quick build or slow

Folks,
Am wondering about the pros and cons of the quick build kit? Worth the money? Any advice appreciated. Thanks, Eric

I would feel cheated of a big part of the joy (for me) if I didn't build the slow build. I can already see that I'm going to be a repeat offender so I do reserve the right to change my mind on subsequent builds. But the first one, at least, is all mine.

Each personal situation is unique. Obviously, do a QB (yes, the cost would easily be worth it) if:
- you are more interested in flying than building.
- you have other things that you would rather be doing with your time.
- you have family requirements that would drag the build out to 5+ years.
- you enjoy avionics and electrical tinkering more than basic airframe construction.
- you care not to have to decide "to prime or not to prime"...

Either way, there is great fun to be had.

scard said:

I would feel cheated of a big part of the joy (for me) if I didn't build the slow build.

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Same here! Ditto everything Scott said. Dan C has also has a great write up on the subject here.

As far as being worth it... only you can answer that question. Personally, if budget is an issue, I would choose to put more $ into the engine and/or panel than the QB kit.

a qb never even crossed my mind. i want to know every nook and cranny in this thing. i want to say, "this is my airplane and i built it, all of it." i don't care how long it takes, and the money saved will be better spent on avionics and engine. this is just me though...

(doing a QB right now) If I were to do it again, I'd definitely go with a QB. Like everyone says, each personal situation is different.

The workmanship on the QB is excellent - it's a great value IMHO. QB is an excellent way to go if you don't have a riveting helper available all the time.

Split the Difference

Eric,

You might consider a QB fuse and SB wings. The wings are very repetitious involving many similar if not identical parts, so go together quite fast, particularly the second wing. There's little planning for variables and choices involved; just do it. Yes, you do get to goober up with tank sealant, but it's not all that bad. You'll feel like you're on the SB fuse forever, practically every part is a new task/technique/fit-up/planning event with at most a left/right variation, so the learning curve is pretty flat. One advantage to the SB-anything is the ease of swiss cheesing components with holes for wire and tube runs in advance of need.

John Siebold

After you build the empennage then decide. Its funny how people view this subject but I do know many who have done the slow build and if they did it again they said they'd do QB all the way. Then theres the QB crowd thats says if I did it again they'd do QB again. Don't know anyone that has done a QB and said they'd do a slow build next time. I dont doubt theres any out there though.

QB all the way man, you'll be so ready to fly by the time you are half way done it wont even be funny.

-Jeff

I went QB, and am very happy I did so -- I don't have a plane available, so QB will allow me to get up there sooner. Next one might be slow build, because (a) I'd be able to fly between building sessions (actually, the next one's already on deck, but it's a helo!) so the 'finish' pressure is lower, (b) because building is a *heckuva* lot of fun - and now I know what the heck I'm doing (I hope), and (c) I've already blown a wad of cash (see my autosig); I'll prolly have to scrimp a bit on the next plane! The quality of my qb was good, and in my mind the money was well worth it for my first aircraft.

I have built a slow build

and I'm currently helping a buddy with the quick build. If I were to do it again from both a financial standpoint and a want to fly stand point I would get the SB wings, send the tanks to be built (I think it is $1K or so) and do a QB fuse. I absolutely HATED the tanks and the mess involved with proseal and would pay to NEVER have to do that again. Also I second the above on the fuselage, there are SO many parts and angles and lefts and rights and unique fitting points that a QB fuselage is the deal of the century compared to the wings. Use the savings of building the wings to buy a C/S propeller and never look back.

Just my 2 cents....

I have gone slow build all the way, but if/when I do it again, I will most likely go SB wings and QB fuse. The fuse has seemed like a lot more work than the wings, and it is certainly taking me much longer to finish. It is all fun though, even if it added a couple years to my project.

James

QB is Well Worth the Cost

The FAA is not wrong when they say 51% of the aircraft is still to be completed if you build the quick build airplane. A lot of basic sheet metal is done but there is a lot more to do and you will not complete the airplane without being very proficient in the use of every sheetmetal tool and solving every kind of aircraft construction problem. One down side is (was perhaps, since mine was one of the very early RV-6 quick built kits without pre-punched holes) you may be able to do better quality work than the quick builders. Even this develops skills in dealing with QB introduced problems. I spent 8 years and 4222 logged personal hours building my RV-6A quick built airplane. I was able to focus on the complex items like the canopy, instrument panel, systems and firewall forward to get what I felt was a perfect RV (even though it didn't win squat at Sun 'n' Fun or Oshkosh) as a first time builder starting out at 60 years old. If you are young and have plenty of time the cost and your discretionary income could dictate your choice. One thing I found is the sheetmetal work was very enjoyable and it may just be something you want to savor - in that case the basic kit would be a wise choice.

Bob Axsom

Either way is fine but...

I built my 9 in 19 months it took me almost a year to get to the point of the quick build kit. So it's up to you depending on time, money, satisfaction or...

As they say... Just Do It!

Roger Ping

airrap said:

Folks,
Am wondering about the pros and cons of the quick build kit? Worth the money? Any advice appreciated. Thanks, Eric

Click to expand...

Answer this question first: Why don't you just buy a flying RV and be done with it? It's way easier, you can be in the air in a couple of weeks, and it doesn't cost any more than building it yourself once you factor that the time you'll spend building could be spent working a 2nd part time job and getting paid.

We asked ourselves this question before embarking on the slow build, and very serioulsy thought about just buying a flying airplane. We thought about it and realized that we really wanted to build an airplane. Once we decided that, we had to pick an airplane. When we were considering the Bearhawk, the quickbuild kit was the obvious choice given that I didn't think I would enjoy spending a year behind a welding mask. After we finally settled on the RV-7, rivetting and aluminum work DID seem like fun so the slow build was the obvious choice.

