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Most Miserable part about building??

lcnmrv8r

lcnmrv8r

Active Member
So I haven't ever seen this come up before, not to say it hasn't been asked, but, I'm curious what was the worst or most miserable thing about building?

Not necessarily the hardest or most demanding but when you look back, what is the one thing you would most want somebody else to do?


For me it has got to be removing all of the blue plastic. My fingers hurt just thinking about it. I'm almost done though.(With the plastic anyway):D
 
RE:Misery Index

Seth

Good ?.....for me it was the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to build (poor/old/retired school teacher.....I know Boo Hooo....):rolleyes:

Second was the time to build.....I enjoyed it so much it became an obsession...so I had to be real careful to stop and enjoy the family/social functions/trips/church. I determined alimony was way more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ than the plane.

Finally being a low time pilot the strong desire to fly for the first time vs giving that opportunity to one of my more experienced buddies has been the worst of all.............still haven't decided. All depends on pre first flight transition training.

Frank @ 1L8 .....RV7A..... last 990 details
 
The stinking baffles by far is the worst part. I just realized I've been working on them for 10 months. Scratched up my pretty new engine in the process.

Steve Johnson
RV9A 5yrs
Abilene Tx
 
By far for me the hardest part was making all of the decisions. Ditto on the baffles being quite confusing at first, but it all works out in the end.
 
Tanks

Seth
The $%^&*( insert bad word here)!@#$ Tanks!! Without a doubt hands down the tanks could be left to someone else:D
 
Try the 1991 model!

docskj said:
The stinking baffles by far is the worst part. I just realized I've been working on them for 10 months. Scratched up my pretty new engine in the process.

Steve Johnson
RV9A 5yrs
Abilene Tx
Click to expand...
Hey, you think you got it bad? I received the first 2 baffle kits that Van produced. He asked for feedback. After finally getting them done, I told him, "You don't really want my feedback. It would have been easier to start from scratch."
Believe me, they are MUCH improved.
 
Houston summers. 97 degrees and 100% humidity. Not much fun.

On the other hand, just relocated to North Idaho. Not much heat or humidity up here. :D

Karl
 
canopy worst

In my opinion, the canopy was the worst and most miserable part of building the RV7a. The baffles were a pain, but the canopy was really a pain because there are too many decisions and unknowns that the plans and construction manual do not address. Posts on these forums were a big help for this process.
 
Re: Canopy

I am starting the canopy now and have that dread in my mind.
Planning on making the cut's sometime around mid-summer when it is Hot as H@%^ (El Paso Summer) in my garage to avoid potential cracks.
 
Fiberglass

Everything has been fun and rewarding but I'm getting tired of sanding all these fiberglass parts.
 
All the honey-do's that I was blackmailed into by my wife as "payback" for building an airplane.

My wing kit cost me wall-to-wall new carpet, it's being installed right now. I'm scared to think about what the engine is going to cost me.
 
Just soo much work

The endless list of jobs...just goes on and on..."Are we there yet"?..:)
 
Working on it after you are flying!

To get my head into the tail cone I have to remove the right seat back, sit down in the cockpit sideways, stick my legs up over the left railing, tuck my head under the F-705 channel, then pull myself/crawl into the back while twisting and straightening out.

Next up would be getting my head under the instrument panel. Laying there with the right stick stub sticking in my back isn't all the pleasant.

Fiberglass wasn't that bad, as long as you have a good respirator. The baffles were ok, and I had to modify the heck out of mine to get them to work with the O-290. Like Mel, it might have been easier to start them from scratch.
 
Priming

I would say I could do without the priming. It takes time to prepare the pieces to be primed not to mention getting setup as well.

But all in all it hasn't been too bad. The pre-punched kit is great. I'm working on the 2nd wing now. I'm finding the longer I proceed down this path, the more I like it. Like someone said in our EAA Chapter meeting, "I've got an 18 hole golf course, the fishing hole and 50 yard line seats all in my garage".

Doug
RV-7
Wings
 
Too much thinking and pitfalls

I'm just about done wiring the fuselage. So far, these are the top 5 things I hate:

5-Trying to figure exactly how "they" do a certain thing (especially wiring) and finding 5 different ways of doing it with all of them making sense. My mind just goes TILT! :eek:

4-Taking too long in trying to avoid getting "Vanned". So many times I'll do something exactly like it's shown on the prints or in the instructions only to find that there is some flaw or mistake in the documentation which causes me grief. :mad:

3-I don't like the "artsy" part of the build (panel layout, wiring, etc). I like the "slam it together" part of it like building up the major structures. I can drill deburr, dimple, and rivet like there's no tomorrow! :cool:

2-I don't like the fact that the most "artsy" and difficult parts of the build (presumably the canopy, cowling, and baffling) come at the end when I'm kind of sick of building. :(

1-And the number one miserable thing about building: Not being able to fly it yet!!! :(

Kelly Johnson
San Jose, CA
RV-9A Finishing
 
Worst Part?

