Pre-build Intimidation

I have read with awe the first flights stories many of you have graciously shared with the forum. I read those posts before others. I've seen them from folks with, well, I guess just about every kind of career possible. I am inspired by each of you and your tenacity (particularly those who take 10+ years)!

I have read with fear, however, those postings that start with something like setting the wing incidence, setting the firing sequence for whatever engine they had installed, calibrating instrumentation, and recently about oil changes and tire toe. I am impressed with these folks as well. But I am also quite intimidated. Yes, I know education, lesson to learn (have that one) and so on... ..but still.

I had convinced myself that I could complete a build and even got the wife on board. And though she issued a PO several months ago, I haven't made the call. Did you face this pre-build intimidation? Do you have suggestions for overcoming this fear?

I look forward to your thoughts!

Pre-Build Intimidation

Michael -

Come on in, the water's fine.
Wife on board is the hard part - the rest is easy!

Where in LA?

order it..

Order the kit... dive into it.. and you'll say to yourself "I don't know what the h*ll I was intimidated about"

I went trough the same thing. Did all my research... did some more... then finally decided to dive in and get started.

Just my observation, but your interest in first flights as being your main read gives me the impression that building may not be your thing. Myself , being my fourth build, and with almost 400 hrs on my 2006 cub, still spend most of my reading on technical build post. I read very few first flight, or flight type post. I guess what I'm trying to say is I enjoy building as much or more that flying, as is shown in my reading.
I think anyone with a great interest in building an aircraft will find the resource to accomplish the task. If the only reason for building is to get into the air, I'm not sure you will be satisfied.
I'm not trying to push you out of building, just asking you to think about it. It's not for everyone, but for those that it's there thing, it very satisfing, along with a lot of other things.
Hopefully, I'm wrong, and you will join in our wanderfull group of builders. To answer your question, each tiny job is tackled one at a time. You study and complete many small task. When your done you have an aircraft. These forums have a wealth of information and all the help you'll need.
Ron

You can do it

I suppose there may be someone out there who just absolutely cannot, for whatever reason, make it through a project like this. However, I believe that most people who fail fall short because of a lack of determination and commitment or else fall victim to circumstances beyond their control such as job, family, finances, etc. I will tell you that, if I can do this (and I've done it twice now) anyone who is determined can do it. Do not be intimidated by the daunting tasks you mentioned. The truth is, it ain't rocket science, and there are always people there to help you.

Order the tail kit and build it. At the end of that you will know if you want to finish the whole deal. And if you really want to, I promise you you can.

RE:Boogymen!!!!!

As has been mentioned the thought is worse than the reality.

I wouldn't kid you into believing it is easy because it is not easy.....BUT....A few tools, planning, practice, help from other locals that have or are building a plane (RV of course), $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ will maybe not that much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$..........,faith, not giving up, and doing a bit of the project each day, staying close to the VAF group, asking Vans folks for help, study and steady as you go, and always keeping the family happy by not isolating yourself with you aluminum mistress, and have fun.

MY RV7A was to be a 20 to 24 month project that ended up being a 58 month project but who is counting. Learned a ton, made new great friends near and far, spent more than I should have, and finally beat all those boogymen (Tanks, Canopy, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, riveting, wireing, fibergalss, etc.)

GO For IT......

Welcome A Board.......

Frank @ SGU and 1L8 ...RV7A... Phase 1

I often joke that after I build something on this plane, THEN I will know how to do it.

Sure, there is a ton of stuff to learn, which is the Educational part of building an experimental airplane. I have felt intimidated many times but it is like studying math, you just have to dive in and figure it out, making mistakes along the way.

I would suggest that you read books on airplane building and devote an hour or so every evening to reading all the old posts here and even on the Matronics site. Continue to go back and re-read them periodically and make notes. Also, and very importantly, read other's peoples websites detailing their building experiences. You might also order from Van's their 25 Years of the RVaitor book. A lot there no longer applies, but it is still helpful.

