First Post, Couple of Questions on RV-10

[rocketman1988]

I agree with most of the replies. Having trained in and flown the AA-**, the -10 will be superior. Also, $175-$200 is a better bet and 4-5 years build time.

Most important is to have your spouse on board. I am within a year of flying and it seems that in the last 10% of the build, more than half the $$$ goes out the door...The engine and prop were especially painful...

My only regret is that I should have started five years earlier!

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by rocketman1988

...I am within a year of flying...

I've been within a year of flying for a couple of years now. ;-)

[rocketman1988]

yeah, me too...

[Bill Boyd]

Originally Posted by Kyle Boatright

I'm right at 3 years into finishing a second hand kit I picked up at more or less quick-build status. Right now, I'm in fiberglass finishing **** (which is different than cabin top **** or door ****), and am weary of the fiberglass work.

Ah, yes - the lovely RV-10: an all metal aircraft that's 90% aluminum and 80% composite.

[rleffler]

Check out Tim Olson's website. You'll find the answers to many of your questions there.

He's daughter was about the same age as yours when he started the RV-10. She just passed her check ride recently and proficient in both a RV-10 and RV-14.

[Paddy]

I'd say go for it, accept that it will take longer than you expect, make sure the wife is totally on board throughout and it can be a tremendously rewarding experience. Here's how it went for me...

I started building just before our son Liam was born. Chose a slow build kit because of the cost and a desire to "build it myself". The first 2 years, I was going gangbusters, even overtaking some other guys that were going quick-build. Then the family stuff really started to get busy, plus all the other stuff that goes along with providing for a family... promotion (more hours at work), relocation across the country, more business travel, the usual career type stuff. Then factor in spending time with the kids and even more so the wife who is just as busy on the home front and you get the picture. That said, the build was there in the background all the time and although there were some stretches of a few months when I just couldn't get to it, I tried my best to do a bit every evening and weekend. I have to say I really enjoyed building and miss it, now that it's done (except the fiberglass, that sucked!). The kids played in the shop while I was working, helped with little jobs here and there and generally took it for granted that building a plane in the garage was perfectly normal. To them, it's the family plane, since it's been a part of their lives since they were born, which I think is pretty neat. What's even cooler is when other kids say "your Dad built what?!!!" and mine say "yeah, no biggie - what did your Dad build?"

[Richard Connell]

You have to start sometime. The tail kit will take you plenty of time and is also pretty cheap in the scheme of things.
If you?ve already decided to do it then I?d just get on with it.
Start drilling and deburring.
It will be a mission.

I?ve been working on my 10 for 4 years and I?m only just into the fuse. My kids are 9/10.
14y ago before kids my -7 took 4y in total. I miss it.
It?s easy to underestimate how quickly time gets away from you.
Buy kit. Start building. Go from there

[Electrogunner]

To reiterate. Get it going and like Paddy said, try to do something everyday that you can. Even if it's just 15 minutes staring at it with the wheels in your head turning. It's amazing what can be worked out in your head before you even touch it. I've hit mine pretty hard since Aug 2016 and I plan to be flying late this year. But I have a great wife that let's me spend alot of time in the shop. I even bought a robotic mower so I don't have to cut the grass. That alone gives me 4 more hours a week to spend wrenching on it. One other thing is have a loose budget because you will probably go over by the time it's in the air, remember what a new cirrus costs. That makes the budget easier to loosen when needed.

[ppilotmike]

I totally agree with Paddy. Even though I sometimes find myself *****ing about how long it's taking, it's been a good experience for my kids too. My daughter and I also built a pedal plane in the time that's passed so far. Very rewarding experience, and I highly recommend it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKCyX2FXrlw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmjbab3ooi8

Being an experimental guy, I couldn't help but modify it a bit. It's got leather upholstered seat cushions, an LED, backlit, stainless steel instrument panel, a rechargeable battery pack, an amplifier/speaker with volume control, sound effects and music from Top Gun and Star Wars, including a "guns" button on top of the stick, and LED landing lights, position lights, strobes and afterburners!

Not only do my kids love it.. ALL the neighborhood kids love it!

[davidm21]

Thank you all for all the posts! I?m certainly excited about the build and my wife is too! I appreciate the support and will keep all of you in the loop. Keep the conversations going though if you?d like, Ive really enjoyed reading all the responses.