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RV-7 Journey Begins

N890GF

Active Member
One week ago I began the journey of the RV-7. This being my first post, I thought I'd share that I have been reading the RV-7 forums for more than a year, and after transitioning into my new job, I finally purchased my tail kit. I can say in the week I have been building, its been awesome so far! Check out my builders log and if there are any critiques about my work don't hesitate to let me know. One thing I've enjoyed about these forums is the vast knowledge that everyone has. I look forward to being a part of this community and sharing my journey!

-George
 
Welcome

One week ago I began the journey of the RV-7. This being my first post, I thought I'd share that I have been reading the RV-7 forums for more than a year, and after transitioning into my new job, I finally purchased my tail kit. I can say in the week I have been building, its been awesome so far! Check out my builders log and if there are any critiques about my work don't hesitate to let me know. One thing I've enjoyed about these forums is the vast knowledge that everyone has. I look forward to being a part of this community and sharing my journey!

-George

Welcome George
Looks like good work to me.
I see a couple of smileys. No problem but Gorilla tape is great to prevent them. A little piece can be used for several rivets. A piece around the squeezer yoke and bar also prevents scratching.
Another tip (not mine) for keeping parts together is windshield washer tubing. But a foot of the two smallest sizes. Cut a slice off a tad thicker than the rivet shank. When you press with the bar it forces the parts together. Once the rivet is partially set, remove it and finish setting. A slice will last for quite a few rivets.
Keep up the good work
 
Welcome George!

My only advance would be to learn when to stop and take a step back (the quality will improve if you do). The journey is fantastic but can come with some frustration. It's all good though!

Cheers and welcome aboard!

Dan
 
Welcome to VAF!

George,
welcome.gif
aboard the good ship VAF.

What part of Calif are you located??
 
Another good lesson is to learn when to stop reading VAF and go back to work. Sounds like good advice that I need to follow. I'm working on fuel lines (Thanks TS Flightlines!!!) and I came in to get another glass of tea only to get sucked into VAF and online Christmas shopping.
 
Thank you everyone for the awesome Welcome! I love the feedback that you are giving me, and it caused me to take a step back, and really look at the work I've been doing. I like the gorilla tape idea to prevent the smiles. I did it on the right stab and it worked beautifully.

Mike, I'm in San Jose, CA, currently flying out of Reid Hillview (KRHV). I work in menlo park, right next to the Palo Alto airport, so I might change to there if end up moving north a little.

I've been attending the build meetings for EAA 338, and have been emailing an old Coworker, who is the president of the chapter. He has been a huge help so far, and so has everyone. Hoping to close out the H-stab today, and begin on the V-stab tomorrow.
 
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Welcome aboard

Hi George,

Welcome to VAF and the -7 club. I'm finishing up my fuse in Half Moon Bay and just ordered the finishing kit. Let me know if you need an extra hand as the parts get bigger.

-Bill
 
Congratulations, it is truly an amazing journey! It took me 5 1/2 years to complete my -7 and it was worth every bit time and effort spent researching and pounding rivets. The best advice I can give is to break each section into mini-milestones and projects so you don't get frustrated by the huge stack of parts sitting in the crate. Take your time reading the directions and plans so you fully understand how each part goes together and how it will integrate into the previous and next steps. Good luck and have fun!
 
Welcome to VAF. It looks like your doing a great job. It's great posting and keeping a digital log but don't let that slow you down. Getting the RV finished and in the air is the focus. There is a great resource on this site, don't be reluctant to ask for advice. Also, don't let your drive to complete some step keep you from stopping and giving a good nights sleep time to rethink where you my have missed something. Little step with time will get you to your RV smile. Many of the VAF can testify, me being one.
 
Neat shop plenty room for the the whole airframe George. Keep aluminum dust off the bug. Welcome! What's the story behind N-number? :)


 
Thanks Vlad, yeah I try to clean up shop every night as best I can to keep the car clean, considering its not mine. N number is my birth month, year, and initials 8 - 90 - GF.
 
Just thought I'd share a quick update: I finished the vstab :)
img_2583.jpg


On another note, I also ordered my fuselage and wing QB Kit, I'm not sure what I'll do for 5 months while waiting for it to ship.
 
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George,
Congratulations. This give you 5 months to build the rudder and elevators and make room for a lot more parts. keep on pounding those rivets. One day there will be nothing left to do but fly the plane.
 
Another milestone! After taking a week off for some vacation in the mountains, and of course Christmas, I finished up the rudder and hung it on the VS! So cool to see it all mounted. Anyways hope everyone has a great holiday!
img_2775.jpeg
 
Temporary bolts

Great job and welcome!

I noticed you wrote that it was alittle difficult to install the bolts on the elevators and rudder.

Avery Tools used to have a set of "install bolts" in their inventory.
It's small angles with a handle.
Makes temporary install and removal of the tail control sufraces a snap!

I'm sure they still are for sale out there somewhere, and I bet someone will chime in with a link.

Good luck with your build!


PS: to avoid that your pics are too big for a pc-screen, there's a way to post your pics so they fit within the window. I select the 17 inch option on the program I use: Tiny Pic.
 
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I noticed you wrote that it was alittle difficult to install the bolts on the elevators and rudder.

Avery Tools used to have a set of "install bolts" in their inventory.
It's small angles with a handle.
Makes temporary install and removal of the tail control sufraces a snap!

Just be very cautious when installing the bolts if you're using tools like this that you *don't move the elevator or rudder* and end up bending the opening with the handle of the tool (or hemostats or whatever you're using). *Almost* had this happen to me, but caught it in time...

Make haste slowly... :)
 
Looks great. Very motivating to see you progress. I am thinking about getting into a kit in the next year or so. How many hours do you have into the project at this point? what primer are you using? do you use a sprayer? anything you wish you had done differently? Thanks
 
Nacoblio I've put about 45 hours into the build so far, it's gone pretty smoothly, just following the plans. I'm currently using a self etching primer I bought off amazon, it's about $20 a can, I've gone through a can and a half up doing the HS, VS, and rudder, I'm expecting to finish off the rest of this can to finish the elevators. It's super easy and only requires basic scuffing of the aluminum to get good adhesion.

I don't think I would have done anything differently so far, just taking it step by step, it's all straight forward, I've been reading the plans and VAF for more than a year, I had purchased the preview plans about 9 months ago, and read them front to back at least 5 times before I got my tail kit, the only advice I have it read people's build logs, the forums, and the plans. Everything is covered in one or all of those places, and it's great having those recourses available. If you have the workspace available, I just say bite the bullet and get some tools and the emp Kit, it's not a huge investment if you feel it's not a good fit, but I think you'll find the building to be a lot of fun! Good luck in your own build and I look forward to following you when you start!
 
Great progress, George. The wait for those big boxes of QB parts is painful, but it'll probably save you a couple of years on the build. After you finish the elevators, you can spend a lot of time planning your panel, researching all the options for avionics/EFIS setups, and doodling potential paint schemes.

Build quality of the QB stuff is great, but there are a few blemishes/scratches that are pre-sanded out by the factory. It's all stuff that will disappear under the primer coat.
 
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