Finish kit & avionics kit

Good morning,

I have a question for those who have gone before:

I'll be finishing up my fuselage kit this month (except for mounting the tailcone, which I'll do later). My finish kit is on order and I'll pick it up in early April. I'm wondering if it would be smart to go ahead and get the avionics kit at the same time? My thinking is that there may be steps in the avionics kit that would be easier to do while working my way through the finish kit?

Thanks for any input folks may have.

Jim

I wasn't in any big rush to order the avionics kit or the engine kit when I built my RV-12. My thinking was "Wait until the last minute so that you get the latest avionics version and the freshest engine". Van's designed the avionics and engine kits so that they are basically "add-ons" to the completed fuselage and finishing kits. This approach worked out fine for me.

I too waited to order the Avionics kit till late in the build cycle to incorporate the many changes. It is also an expensive high density kit. The Fed Ex guy was able to carry the whole kit in a cardboard box.

The only thing that is a lot easier to do during the Fuselage/FInish kit work is the installation of the autopilot servos. That is particularly true for the one that sits in the tail cone just behind the bulkhead separating the cockpit from the tail.
I'm not sure how Van's is having you install them now. Mine was built when the D180 was replaced by the SkyView in the midst of the build, so this might not apply to more recent kits. I ordered the two servos ahead of the Avionics kit as they were add-on options. That way I could wire them up and install them while the bowels were still easily accessible.

Definitely order and install the servos early. Easy to add the front one with the fuse on its side and the back one before the tailcone is put on. Vans sells the ap servos and brackets and pushrods as a small kit, ask for it. I did it that way while waiting for Skyview.

I ordered and installed the servos early and then the avionics arrived while the fuse was still on its side....so I did install the wiring and some flight controls while it was on its side. Much easier I think.

A tip from another builder was handy to me ......don't install the autopilot servos BFR the flaperon tubes....you won't be able to fit them.