Quote:
Originally Posted by rv8pilotpaul
This from Van's on 12-26-15:
"The RV-14 has always been promoted as a complete kit (like the RV-12). So even with different vendors handling the actual panel kit and related equip., the intent has always been to finish out everything else.... everything from position and landing lights to pre-wired stick grips (and everything in between).
I realize there has been some frustration when builders are able to make progress way beyond the pace that these kits come out, but everything Van's has said would be supplied has been (or soon will be). If a builder decides to move ahead on their own and then a kit comes available for work that they did, I would assume they somewhat would have expected that to happen".
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Here we are in late May 2016 and none of this has happened.
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I have been working the wire and panel for an RV-14. I however look at Van's dive to "do everything" like you discuss exactly the wrong path for Van's kit evolution.
If, and only if you want an exact duplicate of the Van's demonstrator, the RV-14 kit adds a lot of work. Simple examples:
- I had to remove and rewire most of the wings to support dual ADHARS install, pitot heat and shielded wire for the nav/strobes, .
- The kit wing and fuselage molex connectors are close to useless. Making your own is a lot less work.
- The kit stick wiring fails to support anything other than the most simplistic stick grip.
- The fact that the kit does not even provide the panel blanks is perhaps the best example of the wrong approach. Calling Van's the answer was "just have your avionics shop doing your panel provide the blanks". Van's did provide order information to get these "options". As a side note - having an avionics shop do the panel resulted in more work than if I just did it.
The list goes on.
Bottom line - building your own airplane is far too personal to have someone else predetermine how you will out fit it. To add any flexibility Van's would be faced with an impossible problem of trying to please everyone. If I was them, I'd take a giant step away from "we provide everything in the kit".
Carl