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  #11  
Old 01-27-2012, 10:59 PM
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chrispratt chrispratt is offline
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David:

First of all let me congratulate you on selecting the -8 for your build. This was the correct choice . I'm happy to hear that the plans and process are easier than they were in the "old" days. These improvements will encourge more builders, and that's good for all of us. At the rate you're moving you'll set a record for your build time. Just to keep you motivated, I guarantee you will love the way this RV flies. Keep at it. I look forward to seeing you at Oshkosh sometime soon.

Chris
Happy RV-8er
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Chris Pratt (2020 VAF DUES PAID)
RV-8 Flying, 850+hours
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  #12  
Old 02-01-2012, 07:53 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Default 2 steps forward, 1 backward....

Things were progressing nicely yesterday, managed to get both elevator skins and all the stiffeners dimpled, cleaned up, primed and back riveted. I felt like I was closing in on completing the empennage kit. Right skin below ready for spar, ribs and counter weight install. Left skin is similarly complete.



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Well, not quite.

The plan calls for bending the skins together with the homemade bending device made of hinged 2x10's. Did that and both looked OK. But because the right side is wider, decided to massage it a bit and pushed down on the skin to maybe get it a little closer together.

What I did not notice was the narrow end of the skin was beyond the edge of the table and just like that the outboard part bent down over the edge and crimped and cracked the trailing edge at the bend line. Bummer, that was dumb, it was OK as is.




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Considered for a moment repairing it and promptly discarded that idea, went to the computer and ordered a replacement right skin and stiffeners. The parts are not all that expensive, $63.50 for the skin and about $21 for the stiffeners. I could drill out the dozens of rivets and reuse the stiffeners but decided time would be better spent getting the spar, ribs, and trim tab built and completing the left elevator while waiting for the new skin. It won't take but a day to get it back to where the original is today and the right elevator goes together quick.

I continue to be impressed and pleased with the quality of this kit. For example, the plan says 615PP will have to be trimmed to fit next to rib 705. 615PP is the trim access inside panel. Guess what, 615PP has been trimmed by the factory, it fits perfectly next to 705 as is. Evidently, the CNC computer is tweaked from time to time to get these little discrepancies right, although the written dialogue has not been updated.

I heard yesterday from a friend who ordered kits that Vans is swamped with orders right now. That is good news for our favorite little company.

Life would really be boring without them.
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Last edited by David-aviator : 02-01-2012 at 07:56 AM.
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  #13  
Old 02-01-2012, 08:32 PM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Default Movin' on...

Spent today on the left elevator. It will be riveted before noon tomorrow and then it is on to build the trim tab.

For those new to this process, if there is any wisdom to pass on here it is stick with the plan. Do not jump ahead. Sometimes instructions are confusing and if they are, do not press on until the confusion is resolved.

I came to one point today where they said set these four rivets now and you won't have to use blind rivets. HMMMM, I had no idea what 4 rivets they were talking about but did find them on the drawing and sure enough they had an option for blind rivets. Those 4 rivets, dummy.

At an earlier point, I riveted a part because it seemed a good time to do it, I thought the plan had skipped it. An hour later I was drilling those rivets out because they made it impossible to set other rivets - as I said, do not jump ahead and do not set rivets not called for at that time.

Another comment with regard to this late RV-8 kit, every -4 rivet in the empennage (except one, so far) can be set with the pneumatic squeezer. The one I could not reach was a straight buck job and went in easy.



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  #14  
Old 02-04-2012, 09:20 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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If I had not damaged the right elevator skin during the bend process, the empennage kit would be completed today. As it is, the left elevator was completed yesterday and about all there is to do today is assemble the right elevator under-structure and wait for the skin which is do in next Tuesday.



So far the build has taken 20 days and some 87 hours. I estimate another 5 hours after the right skin shows up. Not up to Rick Galati standards but also not too bad for an old geezer. I have gotten into the habit of getting up by 6 am, turning on shop heat, having a cup of coffee and breakfast and going to work when the shop is warm. I don't heat it over night but I do have a warming oven to keep paint and tank sealant warm so it is ready when needed. The trailing edges of the elevators and rudder are treated with slightly out-of-date flame master as per the instructions. It is curing quite normal.

Looking forward, I thank Rick for the fuselage rotisserie which was passed on to my hangar from another builder last week. A wing cradle was also recovered by Ron Burnett down at Greensfield Airport from a second or third builder, it is the same unit I build in 2002 for the RV-7A and has not fallen apart yet.

