Can a Noob Really Build a Rocket?

I've been hanging around these forums for awhile, as well as reading as many RV builders' sites as possible, and lately I've really come to love the idea of building and flying an F1 Rocket. I've ordered, read, and been thoroughly mystified -- or at least humbled -- by a set of RV-8 preview plans. And after seeing some of the brilliant craftsmanship and off-the-cuff solutions by guys like Randy Pflanzer, my usual pre-project overconfidence has been shaken a bit.

I'm starting to wonder: Can a first-time builder -- a neophyte, a newbie, a noob -- really build a Rocket?

Are the kits complete enough? (Will they even be made again?) Are the plans detailed enough? Will I find enough support? Will I really screw it up? Or should I -- as seems to be a common theme -- start with trying to do a stock (and matched-hole) RV first, and keep the Rocket dreams on the back burner as a future project, when I'm more skilled?

Thanks to all who post here, and all who take the time to create some of the gorgeous and detailed weblogs of their build progress; they really make a difference for the folks in line behind you!

I don't see where a Harmon Rocket is meaningfully different from the thousands of non-prepunched RV's that were built by first timers. The F-1 rocket should be easier to build than the Harmon...

If you want one, and have the time, patience, determination, funding, and workspace you can build one.

Welcome, Brian....

...More info on your abilities/hobbies would enable us to better answer your questions. Have you built and flown models? RC models? Helped anyone rivet or build a part of their airplane. Are you a craftsman working on either wood, metal or composites. Do you have a well equipped shop/place to build?

You have all the hard-to-get ratings, so your determination is obvious and possibly your patience and don't get discouraged too easily.

My first inclination is to say yes, you can but a matched hole RV is a good first bet in my opinion.

Regards,

Of Course You Can

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the compliment but my craftsmanship pales in comparison to Tom Martin, Rick Gray, and others. (not to discourage you further) While many Rocket builders are first timers, many are also multiple builders and they produce some stunning aircraft.

Here are the short answers. The plans are sufficient to get the job done, the builder support is excellent from Mark and other builders, and there is a Rocket support network that you will get connected to once you own a kit. The best advice I can provide is to review the build sequence from my web site and see if there's anything there that scares you. You don't need any additional skills from those that it takes to complete an RV. Cut, trim, drill, rivet, etc. It's all the same. There are some excellent engineers who are also building and they come up with some excellent mods to the kit. Jim Winings and RocketBob live here in Indy and are responsible for many technical improvements. They are great guys and are always available to help.

The problem is one of availability. Mark is not producing kits at this time so you'll have to find one on the open market. They do come up for sale regularly. Now, if you want to go the route of the Harmon Rocket, you can get these kits. There's a little more fabrication involved but it is still doable. My friend, Vince has a nice web site which walks you through a Harmon/F1 build sequence.

The effort will definely be worth it in the end. The versatility and performance of these airplanes is outstanding. Good luck on your decision. let me know if I can help out in any way. If you want to buzz over to Indy from Ohio to visit and see my Rocket, just let me know.

.....Yes.....

Hi Brian,

The replies you received thus far have been very encouraging....and I agree with each comment.

I look at it this way:

I have no 'special' knowledge or skills. If I can do it....anyone can !!

Get the right tools and PRACTICE riveting on something other than the kit before you get started. Concentrate on ONE part at a time. My F1 took me quite a few hours to build.....but that's only because I added a lot of 'personal touches'. The trick is getting started....once you actually start the project and finish each part your confidence will grow. Like the others have mentioned.....there are a ton of RV4's and many Rockets flying.....most built by 1st time builders. So....history shows that you do NOT need prior building experience before taking on an F1 Rocket.

The Rocket is one sweet plane....both in looks and handling. If the Rocket is what you want then don't settle for something else....you'll regret it.

As Randy mentioned....there are NO kits being produced right now. I've seen VERY few F1 Rocket kits come up for sale over the years....when they do they are gone in a heartbeat. I see the prices of 'pre-owned' F1 Rocket kits and Flying F1 Rocket prices going one way......UP! If an F1 kit comes up for sale and you want one then be prepared to jump on it with no hesitation.

