RV-8A #83423 N-251WM

[crabandy]

Congrats! Enjoy phase 1!

[milt1492]

Awesome!!! Been following this build since you started. I can't believe its been that long. Nice work and congratulations. Go enjoy!

[Strike69]

20.3 hours in four days! Ugh - I am tired. I took a couple of days off from work to focus on getting through Phase I but had a few delays this weekend.

Things started with having to fix the timing (severely retarded) and trouble shoot an errant spark plug. The plug issue was most likely due to excess paint on the cylinder causing a less than stellar ground. Changed out the plug adaptors and cleaned the paint and now the engine purrs and puts out an amazing amount of power. Time to climb to 10k is 10 minutes and would have been faster except the oil temp was a little high. The other delay was yesterday ...



But it cleared up around 1130 and off to Wakefield for the first out stop, lunch with my mentor and main assistant (that's his plane), and less expensive gas ($5.05/gal which is more than a dollar cheaper than home field).



I am really liking the Garmin G3X system. With the ADS-B input both traffic and weather are overlaid on the map. Talk about SA.



It helped to circumnavigate the weather and provide for a little VFR-on-top.



Most of the testing is complete and now to plot the charts. Probably the most tedious of the flights was 2.5 hours of constant speed climbs and descents and various airspeed to get the points. Stalls and slow flight handling were benign so I rewarded myself with a little acro exploration.



Downloading the flight data from the G3X can be mapped on GoogleEarth ...



I guess I need to work on the lines

All in all it is going well. Yes there are things to fix but most are minor. This is an incredible machine and for those still building, it is so worth it in the end.

[Strike69]

Approaching 50 hours and with a significant trip ahead I did the first oil change after the engine break-in oil change from mineral oil. I also took the opportunity to install a 90 degree adaptor. To remove the original filter housing, I had to remove the P-mag caps to get to the old screws/nuts. I was really surprised at how much space I gained behind the engine so it is no longer necessary to remove anything from the assessor case to get to other components.



A couple weeks ago an issue came up with the nose pant. After a few flights I discovered there was not enough clearance between the wheel and pant. The good news is the fiberglass repair was completed in an afternoon in the kitchen (where it is warm!).



That same day I had to repair the leg fairings. They flew fine for a flight but on the second flight I noticed a significant decrease in cruise speed. Post-flight I discovered the tabs of the fairings were "liberated" and the fairings had rotated to a drag position.

At this point I am cleaning up all of the squawks found in Phase I and adding some details such as the canopy lock.



This picture is posted elsewhere (200 kt club) but also here to see the big picture. Very happy with the performance and am looking forward to my cross country trip.

[daddyman]

Strike,
From the RAF (Rappahanock Area Flyers) just to your north EZF, we are a bunch of completely and purposely un-organized pilots with a variety of RV machines (and a couple of non-Vans thrown in for good measure), who fly for fun.

Our fuel is cheap, our camaraderie is good. Our motto: "We are not lean, we are not mean, we are here to lick the plate clean"

Happy landings,
Daddyman

[trib]

Hey Strike,

Great to see things are moving along. Chapter Christmas party is at my house on Saturday. Stop in if you are in the area. Wakefield avgas is under $5 now!
I will have been flying my RV for 5 years on 12/12 and I remember I was upset because fuel at SFQ had gone up to $3.18! What we wouldn't give to have that back again.

[Strike69]

After 4+ years and 2000 hours I am declaring the TARDIS complete!



First off I need to thank Doug Reeves for 1) creating and maintaining this incredible resource/website and 2) for picking me up at the airport today! I got to enjoy lunch with him and his fellow builders from 52F. A great bunch with so much experience - I was truly humbled to be in their presence. We did start adding up all of the PIC aircraft we held among us and I think we stopped counting at 40. My contribution was only 1 unique aircraft.

After lunch we went to the airport to see the incredible work of Grady and his team. Special thanks to Shark who took my TARDIS concept and turned it into art.



What really caught my attention though driving up ...



Now my problem is getting back to Baltimore. Okay, maybe not the trip but actually getting into my hanger.



It has been a great journey and I can't thank my "support" team enough. For all those just starting this trip, in the end it is soooo worth it - keep pounding away and take small bites of the elephant.

[aturner]

Very nice Mike. I too have christened my ship the Tardis, so I suppose we have siblings here. My phone booth is a small profile beneath the horizontal stabilizer, not near as cool as yours.



Our ships certainly can travel through space and time, and are much more than they first appear to the uninitiated. Best ships in the universe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNbz...1xxUy-CMy01ECA