Eventually, you figure things out. I am amazed at all I have learned during this project and with the help of the folks here, you will do fine. I would suggest that instead of reading the reports of first flights, you start reading the construction topics. If you don't find them interesting then perhaps building is not right for you. You really have to love building to get through all of this, as the building can really be frustrating at times. I have dreamed of building for 40 years, but there are times I have been ready to pull my hair out (at which point is the time you want to read the first-flight reports to remind you of the dream).

Good luck!

pre build jitters

If you haven't already, join your local EAA chapter. Visit some of the local builders to see how they manage their projects. Also I highly recommend taking a weekend builders course to see if you have an aptitude for this kind of work and will enjoy it.
Good Luck.

overwhelmed with decisions at times...

my wife and i took a two day class at synergy air prior to actual construction that was very valuable.

there are a mountain of tasks that you conquer with tunnel vision on small pieces that each get built.... as the pieces come together to make assemblies, structures, or recognizable airplane parts there is a special feeling of accomplishment that is very rewarding. even if the pieces never become a flying thing there are many quality experiences along the way.

the sequence of the build process helps to progressively layer skills and provides a solid understanding of how the airframe works while effectively minimizing project cash outlay requirements.

the systematic construction of the airframe might suggest a similar transition to the finishing phase of the build... ha...

the project faces a crisis of decisions as the fuselage comes to a close that can be overwhelming... avionics, wiring, engine, prop, and other firewall forward components... while you are armed with skills and have demonstrated commitment to the project few are prepared for the myriad paths of differing opinions and options... in the end you just have to make decisions and move on.

until you reach this point the path is very well tread and the common experiences are documented extensively on the web.

5.5 years for me..."Welcome to OSH" over the radio means so much...take your time, read twice measure twice and cut once. You can do it...I can't explain how it feels when the ground disappears under you for the first time. When my Mom, she's almost 78, said she was proud of me..I was speechless...Then she said there was no way she was getting in that thing. Gives a whole new meaning to "But Mom, It's just an airplane" If you want to experience something very few can say they have done...Then order the kit, take it one step at a time, soon you will be out of parts and ready to fly.

What Don said is right on. Find a local EAA chapter at http://eaa.org/chapters/locator/

Check out the RV White Pages on this site and see if there are any builders listed for your area. I haven't met a builder yet who wouldn't let me visit his project. Offer to help & you'll get more from it than the guy you help.

The RV White Pages only lists people who posted their info--there are a lot more builders than you find there. If you ask, Van's might send you a list of nearby builders sorted by zip code, so be ready to supply a list of local zip codes.

Years ago I bought an RV-6A tail kit that someone else had abandoned--lost his medical. Like you, I was intimidated. I didn't do a thing with it. Over the next few years I did some soul searching and when Van's brought out the RV-9 and SynergyAir started giving classes, I switched to an RV-9A & took the class. Although I am slow, I am half way thru the project and intimidation is not a problem.

Anyone want an RV-6A tail kit?

I know there are a lot of reasons to start building now instead of later but here's my reason.

I'm 25, obviously not retired . I don't really have to money to operate the plane right now (hangar, insurance, maintenance, fuel) so I did not want to start now. Then I read a posting, something like 8 months ago, about a guy that was saying "I wish I started when I was younger. Now I can't even see if the rivet's hole is dimpled or not, my back hurt for 2 weeks because I bend over for 5min for 1 or 2 rivets, I can't work late at night because I get tired, etc etc".

That was it for me : why wait? what's the point? It will be a couple of months or even years before I can afford the engine and panel but there is plenty of work to do on the airframe. And if for some reasons I don't have money for the engine and it's the only thing left, I'll just set aside the project for a while. It's not costing anything while it's sitting in my garage! This is why I'm going slow-build and not building a RV-12. Don't get me wrong, I love the RV-12, but it's too fast a build for me : I'll run out of money before running out of work!