I'm in SE Ohio....can't be too far from you. Come on down ANYTIME. I have a brand spankin' new flying F1 Rocket in the hangar and a brand spankin' new F1 Rocket kit here in my garage. Looking at both will tell the story. I'll give you the 'riveting 101' course while you're here and let you mess up a couple dozen rivets till you get the hang of it. I've got lots of tools and will show you dozens of riveting techniques. I'm here everyday. The only requirement I have is that you buy lunch .

Randy....thanks for the compliments. I've seen your work so don't sell yourself short buddy .

Brian....you can do it! Now....all we need to do is round you up a kit.....that'll be the hard part !!

Rocket

What's happened with the F1? Why have they stopped producing it? Awesome aircraft.
Mike H 9A/8A

Aeropunk: You can build an F1 Rocket, but not by yourself. No one does. At the VERY least you will have to carefully read the manual before every action you take, consult with Mark Fredericks directly, pour over Randy Pflanzer and Doc Throckmorton's Rocket websites (there are others too), and carefully think though everything before you do it. Get with local builders and ask for help. Find someone to advise you on everything: Engine, structural fabrication, fiberglass work, paint prep, interior design (on the Rocket, it's pretty much up to you), avionics and electrical system (my personal challenge). Don't just start drilling. Contact a DAR early and find out what he wants in terms of documentation and proof of effort. Get his advice and stick with it.

If all this is sounds like a serious challenge, it's meant to. But the experience is wonderful and fun. I'm having a great time with mine, but it isn't exactly a walk in the park. I can now speak with modest authority on a hundred subjects I didn't even know existed 2.5 years ago. You will too.

Just do it. You know what you can do...

Lee...

Your airport is close to sandusky Ohio and I clear customs there a few times a year. I only live 100 miles north and east of Sandusky. There are four flying F1s in southern ontario, one in windsor, two in waterloo and mine in st.thomas. It might be worth a drive this winter to see us. Rick Gray is about the same distance to south east and Jim Winnings a bit farther to the south west. There a lots of rockets around and if you are a curious handy guy you can most certainly build one.

Wow! Thanks a bunch everybody for the swift replies, enthusiastic encouragement, and even the gracious invites to check out your works of art. I can see this is definitely a tight-knit group, and I'm looking forward to becoming one of the family.

The next few months are going to be my education and training period, including joining a nearby EAA Chapter, taking an RV Sportair workshop, and hopefully meeting a bunch of other builders (I'll definitely buy the lunch/beer/whatever!). I'm still fairly young (36-that's young, right?), so I can stand to wait a bit to see what happens with Team Rocket, but that also gives me the opportunity to jump into an RV kit fairly soon, especially with the much lower price of admission.

I've got some fun decisions, lots of work, and plenty of opportunities ahead, and I can't wait to see where all this goes. Thanks again, guys!

Well I've Never Done it But...

Sustainable desire and money are big parts of the task I'm sure. If you are just asking if it can be done by regular people then you have your answer from these folks. There are some real gems of wisdom buried in the comments. By their words they are very helpful and supportive and by context you can tell they REALLY are happy with their Rockets. If you decide that you are willing and able to build one and "failure is not an option" you can do it unless life gives you a terminal blow. If you go in wondering if you will fail to complete you probably will fail to complete - they tell me most homebuilders do.

The Rockets are absolutely beautiful airplanes and they are so darn fast it humbles me when I see them at the SARL races. I never even considered that possibility of failure to complete my RV-6A and building, testing and continuing to modify it for racing speeds has been a wonderful experience. I worked in aerospace for 50 years and when I was on the production floor in St. Louis as an inspector on the F-101 Voodoo, the people doing the work came into the job from multiple backgrounds including no experience high school drop outs, and housewifes. Every single one of them did excellent work after they received basic training and grew into the job. Ability is not a problem if you have the resources and focus on the job. Mistakes will be made but you should neither take them lightly nor despare. Think creatively about how you are going to fix the mistake safety and elegantly. I found that if I thought hard enough I could always come up with an acceptable solution and fixing a mistake always seemed to sustain the progress and reinforce my forethought and error avoidance skills in the building process - starting over with new material is a very bad path in my opinion.

