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POSTING RULES

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View Poll Results: Abandoned Build Stage:
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Empennage
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26 |
47.27% |
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Wings
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16 |
29.09% |
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Fuselage
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5 |
9.09% |
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Firewall forward
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6 |
10.91% |
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Electrics, panel, systems - the final 90%
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2 |
3.64% |

02-06-2014, 03:44 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 179
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What stage was your partially-completed kit when you bought it?
My project is suffering from low momentum right now so I would be fascinated to know the breakdown of abandoned projects by stage of build. It would give an insight into the risk of failure at each stage.
So, this question is addressed to people who ACQUIRED an in-progress project from a source OTHER THAN the Vans factory.
What was the last UNFINISHED stage of your project when you bought it?
Some guidelines: - Let's assume these stages are strictly sequential
- If, for example, you bought just an emp without any other subkit but it was finished, vote for the next incomplete stage - wings
- "Finished" is not an absolute. In this case only "near enough" is good enough
- Any other wrinkles; tell us in a post
__________________
Loman O'Byrne
RV9 TU. O-320-E2D. Engine hung, working on FWF, Arklow, Ireland
=VAF= dues paid through Dec 2020
Last edited by Loman : 02-06-2014 at 03:51 AM.
Reason: Better wording for clarity
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02-06-2014, 04:27 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Brookfield, WI
Posts: 81
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One Wing just started
Empennage complete except for the fiberglass. Wings just started. The young guy who I bought the kit from did not completely plan for the future. He had child #1 then child #2 and then child #3. With that in mind he needs an RV Super 10+ for his whole family to fly together. He said he was getting rid of the kit because of family obligations and lack of time to work on the kit. He said he hopes to build again someday when life permits. I saved some money but did not save any time. I still went through each step one line at a time to see what he did and make sure it was correct. I am very happy to say that the guy I bought the kit from did a very quality job and was very organized. All unused parts were in bins in zip lock bags labeled.
__________________
Jerry Roeder
C150 N222PA at 02C
RV-9A Standard Build Slider
Empennage done
Left Wing built 
Right Wing built 
Fuselage in process
Finish kit received
Moved Project to 57C
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02-06-2014, 05:20 AM
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Fleming Island, FL
Posts: 162
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My empennage was completely unstarted and I am the third builder! I'm unsure of the original "owner's" story, but my friend purchased it from him and then found an RV-6 build in the fuselage stage and purchased that. My friend then sold the unstarted RV-7 tail kit to me. Fortunately, he had a Bill of Sale so getting the builder number assigned to me was a non-event. I'm currently finishing the fuse and the Finish Kit and FWF items will arrive in the next few weeks. Build on!
__________________
Con Kelley
RV7
Empennage and wings need tips
Fuselage kit "finished" (for the moment)
Finish kit and FWF in progress
Hartzell CS
Aerosport Power IO-360, Dual Pmags, AFP FM200 FI
Hangar construction at 7FL4 nearly finished.
Home construction at 7FL4 about to begin.
C-172 at KCRG (sold)
C-150 at 7FL4 (sold)
www.mykitlog.com/cakelley
www.1379.eaachapter.org
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02-06-2014, 05:23 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Shreveport, LA
Posts: 1,002
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emp
bought a practically untouched emp kit. I think he has since bought another emp kit and is now currently building.
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02-06-2014, 05:41 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central IL
Posts: 5,516
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Bought my 7 with finished and fitted emp and wings, wing tips, control rods. Solenoids on firewall. Piper blade pitot fitted. Standard cowl, and pants as well as SJ cowl, pants, and plenum cover. It started as a QB. A few vital rivets were forgotten in the skin riveting on the fuse and I used other methods - Cherry Max and in one place, structural screws as nothing but a 3" alligator squeeze would fit.
Part of a FWF kit, but no engine parts. The work had been stalled at fitting the tip-up frame together.
I think I was lucky, I have not found but maybe 2 rivets poorly set, no dings and only one smiley on the whole thing. The workmanship was outstanding. All fitted parts measured to perfect dimensions.
I got all the paperwork but the rivets, and pieces were separated but not organized. I had to study the BOM for various kits and felt like getting to the movie 5 min after it started and was always catching up, not knowing the difference between what I should know, and would learn. I just felt lost. Many many hours were spent on physical inventory, and comparing to BOM inventory. Lots of orders for small parts and extra rivets. Nothing worse than needing a $.00001 rivet with $8 shipping and a 5 day wait. I went through many cycles of restudying the part needs of next steps and making anticipatory orders.
Except for small pieces nothing was shorted, and I think I got an excellent deal.
I reviewed your reason for the post, low momentum. I have found that once I got the panel, the engine, the prop on hand, that the progress seemed to go like molasses in winter. I have been wading in the wiring, and even though it was very complete from Stein, the part mounting, wire routing (making it pretty), and the tiny details seemed to have slowed this greatly. I compare it to building a house. Where all the foundation, walls, exterior and roof is on, but nothing in the interior. Wiring, plumbing, walls, painting, finish trim, and flooring are very slow by comparison. I think it is the nature of the beast, but still, it feels daunting. This is where determination makes it move forward.
It was a divorce sale.
__________________
Bill
RV-7
Lord Kelvin:
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about,
and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you
cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge
is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.”
Last edited by BillL : 02-06-2014 at 05:51 AM.
Reason: added information.
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02-06-2014, 06:01 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Garden City Texas
Posts: 878
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almost complete
I bought a 7A project that had three previous owners. QB wings and Fuse. I was astonished to find pictures in the paperwork where the plane had an engine mounted, cowl fitted, panel partially installed. By the time I got it, it had been stripped down and parted out so I basically started over. I sold the completed tail and completed another so i could get some building experience and documentation. I converted it to a TD. I have the panel finished and working on the sliding canopy, firewall forward, and all the fiberglass and paint to go....I believe the guy that almost had it finished had a A&P helping him and the A&P died. He was not confident enough to finish the project himself so he sold it and it got passed to a couple of guys that were finishing other RV's and the plane suffered considerable parts "borrowing". It was local and a bargain but was missing lots of parts and I have had to rebuild several components....Its just hard to believe it was so close to being finished and then wound up a dusty pile of parts!
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02-06-2014, 08:29 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 464
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Kits
My RV-7 kit was completely untouched and I am the third owner.
The RV-8 kit had the tail and one wing complete and the other started.
__________________
_____________
Xavier
RV-7 build in progress
www.theaviatorx.com
" Genius is persistence in disguise"
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02-06-2014, 09:42 AM
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Senior Curmudgeon
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dayton Airpark, NV A34
Posts: 15,420
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90/90
On its wheels, engine mounted, cowl mounted, baffling done. Basic instrument panel wired up, not installed.
One thing to consider is how much of the finished work you will end up changing to suit your own personal taste. I spent a lot of time reworking the instrument panel to be the way I wanted it, from this
to this
On the way home