It's actually a good "perspective giving" project. You remember you paid $2400 to get leather in your car.. wow that would have bought a lot of tools or a small EFIS.

Not having the skills is not really an issue : I'm a software developer, I'm not that much of a "work with your hands" type. I learned a lot and there is nothing like the feeling you get when you hold your HS, all riveted and shiny!

You also meet great people, you deal with great companies (why can't car dealers have the same level of customer service as the peoples involved in the RV world : Avery, Cleaveland, Plane Tools, Van's and Stein to name a few.)

I'm just back from Oshkosh : if you can go there, do it! It was my first Oshkosh, my first RV ride... what a thrill.

For me, it just started as a joke between me and my brother : "hey, we could build a plane... nan.. no way!". 8 months later and I'm working on my first wing kit. I "wasted" 4 years (bought the plans back in 2004) before starting up. I also "wasted" a lot of money on stupid stuff like a new LCD tv, a new car, a new computer, a motorcycle... that would have paid for the engine and more!

Take it one step at a time, don't look at the whole thing, it'll scare you (wings, tanks, fuse, engine, finish kit, paint, fiberglass, paperwork, insurance, hangar, fuel).

Dive in, I'm pretty sure you won't regret it... and if, for some reasons, you do.. just sell the tail kit and the tools! You won't loose a lot of money.

intimidated? Naa,... my eyes were always this big

Hey, I was "fairly confident" I could handle and wanted to work a build project,... however,.... Marietta has a picture of me standing next to the project we bought to finish out.

Hey,... the eyes WERE SMALLER than saucers,.. ok,.. not by much,.. but they were smaller... really,... it did kinda hit home...

But WE worked through it,... good times and good work some days,... time to stop and do other things other days, when tired and frustrated. When it got real hard, time to check in on the web (VAF) and get, near instant, great support, or give a call to someone who could help. It was kinda interesting when some days you could see progress... others you would go for a while and not see much,.. and then it would come together. (ok I'm kinda ADD so I would jump around sometimes due to resource or inspiration limitations)

We enjoyed working together on the project... and the grins at the end were BIGGER than saucers,... so it all worked out.

Good luck and let us know. We are over on Mississippi coast, and Marietta is ready with pics and sales pitch if you need it.

As others have probably told you already and will tell you - don't look at the project in its entirety, but rather many smaller projects. There were times throughout my project that I became intimidated by upcoming steps. For example, I was intimidated by fiberglass work when working on the metal fuselage. Then I was concerned about the canopy when I was working on the fiberglass fairings. As I got close to finishing the airplane, I was intimidated by things like maintenance, engine operation, proper book keeping, etc. The best way to deal with this intimidation is to focus on the task at hand. Much of building an airplane is learning how to do it - and that is what you will do.

One of my favorite quotes

"You should never fail to start a project because you don't know how to do some aspect of the work. Start anyway. That forces you to learn." Cory Bird (of Burt Rutan fame)

I'm still a newbie but the "learning something new" has been my favorite part so far...

From Rosie: And may I add, "If you don't start, you'll never finish."

Michael,

Having seen too many butchered, unfinished examples, I'm absolutely sure some guys should not try to build an airplane. At this point nobody, including me, has the slightest idea if you're one of them, a future grand champion, or somewhere in between. Heck, even you don't know.

Build the practice kits. That's why they exist.

DanH said:

...sip...
Build the practice kits. That's why they exist.

Click to expand...

Yep, both of them. I build the toolbox : it was fun but the airfoil will give you a better idea of what to expect.

The only way to get over the fear is to get started. I used to be afraid I would not be able to fly a higher performance airplane as I learned in a Champ. Then I realized that if some 600,000 19 year olds right off the farm could do it in WWII so could I.

