Things I wish I'd saved from the build

I've got my right fuel tank from my 6A off for what must be the 5th time to fix leaks and run more wires and AOA tubing. I kept wishing I had saved the fuel tank cradle until today I finally built another one.

If you're building, be sure to put your fuel tank cradle together with screws so you can break it down and store it easily. You will almost certainly use it again. If you don't need to fix a leaky tank, you can turn it upside down and use it for a table to serve your favorite beverage.

Be sure to save every tool and scrap of wire you used in wiring your plane as well. There seem to be no end to panel and cockpit upgrades that require a little wiring.

And it's amazing how often all those little bits and pieces of scrap aluminum come in handy. And, for goodness sake, hold onto your plans and construction manual. In fact, just save everything, if you don't need it, your buddy will. John

This is so true.

I go through the same thought process with everything I do, even the non-airplane stuff.

Do I save a tire from the recent tire change? You never know when you?ll damage a 500 x 5 and that old not-quite-dead tire you just removed will save you from an AOG situation while waiting for a mail order tire.

Do you save that 32? of 2x4 just in case. Or the 1/3rd sheet of 1/2? plywood because darn it, that stuff is expensive these days.

I?ve got scraps of aluminum angle, scraps of every flavor aluminum imaginable. It?s freaking insane and my hangar is a complete embarrassment, but EVERY STINKING TIME I break down and get rid of something, it bites me in the fanny.

It?s kinda funny because my friends don?t hassle me much about my disaster zone because most of them have visited for a spare widget at one time or another.

I?m buying a house at an airpark this summer so I?m hoping that transition from a municipal T hangar to a 50 x 70 hangar in my back yard will be my impetus for change! Probably not, but a guy can dream!

There is much truth in this thread.

Which explains the way my hangar and basement look.

My to do list. For 6 years I printed a one page list of every task I wanted to get done that week. It was my attempt to stay focused but more importantly, each checked off task was my reward, my trophy for a job well done. It was taped to the inside of the door so I wrote notes and my check marks every day as I finished. These list were studied, contemplated, changed, added to, and finally at the end of the week, wadded into a ball and launched into the basket! Two points!

Almost 7 years later, I would give almost anything to have them in a book! Tremendous resource thrown away!

A few years ago I went to rebuild a quadrajet carb, and realized I had forgotten all the little details I needed to know. I kept this in mind - I will be forgetting all the details of my build and should keep all the essential information for the maintenance phase. I am still organizing, but building the Cessna equivalent of all the documentation is huge. Volumes . . .

In annual, I wished for a technical Siri to ask questions, one that could access my database of RV7 information and provide me with the answers. Maybe that is Watson. Meanwhile, the digital documentation and paper versions are progressing slowly, surely to become like the tower of babel, as (my limited) memory gets reallocated.

I have a bin with all my aluminum, scraps from the project. I keep everything bigger than a 3/8? circle (thats the smallest piece you can put a #40 hole in with adequate edge distance)

Documentation

BillL said:

A few years ago I went to rebuild a quadrajet carb, and realized I had forgotten all the little details I needed to know. I kept this in mind - I will be forgetting all the details of my build and should keep all the essential information for the maintenance phase. I am still organizing, but building the Cessna equivalent of all the documentation is huge. Volumes . . .

In annual, I wished for a technical Siri to ask questions, one that could access my database of RV7 information and provide me with the answers. Maybe that is Watson. Meanwhile, the digital documentation and paper versions are progressing slowly, surely to become like the tower of babel, as (my limited) memory gets reallocated.

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That is exactly why I'm a fanatic about my documentation and my builder log. I know my brain will purge necessary information and maybe, just maybe, my documentation will spark a neuron.

I am soooo glad to see I'm not the only packrat out there with all of my leftover bits from my build more than 12 years ago! I didn't throw much away - I have several pounds of rivets, nuts, bolts, wire, wire and lots of wire bits. Trust me, you will appreciate it when you need it.

I finally had to break down and order some .050 2024 sheet...

longranger said:

I have a bin with all my aluminum, scraps from the project. I keep everything bigger than a 3/8? circle (thats the smallest piece you can put a #40 hole in with adequate edge distance)

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This cracks me up, and makes me smile. It?s a disease....

I sorted 9 years worth of scraps into 2 bins, one was shavings and little bits of aluminum the second was anything bigger than an inch or 2. After a couple years of building it was easy to identify to ?useful? scrap pieces, 3/8? x 4? or more is a good shim size and a 4?x4? of .063 that made it to the new useful pile while larger chunks of scrap made it to the ?scrap bin.? I was really dis-heartened when my large 9 year scrap bucket netted me less than $10, seems I would?ve made more picking up cans in the ditches....

BillL said:

A few years ago I went to rebuild a quadrajet carb, and realized I had forgotten all the little details I needed to know. I kept this in mind - I will be forgetting all the details of my build and should keep all the essential information for the maintenance phase. I am still organizing, but building the Cessna equivalent of all the documentation is huge. Volumes . . .

In annual, I wished for a technical Siri to ask questions, one that could access my database of RV7 information and provide me with the answers. Maybe that is Watson. Meanwhile, the digital documentation and paper versions are progressing slowly, surely to become like the tower of babel, as (my limited) memory gets reallocated.

Click to expand...

Bill,
I feel your pain!

As I was building the details were still in the ol? skull, after flying the details of building and maintenance have more than faded. Now when someone asks me a building/maintenance question it seems like a daydream from several years ago.

I suppose it?s like the old adage, it?s not what you know as long as you know where to find it. I keep my previous condition inspection checklist paperwork to recerence as well as a ?note app? on my phone for related airplane info from torque specs to adding oil. Seems I?m still google?ing my known specs to verify and scribbling new notes I?ll still re-verify when the time comes. Perhaps I should source my notes better....