Do you believe in the "Witching Hour?" What is your personal cut-off time?

[eh_v8_tor]

Hi Folks,

I thought this would be an interesting thread just to see if anyone else believes in the "Witching Hour?"

"Charlie Waffles" or Mark recently posted an embarrassing mistake that may or may not ever be duplicated by another builder. Kudos to Mark, it could possibly save someone else's life by sharing what the affects of fatigue can have on one's ability to read the plans late at night.

Personally if it's midnight, I'm done. No exceptions. Every time I've gone past this time , I've ended up tipping rivets, drilling "extra holes", and generally making bone headed mistakes.

My personal " Witching Hour" is midnight... What is yours?

Steve Wolfe

[rleffler]

It's a different time daily based upon my fatigue level. I've also found that once I make a mistake, I usually assess the situation and return the next day to fixed whatever went wrong previously. History has proven that once I start making mistakes, it usual gets worse if I attempt to drive through the frustration.

bob

[N546RV]

Originally Posted by rleffler

I've also found that once I make a mistake, I usually assess the situation and return the next day to fixed whatever went wrong previously. History has proven that once I start making mistakes, it usual gets worse if I attempt to drive through the frustration.

bob

A very good point; this has been my experience as well. Though it's worth noting that what qualifies as a mistake worthy of stopping has changed as I've progressed. Back when I was on the empennage, fouling up a rivet in a tight place seemed like a minor disaster, especially if it was tough to drill out. I ruined some parts by trying to "just get this stupid thing fixed" without really stepping back and thinking about my approach to the problem.

As for me, I rarely stay out in the garage after 10, unless I'm doing quiet stuff. I actually like my neighbors on the garage side, and I don't want to bother them with the compressor/air drill/rivet gun if they're trying to get some peace and quiet.

[Louise Hose]

We stopped building at 9 pm....a firm limit on noisy activities. Compressor was turned off. Drills were stored. Hammers put away. Not being a night person, that was also the time I usually quit other activities, as well. That gave an hour of web browsing, reviewing plans for the next day (but not acting on them!), or just watching TV before bed. It also kept our airpark neighbors from complaining. If I was really anxious to hit the project again, I'd be up and out in the hangar early. But, the compressor and noise didn't come on before 7 (and usually 8) am.

[jarvis]

When I make my first dumb mistake --large or small, 9am or 9pm--it's time to walk away and do something my wife's been wanting me to do for the past five years. As Bob says above, history has shown that the result of me trying to continue will usually be a downward spiral into a bigger mistake--and more frustration--and more $$$.

[Jimboscr]

Originally Posted by N546RV

As for me, I rarely stay out in the garage after 10, unless I'm doing quiet stuff. I actually like my neighbors on the garage side, and I don't want to bother them with the compressor/air drill/rivet gun if they're trying to get some peace and quiet.

I agree! My work shop is only about 6 feet from one of the neighbours bedroom windows.

Jim

[DanBaier]

I found it was less a function of time than planning what to do. I had the best luck preparing for a task(s) and then when completing that - stop. Plan the next one (required tools, parts, plans, thought about the best approach), etc., etc. - repeat.

Some days, maybe I only put in an hour. Other days, it might have been up to eight. However, once I went with this system, the mistakes and rework dropped way off and I didn't feel that fatigue factor creeping into the equation.

Dan

[MarkW]

My quit time is amost word for word the same as Louise's. But I also have to add that 9:00 pm also gave me time to spend with my wife. I found that if I didn't set specific times for the wife I would be 24/7 in the garage.
If moma ain't happy ain't nobody happy.

[Bill Dicus]

A friend who constructed a beautiful RV didn't have to face the noise concerns some of you have mentioned. His building time typically began at or after 10pm because of his work and family. He managed to build a fine airplane.

[LarryT]

This is only RV related because I am going to try to incorporate this attitude into working on my aircraft.

Because I was not timely retained, I was performing an accident reconstruction solely from vehicle damage photos and scene photos taken by the opposing side's expert. The other side incorrectly attributed roadway evidence to my defendent's vehicle. Lo and behold, the photographs of a gas stain (motocycle rest position) also showed the roadway evidence actually associated with the motorcycle. It was a "Eureka" moment.

Post adrenalin rush, my first instinct was to keep working even though it was 5:30PM and I had been working all day. Then came another "Eureka" moment. Why not stop on a high note and bask in the glow of success and accomplishment. I had a great evening and sure looked forward to coming to work today.

I am going to try to bring this philosophy to the hangar. Most of us who build airplanes are either "Type A" personalities or certainly have those tendencies. If we are truly doing this for education and recreation, then stopping at a reasonable hour after success means that tomorrow we'll approach the next task with our most positive attitude. On the other hand, stopping in frustration after a mistake makes for restless sleep and a negative attitude heading into the shop the next time.

Larry Tompkins
N544WB -6A
W52 Battle Ground, WA