Same with building - most of us who have built had little to no experience doing the type of sheet metal fabrication required. That is what is so great about the empennage kit. By the time you finish it you will have gained the knowledge that few mistakes are fatal to the project, those that are are easily repaired, replacement parts are readily available if necessary, and you who literally don't know which end of a rivet gun to aim with will have become as competent as all the "Rosie the Riveters" who won the air war in WWII.

I hate the ad campaign but the phase "just do it" seem appropriate.

I agree with Dan.....

DanH said:

Michael,

Having seen too many butchered, unfinished examples, I'm absolutely sure some guys should not try to build an airplane. At this point nobody, including me, has the slightest idea if you're one of them, a future grand champion, or somewhere in between. Heck, even you don't know.

Build the practice kits. That's why they exist.

Click to expand...

I agree with Dan. I built 30% scale RC for years, some of which took longer than my RV6. After just finishing my 6, I'm not real keen on jumping on another project. There were many times, I wanted to quit, looking back at all the time, effort & money, I can't understand why I didn't. You do the absolute best you can, one day you look up and there's nothing left to do, if you worked steady and did your best, you probably will wind up with a really good airplane. Worked for me, but building is not for everyone, only you can make that decision.

Now I have to tell you, flying your "own airplane" soothes all the pain.

Thanks, Guys

Ron B.: I have been carefully watching a handful of websites for several years, watching progress, so, while your observations are welcome, I think I would enjoy the build part.

fstringham7a: Loved the Boogyman!

Jeff R: I, too, have felt that there were things I was ready to start after completing them... ..usually intimidating things

Flytoboat: I belong to EAA-1209 (2R5) - joined 2 years ago. Also just met another building less than 2 miles from my house.

thinkn9a: Wallace, sent pm.

DanH: Bought the practice kits... ..I guess they won't build themselves.


All: Thanks for your wisdom and incites. As with other posts I have read, this is inspirational.

I'll keep you posted!
Michael

I had one motivation for buiding my airplane, the mechanics cert.

Yup, I didn't like building my airplane, even though I learned a bunch. I many times wanted to quit. Glad I didn't. Every time my neighbors go through their annuals, I just smile. They pay 800+ dollars just for the annual and than they allways, that is allways have something that needs to be fixed. And the poor fella that only puts around 15hrs on his plane a year, same thing. Of course I feel he needs to sell his and find something else to do. Like drink more, since that's all I see him do.

Than there is the guys in the hangars across from me. They hate experimentals. But I laugh every time I'm in the air with them, I pass them like they are standing still. And the burn rate, there's is about 18-25gal per hour and mine, well somewhere around 9.

I am very proud of my airplane, even though it won't take the awards home from the flyins, who cares. Mines all white. It doesn't get looked at either, but I don't care. I love it. That's what counts.

Main thing, when it comes time for the signitures, I do the work and sign it off. It's that easy. When I want to change something, I just do it. Experimentals are great. Only way to fly.

Michael,

Order the tools, kit, and join your local EAA chapter.

You WILL make mistakes and you WILL ruin parts. That is part of the building process.

Order new parts and figure out to fix those mistakes; that is also part of the build process.

Just don't give up. Keep pounding!

I'm also a little nervous, but I know that with some perseverance and the willingness to ask for help when needed, I'll get the job accomplished.

There are probably people out there that absolutely shouldn't build, but.. I would think it's as much about attitude and a healthy respect for the project at hand than anything else...

Take time to enjoy the process

Just learn one thing at a time. It will eventually be about 1000 things you learn. But building an airplane is just about doing (learning) one thing at a time.

aviationgeek84 said:

...There are probably people out there that absolutely shouldn't build, but.. I would think it's as much about attitude and a healthy respect for the project at hand than anything else...

Click to expand...

Well said, I totally agree. I am currently helping on and off a couple of guys build a Sonex. It is somewhat of a nightmare and if it ever gets completed, I don't want to fly in it. Most of the holes have been drilled, riveted, drilled out, and sometimes more than once. Concepts like edge distance and deburring are not a concern. Neither one seems to understand the drawings and they don't have much desire to do things right. When something doesn't work out correctly (most of the time) one of the guys usually says "That's not really structural." Obviously some things aren't structural, but most of the time I've heard this, it is. I think the heart of the problem is that these guys don't have the right attitude and have no respect for proper build techniques.

