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RV-8 N657AR Updates

Latest blogspot entry is up; see link in signature below. Four months distilled down to a surprisingly manageable length, considering the continuing chaos consuming my life. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Latest Blogspot entry is up; see link in signature below. Not very long; LOTS of photos. Making this entry was a good way to be productive while waiting for the weather window in MI to dehumidify so I can start painting. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Latest Blogspot entry is up; see link in signature below. Lots of progress and a momentous milestone. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Looking good Martin! Your schedule is almost identical what mine was back in 2016. Move to the airport right before Oshkosh, Bruce Bohannan training in October and first flight in November. You can do it!
 
I Disagree

Two thumbs up Marty!
Beautiful workmanship on this bird. Rumor has it that Marty has offered the local DAR $10,000 if he can find anything wrong when the time comes for inspection. Stay tuned. This could get interesting.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
Martin, that last photo of the fuselage from the rear looked at first glance like the front end of a wicked fighter jet sans nose cone/pitot. I had to look twice!
 
Two thumbs up Marty!
Beautiful workmanship on this bird. Rumor has it that Marty has offered the local DAR $10,000 if he can find anything wrong when the time comes for inspection. Stay tuned. This could get interesting.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

Terry, Terry, Terry.... I'm sitting here, wondering if Ted talked you into writing that ($10K is one of his favorite numbers, I think) or whether you're just being your usual troublemaking self... :D
 
Congrats on the move, Martin! That's a big deal! Loving the paint scheme and look of your plane.
 
Latest blogspot post is up; see link in signature below. Another Magnificent Month of Milestones! Here's the obligatory teaser photo... not really a teaser, more of a giveaway:
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Hi Martin, Are you at KPTK? My son is in Rochester Hills, the next time I'm over for a visit if you're around I'd love to see your build, been following you on Youtube.

Fingers crossed for an open border soon
 
Hi Martin, Are you at KPTK? My son is in Rochester Hills, the next time I'm over for a visit if you're around I'd love to see your build, been following you on Youtube.

Fingers crossed for an open border soon

Yes, I am at PTK, and I would be honored by a visit. Send me a PM and I'll give you contact info. As for the border issue, I hope to visit Ontario this weekend and get back together with my friends at the Canadian Aviation Museum (formerly CH2A) at Windsor Airport. I'm saddened that you don't have the same options as I now have regarding the border; it just seems unfair.
 
Latest Blogspot post is up; see link in signature. More hubris and heartbreak. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Added another blogspot post today; see link in signature below. This one covers my flight training trips to Canada (Chipmunk and RV-14) and Texas (RV-8 transition training) in more detail. Hopefully this catches me up on all my obsessive documentation for the moment; you'll get a break for awhile. Hope it's not too boring for you; it wasn't for me. Yet another obligatory teaser photo:
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Latest Blogspot post is up; see link in signature below. The roller coaster ride continues, increasing in speed and ferocity. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Latest Blogspot post is up; see link in signature below. Getting very close now; only hundreds more irritating and/or exciting tasks left! Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Latest Blogspot post is up; see link in signature below. Still crawling my way up Mt. Airworthy, beset by sickness and bitter cold... but tantalizingly close to the peak. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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It is indeed a Tail Mate and it has special significance to me. Ted Gauthier had loaned it to me shortly before his untimely demise, so I bought it from his estate and will eventually restore it to better than new condition as a personal tribute to Ted.
 
Latest Blogspot post is up; see link in signature below. The post title says it all. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:

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Latest Blogspot post is up; see link in signature below. Not officially airworthy yet... but very, very close. Here's the obligatory teaser photo:
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Airworthy!

One picture is worth 2502 days, 9000 photos and documents, endless ups and downs, and a sizeable fortune.
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Congratulations! Nicely done!

One picture is worth 2502 days, 9000 photos and documents, endless ups and downs, and a sizeable fortune.

Remember, you can't take it with you.

EDIT:

Well, maybe ...

i-fDJWGxw-S.jpg
 
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Bravo Martin, well done !!!
That's a (big, big) step done, now comes the time to start flying your RV!!
It's still work at first, as everything will be new.
When you get enough hours and experience, the enjoyment starts!! :cool:
 
YIPPEE

Congrats Martin - I am soooo happy and excited for you!
We met several years ago at OSH and I enjoyed our conversations. I hope to see you and your bird there this year.
May you have many great flying experiences in your RV.
 
Congratulations! Now you get to deal with a whole new batch of frustrations, issues, challenges, expenses and problems. But! At least you're flying.
 
Well Done Marty!!!!

The next steps are critical:
1. Test fly aircraft
2. Move to Echo row.
3. “Don’t hurry, don’t worry, and don’t forget to smell the flowers along the way” (Walter Hagen).

Congratulations, you’ve built a ship you can really be proud of.
Best,
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
The next steps are critical:
1. Test fly aircraft
2. Move to Echo row.
3. “Don’t hurry, don’t worry, and don’t forget to smell the flowers along the way” (Walter Hagen).

Congratulations, you’ve built a ship you can really be proud of.
Best,
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

Yeah... the first hangar I looked at was on the west side of Foxtrot row... still kicking myself for not taking it, but I've always been one of those hang-back kind of guys. ;)
 
way to go.

It is indeed a Tail Mate and it has special significance to me. Ted Gauthier had loaned it to me shortly before his untimely demise, so I bought it from his estate and will eventually restore it to better than new condition as a personal tribute to Ted.

Martin,
You built a real beauty.
Congratulations,
Daddyman
 
Congrats!

Congrats, I remember it like yesterday, and Matt is an interesting guy! He did the inspection for me as well. Now plan and fly!
 
Another dubious milestone...

...reached during yesterday's preflight reassembly. Officially reached 4000 hours on the build clock. A ridiculously high number for a quickbuild airplane, even factoring in painting and being a first-time builder. But trust me; it's not an inflated number. Painstakingly (and painfully) accurate.
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FIRST FLIGHT: Triumphs, Trials and Tribulations

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Good news: the first and second flights of my beloved RV-8 occurred on Thursday, April 28, 2022 with test pilot David Carrick at the controls.
Bad news: the first flight was less than five minutes long and the second was less than a half hour.
Synopsis: She flies beautifully and the engine runs well. But due to the less-than-perfect fit of my canopy skirt, a skirt flutter develops at 140 knots which generates an aft canopy vibration that becomes severe over 160 knots. The aircraft should not be flown again until the fit is improved. Might be an easy fix (sealing material), might be a hard fix (resculpting the skirt). We'll see.
This entire experience will be featured in an upcoming FlightChops episode, hopefully sometime within the next year. Stay tuned.
 
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