I know a very enthusiastic, bright and talented "can do" successful businessman with the resources to do the job who started a Rocket a few years ago. He put a webcam in his hangar to let everyone track his build process and put pressure on himself to complete the job I'm sure. In the end he sold the kit to one of the people in this thread and bought himself an Extra 300.


Bob Axsom

Bob Axom's words are gems! When it comes to building an airframe, e pretty much says it all - with the right mental attitude, anyone can do it - but not everyone has the the right mental attitude.

The one thing that no one has really addressed is that building an airplane - any airplane - is a lot more than trimming metal and pounding rivets. It has been my experience that more projects fail AFTER the thing looks like an airplane - people get stuck when it comes to electrical wiring, plumbing, systems installation, avionics, and firewall forward. This stuff either takes applied self-study, experience with other airplanes, or a great network of local friends to get through - things are done certain ways in airplanes that you won't learn building houses, or repairing cars. To tell you the truth, it is the systems stuff that turns me on, and that I find simple. I rejoiced when the airframe was finished (about 40% to a finished plane), because I knew the rest was going to happen. But many projects are sold at this exact point because the instruction manual basically stops, and you have a myriad of choices to make.

So be honest with yourself about the resources and resourcefulness you can put in to it. Yes, anyone with the desire to learn and find the information can get it done!

Paul

I can and I will

When I went looking for the airplane that fit my mission profile I looked at many certified airplanes as well as other kits and couldn't find what I wanted. Then I came across an article on the F1 Rocket and knew I had found it. I had the opinion (due to ignorance) that I would never fly something built by another amateur so I decided I had to build my own. My experience to that date was entirely with automobiles, and while reasonably extensive, I knew that building an airplane was an entirely different matter.

Without having flown, or even seen a Rocket (or RV for that matter) I ordered my F1 EVO. I needed some help to get started so I made an arrangement with Tom Martin and spent a few days at his place. Was a great learning experience and gave me the kickstart I needed. The manual is pretty good and the support network is great. Folks like Tom Martin, and web sites like Randy's, are very helpful, the Rocket forum and this forum is a great source of info, and Mark Frederick is wonderfully responsive to any questions at all, even stupid ones where a little better read of the manual reveals the answer anyway. I have been at this for nearly 2 years, and while the going is slow it is also steady. And I REALLY enjoy the process!

In the meantime I purchased an older RV-4 (still not sure how I managed that) and will use it to build some "type" time. Course it needed some upgrading so I am rewiring it, redoing the panel, and other goodies (practice).

When I was building cars I used to tell people anyone can do this. You just have to be willing to do each piece twice, once for practice and the second time for keeps. Frankly, so far the airplane is easier, although I have had my share of practice bits already.

As others have said, there is a lot of wisdom on the responses that have been posted.

The Rocket is going to be a challenge, not one person doubts that. The trick is to take a close look at yourself and decide if you are the type of person to stick with such an involved project.

You must keep in mind that you will make mistakes, resolve them, and move on. It is these mistakes that often drive a builder to stop construction.

As someone once said, "It is not the mistake you make but how you fix it."

Brian
I have built the only flying F1 Rocket from a parts kit. When I started I was a
"Noob" in the classic sense. (175 hour Cessna renter) Was it challenging? Yes. Would it have been easier to build an RV 7? Yes. Did I question my ability to complete a project of this magnitude? Yes. In the end was the project all that I had hope it would be? Yes. I have flown my F1 Rocket all over (+300 hrs) and I have raced her,(I was a "Noob" at that too!) and my goodness, I have even won. No doubt the RV series are great airplanes but the F1 Rocket are gems. If you want to build one, then build one. No, you will not be able to do it alone. You will have to develop relationships with like minded people to help you. It has been said before, but the most important aspect you will need to start and complete this project is the desire and will to do so.
Wayne Hadath
C-FAUH
CYKF