarification of the plans could be based on?

WildBill said:

Perhaps a good start towards clarification of the plans would be a builder editable wiki, with heavy reliance on part numbers as an index, which a more formal clarification of the plans could be based on?

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I've never been a big supporter of the wiki movement, but I do agree that this might make a good use for one, and the part number index is a good way to organize it.

Cheers,
Rusty (more wacky than wiki)

Admittedly, this is quite self-motivated as anyone who is considering building a -3 would like to benefit from the experience and knowledge of those who have gone before; I am more than willing to setup a wiki or help someone set one up.

Randy, others?, do you have any interest in hosting a wiki or should it be setup at another site such as one of the free wiki hosting sites like seedwiki, etc.?

I am still unsure about this idea as asking a question here will surely bring an answer, but the wiki would be method of collecting/organizing this information. Its success would be entirely dependent on the willingness of builders to contribute information on the more head-scratching aspects of building a -3.

RV-3

As my dad once said (he's built 3 RV-3's) Bash to fit, paint to match!

Aden Rich said:

As my dad once said (he's built 3 RV-3's) Bash to fit, paint to match!

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A cross-thread is better than a safety...