Given that the workmanship on the QB's is top notch, and despite the reported lack of access (everything you need to do is clearly possible since lots of QB's are flying), the pros and cons are almost irrelavant. Either way, you'll end up with a really nice aircraft, and it's really more about which pieces of the puzzle you enjoy doing.

my $.02

QB fuse?

WOW, Some interesting opinions here. The idea of getting SB wing and QB fuse blows me away. I'd go the other way around and get the QB wings and build the fuse. don't get me wrong, the wings were exciting at first. But I got REAL tired after a while of seeing just ribs. There were few challanges to figure out in building the wings. And as mentioned the second wing goes together REALLY fast. I am absolutly LOVING building the fuse. Building all these specialized parts keeps my brain working. The next step is something new, not just another rib. The challanges of the fuse are MUCH more rewarding if you ask me.

Bruce Smith
Fuse

With all Due Respect and I mean that seriously

With all due respect all QBs are not the same and it is impossible to know what it is to build one unless you have walked into a specific one cold and started with a lot of partly finished assemblies, some containing significant discrepancies, and built an airplane out of them.

Bob Axsom

Go for it

Lots of good advice above. Pick slow or quick build and go for it. It is an incredible learning experience either way. You will install/rig all controls, electrical systems, fuel systems, landing gear/wheels/brakes, hang the engine/prop and related plumbing, do all of the finish work, write(or pirate) the POH, reach the point of "90% done and 90% to go", experience a few episodes of extreme frustration... and eventually finish building YOUR AIRPLANE, thus becoming a member of a rather exclusive club(4,459 flying RV's in a world of 5 billion people, let's see that would put you in the 99.99991082 percentile).

Or, you could just buy one. They are a heck of a lot of fun to fly.

Bob Axsom said:

With all due respect all QBs are not the same and it is impossible to know what it is to build one unless you have walked into a specific one cold and started with a lot of partly finished assemblies, some containing significant discrepancies, and built an airplane out of them.

Bob Axsom

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To be fair to Vans, it appears from a preponderance of comments I've read as well as my own experience with my own 7-A QB kit, I think there probably were some teething problems on some of the early QBs when the program was just started which I think began before the '7's were even introduced.

In the last few years, the only "negative" comments I've seen are pretty nit-picky and mostly a result of what an individual builder might have "thought" they would do different rather than any real quality issue.

I'm still amazed how truly perfect my fuse came out of the box with straight panels and no smileys.

Today, the reasoning behind going with a QB or SB is all condensed down to time vs. money. If you want to fly sooner and can afford the money, QB is your only option (unless you buy a flying RV, but that's a whole 'nuther discussion). If you don't mind the extra time and also want/need to save some money, then SB is your only option.
On the other hand, if a person is not confident in their mechanical skills, they may want to go with a QB to "insure" a high quality build of the major items.

If you choose one or the other, I would second the QB wings and SB fuse. Not only were the wings repetetive, but the fuel tank mess and the high anxiety factor of working on the spars made it not nearly as fun as the fuse has been. There are, as mentioned above, so many "different" tasks to do on the fuse (and I'm still just doing bulkheads!) that it is so much more enjoyable. Have fun.

I plan on SB wings and QB fuselage. With the -8, the fuse is just prepunched, not match drilled. You have to build a jig and there is a lot more fabbing to do. And, by the time I have finished the wings, I will be too anxious to get it all finished. For $4100 extra, the QB fuse is a bargain.

Greg Piney
RV-8 SoonToBe
Setting up Shop
Ordered Tools

Quick build or Slow

I have the slow build RV-7 kit, although I did get pre-built fuel tanks. The RV-7 is one of the latest models, so it has the pre-drilled holes and a lot of stuff pre-done that I guess you had to do in the earlier models. I'm roughly halfway through the project -- 1000 hours -- just about to rivet together the lower fuse.

When I made the slow build decision, dollars were the major factor, but also, Dan Checkoway made some points on his page about the matter that were compelling to me. Like someone else mentioned, I wanted to build a plane. Also, as someone else has pointed out, by going the slow-build route, you know every single inch of your airplane, and learn an incredible amount.

I still feel I made the right decision for me. That said, as you get into the project, and learn how great these planes are, and see how much fun others are having flying them, there are moments when you wish you were flying your RV instead of endlessly drilling, deburring, dimpling and riveting. The building experience does start to get old after awhile. You wonder if you'll ever get done.

If I were to be a repeat builder, I'd go QB without a second thought. The Slowbuild is fine for the first time, but afterwards, it's "been there, done that". My mentor is a multiple repeat offender and upon delivery of the QB, he is flying in a year.

To sum it up, I see it as a spectrum:
- Slow Build
- Slow Build with pre-built fuel tanks
- QB Wings, SB Fuse (or vice versa)
- QB
- Buy a used, flying RV

Each individual chooses their spot on the spectrum depending on the various factors: time, money, desire to build/learn, etc. It's all good.

I'm planning on QB. I would rather fly than build, but having said that, very little
beats the feeling of turning a stack of flimsy, floppy aluminum into a rock-solid
airframe component! I've got a bunch of stuff going on in my life (that pesky
day job, a marriage, a social life), which precludes me from spending most of my
waking hours building airplanes. Based on the time it's taken me to get to the
rudder (since JULY!) there's no way I'm going to get a slow-build RV-7 done
rather than have it be the perpetual hobby. And truth be told, a lot of the fun
for me is going to be in the engine and avionics, rather than the airframe.. The
RV is a safe, well-known platform to experiment with things like roll-your-own
EFIS and alternative engines. If I had the opportunity to build the first
fuel-cell electrically driven RV, I would!

So when the empennage is finally finished, I go into hibernation, saving $ for the
QB kit and researching powerplant/avionics options.