RV-7 Journey Begins

[nacoblio]

Looks great. Very motivating to see you progress. I am thinking about getting into a kit in the next year or so. How many hours do you have into the project at this point? what primer are you using? do you use a sprayer? anything you wish you had done differently? Thanks

[N890GF]

Nacoblio I've put about 45 hours into the build so far, it's gone pretty smoothly, just following the plans. I'm currently using a self etching primer I bought off amazon, it's about $20 a can, I've gone through a can and a half up doing the HS, VS, and rudder, I'm expecting to finish off the rest of this can to finish the elevators. It's super easy and only requires basic scuffing of the aluminum to get good adhesion.

I don't think I would have done anything differently so far, just taking it step by step, it's all straight forward, I've been reading the plans and VAF for more than a year, I had purchased the preview plans about 9 months ago, and read them front to back at least 5 times before I got my tail kit, the only advice I have it read people's build logs, the forums, and the plans. Everything is covered in one or all of those places, and it's great having those recourses available. If you have the workspace available, I just say bite the bullet and get some tools and the emp Kit, it's not a huge investment if you feel it's not a good fit, but I think you'll find the building to be a lot of fun! Good luck in your own build and I look forward to following you when you start!

[rightrudder]

Great progress, George. The wait for those big boxes of QB parts is painful, but it'll probably save you a couple of years on the build. After you finish the elevators, you can spend a lot of time planning your panel, researching all the options for avionics/EFIS setups, and doodling potential paint schemes.

Build quality of the QB stuff is great, but there are a few blemishes/scratches that are pre-sanded out by the factory. It's all stuff that will disappear under the primer coat.