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-   -   Time saving ideas for an RV-10 build? (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=98897)

Auburntsts 04-22-2013 07:37 PM

Sell your emp kit and buy an already flying 10. I'm serious. All those mods, QB fuse and wings, and pro built panel will add up the cost significantly. Basically you're trading time for money and in the end you might not even save that much time.

rotoiti 04-22-2013 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auburntsts (Post 764533)
Sell your emp kit and buy an already flying 10. I'm serious. All those mods, QB fuse and wings, and pro built panel will add up the cost significantly. Basically you're trading time for money and in the end you might not even save that much time.

That is a very sound advice and something that we have considered. We decided against doing it for a few of reasons:
- we don't have $200k+ for a flying RV-10 now. I know there are some that are cheaper than that but they seem to go quickly. That being said, we don't have $150k either (which seems on the lower end of the pricing spectrum) but we may have these resources by the time we finish building.
- all decisions have been already made in a flying RV; if we want to retroactively change some of these, we'd need to rebuild that part (for which we already paid)
- we like tinkering and building stuff :)

Kyle Boatright 04-22-2013 08:21 PM

Minimize your time on the internet. Some is valuable, too much is a big waste.

Plan your panel a month before you buy it. Otherwise, you'll end up doing it multiple times because the hardware changes so quickly.

Worry more about what you're gonna do in the next week or two than what you need to buy/learn/whatever to complete a task 6 months down the road.

Know that you're building an airplane, not a workshop. Buy tools and upgrade your space as necessary, not because you want your shop or tool chest to be a showpiece.

rotoiti 04-22-2013 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle Boatright (Post 764551)
Worry more about what you're gonna do in the next week or two than what you need to buy/learn/whatever to complete a task 6 months down the road.

I am trying to see if I have to make some decisions early. I.e. backup battery or dual electric bus -- support for this stuff should be built at the time empennage is being finished, right?

I don't care much for a panel right now. I know it's gonna be glass of some kind but I'll do my research when I get there :)

Dbro172 04-22-2013 09:35 PM

1. Only prime what Vans tell you to prime.
2. Stick to the plans.
3. Have Evan Johnson build your fuel tanks http://www.evansaviationproducts.com/
4. Subcontract your Panel.
5. Plan, research, read ahead.

Fracrat 04-23-2013 07:00 AM

Have fun
 
Like you, my wife and I are always thinking ahead. We enjoy the build and time spent with each other. If possible find Rv builders group in your area to see their builds and get ideas from. Your knowledge base will grow and all the extras will become clear. As best you can don't stress about it and enjoy the process.IMHO

J Twilbeck 04-23-2013 08:05 AM

read ahead...know what you're going to work on before you walk in the shop and go straight to it.

rleffler 04-23-2013 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rotoiti (Post 764554)
I am trying to see if I have to make some decisions early. I.e. backup battery or dual electric bus -- support for this stuff should be built at the time empennage is being finished, right?

I don't care much for a panel right now. I know it's gonna be glass of some kind but I'll do my research when I get there :)

It's a little easier, but not critical.

I have dual PC680s. All I did is modify the tray, which is removable. So it could be modified at a later date. That section is pretty open until you put that last top skin on and glass in the canopy cover. So you really have plenty of time.

There really aren't many mods for the tail.

Avery Rudder cable fairings - not required, but look nicer than the default

Rudder Trim - if you put a spring biased system like the one from Aerosport, this can be added at any time. It took me about an hour and I just installed it a couple weeks ago. If you are putting in a electric rudder trim, this would be the time to make the mods.

Antenna Placement - a little early, but if you have a good idea what you need, getting the holes drilled in the empennage is much easier now before you actually need to crawl into the tail. With that said, I crawled in the tail and drilled mine, so this isn't really critical either.

There are some "gotchas" that you should be aware of before you start riveting. Be sure to check the list on Tim Olson's site. (myrv10.com)

I would also recommend doing most of the fiberglass work when the plans call for them. The exception would be the canopy cover, but that's another long conversation. I regretted saving all that work until the end. My wife and I spent most of last summer working with sanding the glass.

Here's an area that you may want to may a cosmetic decision. You can install per plans, or many glass in the tips of horizontal and vertical to hide the transition between the aluminum and glass. There is no right answer here, just which look that you prefer. I would recommend using nutplates on the bottom rudder fairing in case you need to remove to work on the tail position/strobe light.

Do you feel like you are attempting to take a drink out of a fire hose yet?

Good luck with your decisions and build!

bob

CharlieWaffles 04-23-2013 10:03 AM

Its a minor thing, but I think having a pneumatic squeezer was a HUGE time saver. It's only a few hundred dollars and can be resold for nearly the same price when done. Hand squeezing those larger AD4 rivets is time consuming and hard.

rotoiti 04-23-2013 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharlieWaffles (Post 764699)
Its a minor thing, but I think having a pneumatic squeezer was a HUGE time saver. It's only a few hundred dollars and can be resold for nearly the same price when done. Hand squeezing those larger AD4 rivets is time consuming and hard.

I thought it was a good idea so I bought one used off this forum a couple of weeks ago :) I got the main squeeze and assortment of yokes too.

Now I need to figure out how to make the pneumatic squeezer adjustable.


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