VAF Forums

VAF Forums (https://vansairforce.net/community/index.php)
-   RV-14 (https://vansairforce.net/community/forumdisplay.php?f=109)
-   -   Disaster! I?m seriously depressed. (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=159787)

kentlik 04-22-2018 07:59 AM

I put in a new firewall that I could have been straightened easily, but now it is new and beautiful!

maniago 04-22-2018 08:02 AM

We dont have the luxury of some of the kits you guys do, and make a bunch custom parts, each to his own to figure out how. Making parts twice or trice is a normal part of building, to the point where I've settled into the pattern of making the first one outta cardboard, then Lowes aluminum then finally the good stuff from Spruce. Just part of the journey, which usually the Gods of Building wont let you circumvent.....:D

seattleworm 04-22-2018 10:25 AM

It might make you feel better that I have built three fuel tanks for my RV7. When I finished the first tank, one morning I walked into the garage and stared at the tank/spar attachment holes, and decided (I still don't know what I was thinking) the holes were dimpled to "wrong" size, and re-dimpled them. That night I checked the drawing, the dimple size was actually correct, and now they are in wrong size. I was so mad at myself. I dimpled back to the correct size, it looked ok, no cracks. I might still be able to use the tank, but knowing that the material around the holes are worked hardened too many times, I decided to build another one. This added about $500+ plus 3 weeks to total build cost and time. That wasn't bad compared to the total cost and time you spent on the airplane.

KeithB 04-22-2018 10:30 AM

Been there, done that. Maybe this thread needs to be retitled ?confessions and therapy?. :)

MJarreau 04-22-2018 12:32 PM

Get Used to It
 
I'm not proud to say that I replaced all the parts in my HS (first thing I am building in a 2nd hand kit). I stopped counting the number of HS attach brackets in my "spare aluminum bin". The final straw for total replacement was when I measured the final drilled holes between the rear spar and ribs. Some were #30, some were #21, some were #19. (While I'm not accomplished with my hands, I truely can't imagine how this happened.)

Lessons learned:
- I can't do anything when the kids are around except debur.
- I can't take too long to complete something, lest forget a bizillion details.
- Re-read, re-mesure, think a while, don't get so excited you pull out your superman cape and breeze through something.
- Clumsy as I am, this is a blast!

I am currently building a non-airworthy HS just to get experience. Then I'm going to build a better one.

I think you are being successful. Keep at it!

burgessbuilderMO13 04-22-2018 01:06 PM

Trailing edge separating
 
Don?t fool around with the trailing edge. I have seen two of them that separated. One was found on an import inspection, the owners had not seen it.
The other was after a fatal crash, the joint not accomplished as per the builders manual.
Learn from mistakes and move on

Dale

mturnerb 04-22-2018 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJarreau (Post 1254803)
I'm not proud to say that I replaced all the parts in my HS (first thing I am building in a 2nd hand kit). I stopped counting the number of HS attach brackets in my "spare aluminum bin". The final straw for total replacement was when I measured the final drilled holes between the rear spar and ribs. Some were #30, some were #21, some were #19. (While I'm not accomplished with my hands, I truely can't imagine how this happened.)

Lessons learned:
- I can't do anything when the kids are around except debur.
- I can't take too long to complete something, lest forget a bizillion details.
- Re-read, re-mesure, think a while, don't get so excited you pull out your superman cape and breeze through something.
- Clumsy as I am, this is a blast!

I am currently building a non-airworthy HS just to get experience. Then I'm going to build a better one.

I think you are being successful. Keep at it!

My son got me a Father's Day card that said "measure twice, cut once, say **** three times and go the hardware store".

StressedOut 04-22-2018 10:09 PM

Thanks for all the moral support guys. I can see I'm in good company.

I spent today getting deep into the horizontal stabilizer and knocked out the first couple of pages except for the riveting (got to prime first). The HS parts are pretty thick which means hours of deburring edges.

Part of me is glad I screwed up the rudder. There were a couple of areas that were not pretty but they were acceptable. I'm going to take the opportunity to switch some of the build order to make my life easier.

For example, the attach strips at the bottom of the rudder skin are riveted on after the two skins are joined at the stiffeners. It's a colossal PITA to get the two rivets near the TE squeezed. I don't see any reason why they can't be done prior to the joining of the skins.

Edit: I just reviewed the plans and there is a reason for doing the attach strips in the order shown by the plans. I'll just have to live with it.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:40 AM.