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Should I start prepping wings while I'm waiting for tail?

D

DonMcKee

Member
Hi All,

I'm a months-long lurker, first time poster, and soon-to-be RV-14A builder. This will be my first build.

I've had the emp/tailcone kit on order for a couple of months now, with crating scheduled for late summer, early fall. I recently decided to get in line for the remaining subkits to ensure that I'd have them when I need them, and to give me the option of ordering an engine through Van's (before the current "sale" expires at the end of the month??).

It looks like the wing subkit will arrive months ahead of the emp subkit, with the fuse subkit following close behind. I realized that this might give me the opportunity to get started much earlier than I thought I could, by prepping parts that won't be needed until months (years?) down the road. I intend to wait for the tail kit before starting any actual assembly.

I haven't looked ahead at the plans for specifics, but in general, are there any reasons why I shouldn't start getting the wing and/or fuse parts ready while I wait for the empenage subkit? Do you have any advice if I follow this plan, or can you think of any gotchas that I should be aware of?

One of my biggest worries about taking on this airplane building project is that I don't know what I don't know. Any enlightenment that you can bestow will be appreciated!
 
Yes start

Hello Don and welcome!

The short answer is yes, start building. The sections are normally independent processes. There are a very few parts that will arrive with a subsequent kit, but I only remember that being an issue one or two times.

My kit was serial number 39 and at that time the only subkit available was the wings. I did wings, tail, fuselage in that order. I did build a rolling wing cradle to hold the finished wings as the other kits arrived,
 
That should be fine. Storage is important since the parts need some protection against getting banged up and that sort of thing. But deburring and priming, if you're going to do that, are fine. Be sure to have the part numbers visible either with the original label or just writing it on the part with your Sharpie.

Perhaps a -14 builder will offer comments. I'm building an RV-3B which is considerably different.

Dave
 
There is no magic building the tail before the rest. It's usually just the cheapest part and a great starting point before people dive in for the whole thing.

One thing to bear in mind, though, is that the wings are expensive and a lot of work. Replacing tail parts is a lot easier / cheaper as you learn and make inevitable mistakes.

The prior poster came by my garage early in my build and noted that my vertical stabilizer skin could have been dimpled a little more consistently before riveting, so I drilled it out, bought a new one, and did it again. Replacing a wing skin is a bigger deal. Stick with things you can replace until you are comfortable with your results before tackling big stuff.
 
I fully agree with the previous post ... not only is the emp a less expensive kit, but it's built in parts that can be more easily redone if you oops.

Lots of learning will take place on the emp, and moving past prep to assembly on the wings might reveal some shortcomings in your technique.

Deburring, and if it's like the -7, prepping wing ribs will take up some time. You'll be happy when you're ready for wing assembly and that work is done!

No matter, build on
 
wcalvert said:
Lots of learning will take place on the emp, and moving past prep to assembly on the wings might reveal some shortcomings in your technique.
Click to expand...

Yep, this is why I intend to wait for the tail parts before starting any assembly. So far, it sounds like it'll be fine to prep other stuff (deburr, prime, etc.) while I wait. :)
 
Practice

DonMcKee said:
Yep, this is why I intend to wait for the tail parts before starting any assembly. So far, it sounds like it'll be fine to prep other stuff (deburr, prime, etc.) while I wait. :)
Click to expand...

It's so exciting. Do yourself a favor. Find a local mentor. Either buy some scrap aluminum or buy the practice kits. Practice with the mentor. Make mistakes and fix them. Assemble, drill it apart and reassemble. The biggest mistake I see is under dimpling. Learn before the expensive parts arrive.
 
Wing ribs

Do the RV-14 wing ribs require straightening like earlier ribs?

If so, that's certainly something you could do.

Finn
 
I was in a similar boat last summer when my wings arrived before my tail (I ordered them together). I started with a few practice kits, but figured I’d wait to do much until the tail kit got here.

But the kit was just sitting in the garage taunting me, so I started with the flaps and then the ailerons. Those were also inspected by someone with a bit of experience before getting closed up, and by then I had enough confidence to start with the main wings. I’m very glad I did, because my fuselage should be here later this month and my wings and tail are both mostly complete. If I would have waited I’d still have a giant stack of parts just sitting around.

So don’t totally write off starting assembly - start with the practice kits if you haven’t yet, then do the smaller wing parts and see how you’re feeling.
 
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Thanks, all, for the encouragement! The consensus seems to be to "Build, build, build!" whatever I have available, provided that I remain within my skillset to minimize costly do-overs.

I have been building my support structure (joined EAA chapter 124, have access to Tech Counselors, visited with a nearby '14A builder), attended the EAA SportAir "Sheet Metal Basics" class, and I'm practicing when I can (daily rivet driving/removal on scraps, all of the Van's practice kits at least once :)). Once I figure out what I'm going to do about priming (two part epoxy? rattle can??), and get some experience with it, I'll have had some exposure to all of the basics (I think).

Thanks, again!
 
All the above is good advice. Be particularly careful on the cost of the part you are working on. Long parts like spars are hideously expensive to ship, and often also to buy. Big wing skins also.
 
I was in a similar situation where I got my wing kit first. One thing I did while waiting for the tail kit was to go through the plans and work on small assemblies like the pushrod tubes. The sooner you prime the inside of the tubes the better.
 
From a Project Management perspective, especially if you’re working alone and have no issues with kit delivery, the critical path for the project is YOU.

Any time spent working on anything productivity is the critical path.
 
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