Quick build fuse, worth it?

[dbaflyer]

Totally worth it to me. I just purchased one and it arrived August 9th. I'm not an old man but not a spring chick either. Some issues with my shoulders have caused me to slow down a lot because I needed a second person to help in cases where riveting caused a reaching stretch. I would not worry about figuring out where the quick build is done and what you have to do. Just read through the manual at page 1 of the fuselage build and walk through it. It doesn't take that much time to start identifying parts and seeing what is or is not done. So for you instead of spending 12 hours on the weekends, spend 6 and the rest with your new to be family member. YMMV.

[terrykohler]

I finished my standard build in 22 months in early '04. Based on cost difference between standard and quick build then, my "contribution" was worth about $8/hr. On the other hand, back then I had more time than cash. I pretty much had my fill of riveting after the first 5,000. Today, I'd do a full quick build. Keep in mind that at today's prices in the used marketplace, your labor value is near nill.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

[Dbro172]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Do you enjoy building or would you really rather be flying sooner? That was the question we asked and so the QB became a reality...built and flown in under two years.

As has been mentioned, the workmanship is incredibly good as well.

Best,

I do really enjoy building, but would rather be flying. As others have said i dont think i'll feel cheated on build time but i may regret not intimately knowing each rivet in the fuse. I can get over that.

Rick: Thanks for the tip on the finishing kit... not what my wallet wanted to here, but good to know none the less.

Also, i do not have a build partner, and I do have short arms That is something i hadnt considered.

Good to hear the comments about the quality workmanship in the QB's too.

Thanks everyone so far for your perspectives.

[agirard7a]

Another local quick builder 9a fuse had some
serious issues with his. The Longerons where
not formed properly so he had some problems
fitting his sub panel and panel on a slider model.
The holes where drilled in the Longerons so no changing
that. End result, much customizing of parts ensued.

I think like anything there is a percentage
that falls through the cracks. Seems most are happy.

I slow built mine. Put the 5k into the panel. The process
although time consuming is rewarding. If your like most
and can only work part time, say 4-6 months. Less if really organized
and focused.

[schristo@mac.com]

Unlike the extensive repetition of the wings, there are lots of interesting and fun build activities on the fuselage... unless you are desperate to shave off the build time the quick build is not worth it.

[flybill7]

I estimate the QuickBuild Fuse would have saved a year out of my five year build. But I enjoyed building the fuse. It was fascinating to see it gradually turn from nothing but aluminum sheet and angle and bulkhead pieces into an airplane fuse. As others have said, it all depends on how much you like building and how fast you want to get into the air. For me, I enjoyed the building and used the $5K for other things.

[AF_Alan]

I won't offer my preference since it is a decision on time vs money that only you can make...however, my build log shows about 460 manhours from first deburring until about the QB stage. That includes alumiprep, alodine, prime all ribs and I did nearly all the riveting myself (long arms) except about 16 hours with my 14-yo daughter.

Wouldn't you need to send in your spar center section and then wait to get it returned as a QB??

Good luck!

[Dbro172]

Originally Posted by AF_Alan

Wouldn't you need to send in your spar center section and then wait to get it returned as a QB??

Good luck!

Luckily, According to Vans, the center spars are now interchangeable. If you decide to go QB fuse after SB wings, you can simply return your center spar section that came with the wing kit. You do not necessarily need to wait for that exact center section to have a fuse built around it. Vans will send you the next available QB fuse. I think they mentioned that the extra center section would eventually be sent to the QB factory to be incorporated in a future build.

This did not used to be the case... something to do with mfg. processes and tolerances now are tight enough to where the center sections are interchangeable.

I will however have a couple spare longerons, not worthy of shipping back...

[g zero]

Just finished the slow build fuselage (8) ,very straight forward , had it to quickbuild stage in about 265 hrs . Was able to paint int. before assembly , my slow build wings will be here soon. I guess it depends how much time vs money you want to invest. For me I have time.

[grayforge]

I went QB Wings and Fuselage. I'll do slow build next time...

If you want to polish instead of paint, go Slow Build. My fuselage and wings had misc scratches in the finish. Ditto on the interior.

Lots of holes weren't deburred and many rivets weren't set as nicely as I'd like. Had some gaps between riveted parts too.

Also, a few mistakes. Rivets squeezed before they were supposed to be, dimples done where they shouldn't have been until the builder chose Nosewheel vs Taildragger, etc.

However, even with some rework, it obviously saves a lot of time.