Normally new builders have the opposite problem - trying to be too perfect. If a rivet is slightly overdriven or edge distance is violated by 0.002" on one hole, it freaks them out. Over time these builders tend to realize this is acceptable and learn to say the phrase "I'm building an airplane, not a watch" or something like that. Like most things in life, building quality airplanes with reasonable effort is all about balance. Once you learn that balance, you will get a "Zen" thing when things aren't quite perfect and fix things when they need to be fixed. For most builders, these standards are much higher than many of the old fleet spam cans out there.

Eric,

Great post. I think that does come down to the "respect" part. Obviously some of us (all of us?) are going to make mistakes... but it's the willingness to not make the same mistake over and over again and not to accept some things as "good enough".

At least, those are the things I'll be trying to avoid as I build.

An earlier post mentioned attending a builders class at SynergyAir. My wife and I went that route in early 2006. If you have doubts about your ability to do this, I would heartily recommend building your empennage with SynergyAir or Alexander Tech Center. I believe there are others offering this service as well. You will learn basic sheet metal skills and tool use that will get you through the process. You will definitely learn the right way and wrong way in these courses. We came out after two weeks confident that we could build this airplane. Still plenty of stress along the way, but as others have suggested, ask for help from other builders, knowledgeable friends, EAA, etc. You will be gratified by the response.
Best of luck to you.

Builder's Class Good Value

I went up to Alexander's in Griffin Ga. and spent a week building my tail or empanage. I learned the proper way to set a rivet, deburr, take the edge off raw AL and how to drill out a rivet. It is a bit of money but the tail turns out much better than if you start without any previous experience. The instructers at Alexanders's were mucho patient and told many antidotal information that would come back to me literally years afterward.

I think building a plane is a journey in self awareness. You want to quit but you shot your mouth off that you could build a plane and fly it. Serious mojo and living up to that is powerful. Other than seeing kids go off to college or getting married, I doubt there are more fulfilling things in life than building and flying a plane.

S S Anderson
RV 7A Flying Just out of Phase I
Lafayette, La.

Just tell the wife, I am either building an airplane, or becoming a professional beer drinker. She'll see the wisdom of the plane. Oh yeah, and tell her you'll fly her off into the sunset. Chicks dig that kind of thing.

What is the worst that can happen? Probably the worst thing is that you would find out that building isn't for you. In that case, sell the kit and take a small loss--but you will have learned something about yourself! ALMOST anyone can build one of these things. I can't remember anyone ever coming on this forum and saying that buying a kit was the worst thing they had ever done. Of course no one will say it is the best thing, lest their spouse might kill them!

Bob Kelly

challenges

I got a B in math. I'm not an engineer, I'm a biologist by schooling, but have met some smart engineers that check my work. This project has been more rewording for my 3 boys and I than my dreams of the past 10 years have inspired.

Here's the challenges I thought I would have and how they have panned out.

1) I have never riveted anything in my life, Im scared - Took Wally's Synergy Air class and left confident/excited to build.

2) I will be frustrated trying to get the million parts together, cussing and swearing in frustration - Vans is a genius, stuff fits together with precision that has blown me away, I've only cussed when I drilled my finger, my own fault

3) My wife will be upset that I focus so much attention on the plane - Don't be in a hurry to complete it, she'll sense your change in priority from the family to the plane. Oh your boss will sense it also. Know I enjoy the build.

4) MONEY - Airplane stuff costs more than I planned.

Manage the money and the family and you'll be reworded with a cool airplane, cool friends and a cool story. The building part is actually not the hard part.

builders class good value

Just finished spending a week at Sunriver OR with Wally @ synergy air (Quick Building the RV Quickbuild) best $$$ I spent so far.