Slowly, I am gaining confidence this project will get completed, God willing. I am enjoying doing it. It appears to be good for the brain and body and not having an airplane to fly is plenty of incentive to keep moving every day.
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Last edited by David-aviator : 02-04-2012 at 09:24 AM.
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  #15  
Old 02-04-2012, 09:39 AM
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Dennis_I Dennis_I is offline
 
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Great job!
I?m about the same stage in my build, will start on the L Elev on Monday, my fingers are itching after being at work for a month! well it pays the RV
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Grew up with an RV-4, SE-XIO

Now: RV-8, Showplanes Fastback. #83218 Under construction, SE-XXO

Engine and avionic installation in progress
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  #16  
Old 02-09-2012, 07:17 PM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Right elevator completed today which completes the empannage kit. Total time 99.3 hours including about 4 hours to redo the right elevator skin after a bending miscue.

Also decided to redo the trim tab with a new blank from Vans. The tab was OK but could have been better.

(From Van's catalog - So, your #*!@ tab didn't quite come out the way your wanted it.....yea, that' me.)

The problem was using the Vans designed blocks to hold the piece while bending the end tabs. They work fine for most builders but I had trouble keeping the bottom block from moving and that screwed up the bend. So I built different jig, one that had a side pleat that could be screwed down to the work bench and it had more meat, like from a 2x6. It worked better. This tab will pass muster.



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Now I wait for the wing and fuselage kits. They should be here sometime in April.
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  #17  
Old 04-25-2012, 08:08 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Default Back at it..

Last Saturday I met Tony Partain's driver, Mike Cobb, at a rest stop on I-70 about 20 miles from here and took delivery of the wing and fuselage kits. The arrangement to meet at the rest stop was to keep the 48' rig out of our air park and its taxi way roads. The transfer went well with the help of a neighbor John Roser.

By Monday evening both kits had been inventoried and now it is back to work.

First order of business was building a jig to hold the wing spars which was completed 2 months ago. Second order of business is installing some 144 plate nuts in the spars, at that began yesterday with much counter sinking. I should be pretty good at doing this in a day or so, it took an hour to install 30 of the little suckers this morning.

This actually is child's play, I am so glad I do not have to build the spars. Vans does a great job and it is a pleasure to install the simple little plate nuts.

I will try to build both wings simultaneously. We shall see if that works out.



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Last edited by David-aviator : 04-25-2012 at 05:50 PM. Reason: editing..
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  #18  
Old 05-07-2012, 07:29 PM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Default Ribs, ribs, ribs....

....the RV-8 wing has 52 ribs and as it says in the build manual, they come in 7 flavors.

The image here is of 2 holding frames of 28 of them for final drill before rivet. It took some 8 hours to de-bur the edges and holes and crimp the ribs straight. The 10 nose ribs were prepped also but go in later as do the fuel tank ribs. The final drill was after lifting each section horizontal and positioned on a holding frame to do the task. That worked well. (a section had to be moved out of the build area due to cramped space)

A challenge at this point is getting the ribs in the their proper position as per the large drawing. Some face out, some face in and some are just a little different. Once the paper ID labels are removed they all look alike but they are not. So I carefully relabeled each of these ribs L1-L14 and R1-R14 to lend some order to the assemble. The label method was with a metal stamping kit and the ID markers are handy in getting them where they belong with no guess work.

Put in 7 hours today, the ribs have been removed, are primed and ready for riveting to the spars.



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  #19  
Old 05-13-2012, 06:23 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Default Rivets, rivets, rivets....

....lots of them.

Both wing frames are riveted - i.e., ribs to main spar and aft spar.

Did you know there are at least 1700 rivet holes in the wing aft of the main spar? (give or take a few)

All of them have been drilled out to full size - took about 9 hours, thought it would never end but it is finished.

Now on to forward section and fuel tanks.
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Last edited by David-aviator : 05-13-2012 at 12:59 PM. Reason: rivet hole count corrected...:)
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  #20  
Old 05-15-2012, 06:46 PM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Default Cleco cavern...

....or if I had some cold beer in the hangar, it could be cleco tavern.

Anyway, movin' on. Just a few more holes to drill out with the leading edge units and it is on to building the fuel tanks.



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The camera has shrunk the area somewhat, there actually is about 4' between the wings and it is not as tight as it looks.

It seems a stall warning system is now standard with Van's airplanes and I was somewhat dubious about installing it, the installation did not appear simple. But when getting into it as per the wing construct instructions, it is a total non event. The bottom skin is cut and drilled for the access plate and the leading edge has the holes drilled for the internal mounting bracket. The only real work was cutting the small hole where the vane sticks through the leading edge, took all of 5 minutes. So the airplane will have the stall warning device which is a buzzer in the interphone system.

The second image is the fuel tank outboard attach flange.


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