Having to watch all the others flying around while I am just getting started good banging rivets.
 
ArVeeNiner said:
I'm just about done wiring the fuselage. So far, these are the top 5 things I hate:

5-Trying to figure exactly how "they" do a certain thing (especially wiring) and finding 5 different ways of doing it with all of them making sense. My mind just goes TILT! :eek:

4-Taking too long in trying to avoid getting "Vanned". So many times I'll do something exactly like it's shown on the prints or in the instructions only to find that there is some flaw or mistake in the documentation which causes me grief. :mad:

3-I don't like the "artsy" part of the build (panel layout, wiring, etc). I like the "slam it together" part of it like building up the major structures. I can drill deburr, dimple, and rivet like there's no tomorrow! :cool:

2-I don't like the fact that the most "artsy" and difficult parts of the build (presumably the canopy, cowling, and baffling) come at the end when I'm kind of sick of building. :(

1-And the number one miserable thing about building: Not being able to fly it yet!!! :(

Kelly Johnson
San Jose, CA
RV-9A Finishing
Click to expand...

As Kelly said the number one thing is it takes too long.
 
Sanding fiberglass

Two years latter and my hands still hurts.:eek:

And I still haven't finished sanding and painting my gear/wheel fairings.:(

Kent
 
Worst part was building outside the USA. Means paying a fortune in freight and charges, being messed around and waiting while attempting to clear the parts through Customs, waiting what seems like forever to get your hands on the kits as they take the slow boat from the other side of the world. Worse still is lying awake at night convinced the shipment is lost or has fallen overboard and is floating around the Pacific somewhere.:eek:

Fin
9A
 
Landing Gear Boxes

Those *$&%^ landing gear boxes - not building them but having to squeeze my arms in them to tighten bolts, route wires and tubes or whatever.

Luis Luciani
Houston, TX
RV8, 70 hours
 
Going to work

I would have to say, walking past my plane in the garage going to work in the morning, I would just like to stop there and continue building, it is always more satisfying.


Lyle Clarkson
RV-9A Wings
 
Some parts are boring, but they need not be miserable. I recommend a judicious application of the Builder's Friend:



I'll be smiling by the end of this first bottle. Two makes for a pleasant evening. Three is no good; work stops and I would go take a nap <g>
 
Last edited:
DanH said:
Some parts are boring, but they need not be miserable. I recommend a judicious application of the Builder's Friend:
...
I'll be smiling by the end of this first bottle. Two makes for a pleasant evening. Three is no good; works stops and I would go take a nap <g>
Click to expand...

That's how I got thru cutting the canopy. I would be such a bundle of nerves that I would have to drink one and part of another just to settle down enough to work.

Karl
 
Golf game

My golf game is gone. Outside of that, the baffles, canopy, and cowl.

If we had to build them in reverse, most would never get built.:eek:
 
jsharkey said:
Same here - but I got over it and am really looking forward to flying my -6 with some -7 finishing details
Click to expand...
Ditto. I briefly considered taking the hit and back-tracking to build a 7. I didn't and I don't regret it for a second. The best kept secret is that the 6 is actually a better flying plane than the 7. You'll like it.
 
Anticipation!

Getting over the hurdles to start! Wish I could snap my fingers and everything would be there set up and ready to start... You get over one obstacle and feel like you are so close to beginning, and life (or other projects to start building) seem to get in the way. But eventually you see light at the end of the tunnel. Tools - check, 1st year of college - check, workshop - in progress of finishing (had to build a whole new room 'in the barn' (literally), then game on! :cool:
 
Builders Log and required FAA paperwork.....the things that really allow these planes to fly. :mad:
 
The worst part for me is not having a plane to fly. My Mooney has been gone for 14 months. I've made terrific progress on my -7, but I am getting burnt out. I'm wavering from being overwhelmed at the enormity of what is left to do, and trying to focus on the tasks at hand. I'm not rushing anything, or cutting corners but I sure miss flying. Now that the nice weather is here doesn't help any.
 
Condition inspections for my -9 in July in the middle of Georgia with just a fan in the hangar are fairly miserable.
Last year took about 20 hours and kept my baby out of service for a few days. :(
 
most miserable part so far....

Tip Up Canopy (frame) - hate it, hate it, hate it!!! I'm going to write a book on it when I've finished, for some therapy! ......

Anyway it's done but I did not enjoy it...:mad:

Shiney..
 
Moving......Twice.

1000 man hours completed in the first year at original home. :) 500 hrs completed IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS due to multiple relocations. ARGHHH!! :mad:
 
Fiberglass

Was the worst part of my RV-10......I hate fiberglass........still have some in my arm and it has been almost a year since I finished that part....

Rene' Felker
N423CF RV-10 Flying
 
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