Get a ride!

Hi.

The best thing I can recommend, is to GET A RV-ride! That'll but a big RV-grin on your face and make you order the practice-kit and tailfeathers the same evening! (Guess how I know.....!)

Also, I highly recommend buying a QB-kit if you can afford it. Saves you ALOT of work and the QB-kits are very nice built.

Lastly; when both practice kits are done (yes, make both the toolbox and the
wing part), start with the VERTICAL stabilizer instead of the horizontal.
(The building manual starts with the horizontal)
The vertical one is MUCH easier to build and gives you valuable experience and training so you can build the more complicated HS more easily afterwards.

Good luck and welcome to the most frustrating, complicated, expensive and BY FAR THE MOST FUN AND REWARDING project of your life...

What is your motivation?

MJarreau said:

...

I have read with fear, however, those postings that start with something like setting the wing incidence, setting the firing sequence for whatever engine they had installed, calibrating instrumentation, and recently about oil changes and tire toe. I am impressed with these folks as well. But I am also quite intimidated. Yes, I know education, lesson to learn (have that one) and so on... ..but still.

... Do you have suggestions for overcoming this fear?

I look forward to your thoughts!

Click to expand...

This is not a trivial decision and worry is justified if you are subconsciously just looking for a warm and fuzzy place to slip into for continued life pleasure. The decision to build an RV involves life altering risk and it requires the sacrifice of other life opportunities - it is not to be taken lightly. If you take a close look at the details of an RV, you will see that it is an incredibly well designed and beautiful airplane as opposed to an "insert tab A into slot B" simple flying machine tailored for beginners. If you want this airplane that you will know intimately like no other airplane you have ever looked at or flown and want to maintain it in top condition then the risks and sacrifices are justified. It is clear that you haven't reached that conclusion and you should not proceed until you are sure that you want to do whatever is required to build, fly and maintain your airplane. If you do it, you will find that the experience and knowledge gained will enhance your personal worth in other areas, similar to earning a degree in college or working on a job. What is your motivation for considering the task?

Bob Axsom

JFDI...Don't think and scare yourself..Do the research and just start...Do a bit each day no matter how hard.

We built our house with or own bare hands (I never borrow money) and we have a saying around here.

"Obsession builds houses"

Got that?..OK dive in..

Frank

CAUTION!

richlynn said:

Just finished spending a week at Sunriver OR with Wally @ synergy air (Quick Building the RV Quickbuild) best $$$ I spent so far.

Click to expand...

Be VERY careful using commercial assistance on a QB kit. The QB is already very close to 51% and while the new rules don't change the use of commercial assistance, they do enforce the old rules. You now have to list any commercial assistance on the 8130-12.

As many have mentioned and all probably very true, here is my 2 cents?. The hardest part in building is:
1- Getting the PO from the wife (which you already have)
2- Getting her approval to loose you to the Garage/hanger or where ever you are going to build (for some wives this is a selling point)
3- having lots of patience to finish the job and not give up or rush thru it.

Building consist of about a thousand small projects that at the end you will put together and have a great flying machine. The satisfaction is like climbing a hard mountain (I love climbing)? very hard to get to the top but the satisfaction is equally as great or greater.

I had never built a plane before and once had the wife on board with the project, was able to do my first flight in about 14 months after I started and now have about 125 satisfying hours on it in just six months. And the wife thought that since building was done, she would get me back?wrong now I am either in the hanger or in the air.

Mehrdad
RV-7A IO360M1B

I never had any doubts that I could build an airplane or that I would have any problems with the plans and construction manuals. (note that I had previously worked at an engineering company for 10 years).

My problem was to over analyze everything, trying to recognize any and all pitfalls before I started another step. It was almost "paralysis by analysis".

