Hi guys, this is my first post. I know this might sound crazy, but I am planning for an RV-8 build in the basement of my NYC brownstone. The good news is that I have plenty of existing shop space in my basement, my wife's support, and a good amount of time I can dedicate to the project. The bad news is that getting large objects in and out of my basement is not going to be easy.
If I leave the wings unattached from the fuselage and the vertical stabilizer unattached from the horizontal stabilizer then I should be able to get those parts out of the house through the internal stairs when completed. The fuselage is the only problem I see.
The basement is fully underground. In terms of external basement access, I have a former coal chute that goes from the "front yard" down into the basement. It is roughly 3' (width of opening into foundation) x 4.5' (depth into yard) x 82" (ceiling height). I think I could increase the depth into my front yard without great expense and building department interference if necessary. But I really don't want to have to mess with that until I am ready to move the plane parts to the airport for final assembly.
So I'm trying to figure out whether I can wedge the QB fuselage down the coal chute into the basement so I can do as much work as possible before it has to be removed to a hanger. If I can't then I was thinking I could get the standard build kit and then remove the fuselage without landing gear from the enlarged chute when finished (I assume that kit doesn't come with any pieces that are very large in three dimensions, right?).
With that background in mind, does anyone know the dimensions of the QB fuselage canoe as it arrives in the crate? I am also interested in hearing your thoughts on what I should be thinking about given my space constraints. I'm really hoping I can pull this off.
If I leave the wings unattached from the fuselage and the vertical stabilizer unattached from the horizontal stabilizer then I should be able to get those parts out of the house through the internal stairs when completed. The fuselage is the only problem I see.
The basement is fully underground. In terms of external basement access, I have a former coal chute that goes from the "front yard" down into the basement. It is roughly 3' (width of opening into foundation) x 4.5' (depth into yard) x 82" (ceiling height). I think I could increase the depth into my front yard without great expense and building department interference if necessary. But I really don't want to have to mess with that until I am ready to move the plane parts to the airport for final assembly.
So I'm trying to figure out whether I can wedge the QB fuselage down the coal chute into the basement so I can do as much work as possible before it has to be removed to a hanger. If I can't then I was thinking I could get the standard build kit and then remove the fuselage without landing gear from the enlarged chute when finished (I assume that kit doesn't come with any pieces that are very large in three dimensions, right?).
With that background in mind, does anyone know the dimensions of the QB fuselage canoe as it arrives in the crate? I am also interested in hearing your thoughts on what I should be thinking about given my space constraints. I'm really hoping I can pull this off.