__________________
Mike Starkey
VAF 909
Rv-10, N210LM.
Flying as of 12/4/2010
Phase 1 done, 2/4/2011 
Sold after 240+ wonderful hours of flight.
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
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02-06-2014, 12:59 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Galveston, TX
Posts: 118
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Not anticipated
My 7A empennage was built by a young and dedicated dad who decided to sell now and build again later. I bought the completed emp, plus the QB wings and fuse in May 2012. His workmanship was excellent.
The kit was from 2005, so most part numbers on the white labels were either faded or gone. Our deal was I would not hold him responsible for missing parts, in exchange for buying his kit at a low (but still fair) price. But not fully anticipated at the time was how much effort would go into figuring out what little piece of material fit the part referred to in the ?fabricate from ?? instructions. So far, everything?s there, but difficulty identifying parts and pieces slowed my build considerably for the first year.
__________________
David Morrow
7A QB ~50% complete . . .
N3237A Reserved
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02-06-2014, 04:41 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Olathe, KS
Posts: 63
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I was the third owner of my emp kit. The original owner built the HS and VS but not the elevators or rudders. Owner #2 did nothing to the emp. I bought the wings and fuse from another individual. The wing spars were "Phlogiston" factory built, the rest of the wing in Van's original wrapping. The original buyer built the brake pedals in the fuselage kit and nothing else. I never asked why.
Dave
RV-6
3 degrees outside with a
foot of snow on the ground.
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