Then a older friend (an A&P) started showing up occasionally and provided me someone that I could bounce my ideas and plans off of. He provided me with just enough confidence in how I was planning to proceed that I was back to building, instead of mentally flogging myself about how to proceed. After years of little progress, my RV6 flew within 18 months of restarting construction and I now have 180 hours in it over the last 22 months. I would have no hesitation whatsoever now about starting another RV. The knowledge and skills that you acquire during the building process is priceless.

So my suggestion is to find a mentor, helper, coach - someone that can keep you from being stumped for months or years on a simple question. These forums are a wonderful resource to ask questions or to research the archives.

Just keep building and the reward will be an unbelievable pride in your airplane.

Mentors

Join an EAA chapter and look for a mentor or mentors. Offer help to others who are building. Become part of the community. Building is not for everyone, but it is very rewarding if you stick to it and have a frame of mind that is open to learning and expecting the frustration that comes with learning. If you're not prepared for "it will take as long as it takes" then maybe it's not the right thing. If you're in it to expand yourself and are fully aware that after the excitement of the start of the project and before the excitement at the end of the project there is a VERY long middle, then it will be a remarkable achievement that you can be proud of for the rest of your life.

Jeremy

SLOW BUILD all the way.

MJarreau said:

I have read with awe the first flights stories many of you have graciously shared with the forum. I read those posts before others. I've seen them from folks with, well, I guess just about every kind of career possible. I am inspired by each of you and your tenacity (particularly those who take 10+ years)!

I have read with fear, however, those postings that start with something like setting the wing incidence, setting the firing sequence for whatever engine they had installed, calibrating instrumentation, and recently about oil changes and tire toe. I am impressed with these folks as well. But I am also quite intimidated. Yes, I know education, lesson to learn (have that one) and so on... ..but still.

I had convinced myself that I could complete a build and even got the wife on board. And though she issued a PO several months ago, I haven't made the call. Did you face this pre-build intimidation? Do you have suggestions for overcoming this fear?

I look forward to your thoughts!

Click to expand...

Just get to it! The first flights are one thing, but for me, the next day after the airplane came out of the paint shop, I was on my way to Oshkosh 2005. Read this page from my web site and you will know my feelings when, for the first time, I would not be returning to the airport where the day started! http://www.n2prise.org/rv9a151.htm


As for setting wing incidence, that was not an issue. The pre-punched kits line up just right. You can read about my experience during final assembly at the airport. http://www.n2prise.org/rv9a124.htm Be sure to read though pages 125 and 126 to see how the ailerons and flaps were aligned. The end result of that alignment was a plane that can be trimmed to fly hands off in a turn. During my very first flight, I set up a 30-degree banked turn and set the elevator trim to hold altitude while in the turn. After completing a 360-degree left turn, I rolled right to another 30-degree banked turn and let go of the stick. The airplane stayed in that turn without losing or gaining altitude.


Aileron alignment seen from the outside.


The same aileron as seen looking outward.


The flap, aileron, and wing tip aligned perfectly again after final assembly at the airport.


That moment of joy on the FIRST flight was the realization of all my efforts during the construction project that started with my slow-build wings on this page. http://www.n2prise.org/rv9a009.htm Look at the second and third photos on that page showing the wing "twist" or lack thereof that confirmed the quality control that resulted in a true flying airplane.

I went slow-build all the way and saved over $8,000 based on 2002/2003 prices. I hear the savings today is about $10,000 compared to getting a quick build fuselage and wings. Besides, there are some things you can do easier in a slow-build than with a quick build kit. I know, I was mentor to a first-time builder who went the quick build route on an RV-8.

Slow build wing kit crates delivered on January 3, 2003.


Slow build fuselage crates delivered August 12, 2003.


At the end of 2005, I posted this page about the year that really changed my life as a pilot. http://www.n2prise.org/rv9a199.htm

My airplane had 144.6 hours on it by the end of 2005.


My RV-9A has just over 280 hours on it after four years. You can read all about the building process and the flights I have taken via my web site link found below.