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01-16-2007, 06:35 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Mansfield TX
Posts: 339
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Hi Chris,
It took me two years to complete my 7A with QB wings and SB fuselage.
I worked on it almost every weekend during that time, at least 8 hours per day
sometimes much more. I worked on it every day during the week for 3-4 hours
as well. Not married so I could do that.
Once I started building I was hooked, it became my "main thing" at the cost
of everything else. I ended up gaining about 10 pounds during that time too.
Social life was stunted as well. Was it worth it? Absofrickenlutely!
Good luck!
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01-16-2007, 10:02 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 75
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12.5 per week
Hi Chris
I was putting in between 10 and 15 hours per week. I try and work 1.5 hr per night during the week and 2 to 4 hours on Sat and Sun. I normally get up before my wife on the weekend and as long as I leave time for her, she's ok with my build time. I'm hoping for a QB in about 2 years or 1500 to 1900 hrs
Having a heated 3 car garage attached to my house sure makes it easier than having to run out to the hanger every night or weekend.
An accident has slowed me down to zip but I'm hoping to get back to work this summer.
Right now I'm in the planning stage again.
Russel Koch
RV9A
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01-17-2007, 12:52 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 226
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I'm 1 year into the project (almost to the day) and have 400.5 hours in so far. I've had several 4-6 week periods with no time at all, and a few weeks with 15 or 20 hours. I came into this slow build project figuring on 5 years, and if it takes 2,000 hours, I'm right on schedule!
I really enjoy it, and would like to spend more time in the hanger, but (pick one): too hot or cold (30x40 pole building-zero insulation, heat, or cooling); wife to keep happy (together time, honey-do projects); and brain-sucking TV!
I know, if I were "serious" about this, I would give up TV. I've tried to convince the wife to get rid of the dish, and forget about cable, but she won't allow it. Giving up TV is as hard as losing weight...
__________________
Johnny Pruett
VAF #601
-9 fuselage standard kit on hand
Slooow build wings still in progress...
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01-17-2007, 01:43 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Gerdau, Germany
Posts: 54
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Hi Chris!
It took me 4.5 years to get my RV4 to the now 'readytoflywithoutpaint'-status. The 4 has no QB options, and the Huns are not familiar with inches  )
I wrote down every minute, including head-scratching, cleanup of the shop/spraygun/....and have around 4000 on the hobbs now. The math is up to you.
My shop is door to door with the living-room, my 'second job' (to earn money..) around the corner, and, most of all, my wife was able to suffer in silence.
The main thing is: How good is good enough? You can double the time on many things when you're looking for perfection, and to find the golden way is sometimes hard. That is especially true when it comes to those things like canopy, cowl, fiberglass fairings and so on.
Hit the shop door running, build little projects at a time, don't even think of building a whole aircraft, try to keep your wife happy, have a plan in mind when you open the door, keep the shop organized and clean, and be aware that you will spend less and it will come together faster than expected (LOL!)
If you stay away too long, it simply takes too much time to become familiar again. I was happiest when I made the project part of my everyday live. You can't get it out of your brain, anyway.
I would do it again! Have fun, Dirk (VAF 768)
__________________
Dirk Schlichtenhorst, GERMANY
RV4 #4405 ( flying  ), D-EEES "Lady Godiva", VAF 768
Homepage: www.rv8r.com
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01-17-2007, 05:29 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,116
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one thing I would like to see is a rough guide telling you what percentage of the way through the typical RV project you are when you get to each subcomponent. e.g., when you're done the empennage, what percentage of the work is this (obviously a very rough estimate)? Similarly, when you finish the wings, the fuselage, etc? Mileage will obviously greatly vary, but probably not by as much as the variance in building hours. Someone who works slower (faster) will likely work slower (faster) across the whole project, so the whether you work slow or fast, each sub-kit should be able to give you a rough idea of what percentage of the work you have done.
I thought about surveying people's build logs on their websites and taking some average values to compute estimates of these percentage values. I think Vans should say something "When you finish the ***, you're about ** percent done the project (assuming you do a typical engine and VFR avionics configuration)."
__________________
Phil
RV9A (SB)
Flying since July 2010!
Ottawa, Canada
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01-17-2007, 01:19 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NC25
Posts: 3,508
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by prkaye
one thing I would like to see is a rough guide telling you what percentage of the way through the typical RV project you are when you get to each subcomponent. "
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"When you can sit in the cockpit, look out over the engine and prop, and wiggle the controls, you are 45% complete." (I was told this by "Rocky" Rockwell [RV-3 builder / flyer]) back in 1988 while I was building.
Many others have said that when you think you are 90% finished, you still have 90% of the time to spend finishing the project.
From experience, everyone is different as they have different time constraints, budgets, tools, and skills.
__________________
Gary A. Sobek
NC25 RV-6 Flying
3,400+ hours
Where is N157GS
Building RV-8 S/N: 80012
To most people, the sky is the limit.
To those who love aviation, the sky is home.
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01-18-2007, 07:22 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,116
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Quote:
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From experience, everyone is different as they have different time constraints, budgets, tools, and skills
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That's certainly true, and it explains why some people build in a year, while others take 10 years. But the total number of tasks to be completed in a project is constant... doesn't depend on skill and time constraints (those factors just affect how long it takes you to complete those tasks). Some tasks are bigger than others... what I am thinking of is something that says, "these tasks account for roughly 10% of the total work, these tasks for 20%, etc etc". That way, regardless of how slow or fast you work, you have some more objective way of tracking your progress.
__________________
Phil
RV9A (SB)
Flying since July 2010!
Ottawa, Canada
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01-18-2007, 09:05 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 333
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Hours per week
Hi Chris,
In the realm of Vansairforce.net you're nearly my neighbor. I'm on Bainbridge Island. My weekly work effort varies quite a bit because I have other hobbies, self employment, family and a C-172. The average is about 8 to 10 hours per week (some weeks 0, others 18 to 20). Sometimes a small problem is encountered and I sit in my shop on a stool and ponder solutions. When I say "problem", this usually means that something could line up or look better with more effort. The perfectionist side of me causes slow-downs.
Brian Vickers, RV4 finishing
Bainbrige Island, WA
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01-18-2007, 09:37 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Phoenix, Az
Posts: 920
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Obsessive-compulsive
I don't know if this is unique behavior, but I will get extremely motivated and work 30 hrs per week on it (I am not retired), exhaust myself, take 2 months off flying model airplanes, start to feel bad about lack of progress, work 40 hrs per week on it for 6 months, get REALLY burned out, take the entire summer off at the lake riding jet skis. Back to building feverishly. After spending the entire month of December building a deck and jacuzzi, I am now working on the plane 50 hours per week, expecting that hospitalization is imminent!
I think this is what they call an obsession!
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01-18-2007, 09:48 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Dallas area
Posts: 10,768
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One thing I stress in my Forums is building times. The building process is divided into 19 EQUAL time segments. 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, complete!
I can tell at this point who has built before. Everyone ELSE laughs.
__________________
Mel Asberry, DAR since the last century.
EAA Flight Advisor/Tech Counselor, Friend of the RV-1
Recipient of Tony Bingelis Award and Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award
USAF Vet, High School E-LSA Project Mentor.
RV-6 Flying since 1993 (sold)
<rvmel(at)icloud.com>
Last edited by Mel : 01-18-2007 at 09:51 AM.
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