Finally Getting Started -- Have One Question

Stalldog · #1 12-12-2011, 08:48 PM

A lot has happened over the past couple of months. Got my BFR out of the way so I'm current again -- still working on getting my IPC, but no hurry on that just yet. Ordered and received my 7A empennage kit, and started inventorying that today. Also, wife and I attended the SportAir Sheet Metal Basics workshop in Houston this past weekend, so I now know enough to be dangerous.

All I've got to do now is figure out what tools to order and who's to order -- easier said than done -- too many options, but I'll get something ordered this week.

It's the easy part that's giving me the most trouble. I see a lot of elaborate blogs on line where folks are documenting their build. Looks great, but to be honest, I don't want to go to all that trouble. What is the best, simplest way to document my build (including with pictures) that is sufficient but lets me spend time building my plane and not running an internet website?

schristo@mac.com · #2 12-12-2011, 08:53 PM

As a minimum take digital photos throughout the build and include people in the shots! You will have a great personal record to look back on and it will be sufficient documentation for the FAA/DAR.

aerhed · #3 12-12-2011, 08:55 PM

Keep your cell phone with you and snap pictures (a bunch). Separate them into subassembly folders so you can find them later. Add a text file to each folder with notes & comments.

Mel · #4 12-12-2011, 09:52 PM

Each time you leave the shop for the day, just jot down the date and what you did. That and pictures will be more than enough.

pilot2512 · #5 12-12-2011, 09:54 PM

I found the kitlog pro to work very well and it just a single purchase price, no monthly fees.

Stalldog · #6 12-12-2011, 10:03 PM

Sprial bound notebook okay to keep notes in, or something more elaborate required? Guess I'm not sure what the DAR will want to see the DAY he shows up. Don't want to show him a computer full of pictures and a separate notebook, or maybe that's okay, but I doubt it.

The more I think about it, maybe it would be easier to do it on the computer where I could interface the writing with the pictures, but not do it on a fancy website.

longranger · #7 12-12-2011, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stalldog

... Ordered and received my 7A empennage kit, and started inventorying that today. Also, wife and I attended the SportAir Sheet Metal Basics workshop in Houston this past weekend, so I now know enough to be dangerous.

All I've got to do now is figure out what tools to order and who's to order -- easier said than done -- too many options, but I'll get something ordered this week.

It's the easy part that's giving me the most trouble. I see a lot of elaborate blogs on line where folks are documenting their build. Looks great, but to be honest, I don't want to go to all that trouble. What is the best, simplest way to document my build (including with pictures) that is sufficient but lets me spend time building my plane and not running an internet website?

Wow, ANOTHER 7 started this week! I hear ya about not wanting to maintain a website. I'm afraid that would turn into a project of its own....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mel

Each time you leave the shop for the day, just jot down the date and what you did. That and pictures will be more than enough.

That was my approach on the HRII project. I managed to keep up with the written log OK, but house moves misplaced a lot of film photos, and computer crashes took care of most of the rest. (I'm now much better at backups...)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilot2512

I found the kitlog pro to work very well and it just a single purchase price, no monthly fees.

I'm a few days into the 15-day free trial on kitlog, but I'm finding the user interface a bit tedious. I'm sure I'll get used to it after a while. Hopefully I'll still have a few days on the trial to try it out on the kit after it arrives (just ordered last Friday).

Note to self: do some searches on VAF and get others' take on the options.

KatieB · #8 12-12-2011, 10:09 PM

I used to blog prolifically, but now I spend more time actually building and keep notes on dates, times and processes in a paper notebook. I take lots of photos with my phone, so it's ridiculously easy to upload the good ones into my Picasa album linked below. Captions tell the gist of it. Our DAR already has the link to my album--his wife follows my progress. She's another chick builder.

Of course if I spent as much time blogging and building as I do reading VAF, I'd have a freakin airplane AND a novel by now.

Stalldog · #9 12-12-2011, 10:21 PM

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas.

And, Katie, I'd completely forgotten about something like Picasa to do this with -- great tip.

Now, about those tools . . . .

PIN 37 · #10 12-13-2011, 02:52 AM

I used Kitlog pro when we started building 6 years ago. For the first 4 years I kept a very good record of what we were doing. All vendors listed, costs, pictures and lots of written explanations. It was very good and was fairly easy to do and gave an excellent account of where we were and where we were going.
Sounds good, right?
Well, it WAS. Then came time to upgrade our family computer, ( I can see a few of you can see whats comming) ), well I told the computer shop guy I didnt care about most things BUT, whatever happens the kitlog must be transferred to the new computer. You know whats comming dont you?, yep, the new computer came back with everything BUT the kitlog on it. It was the ONLY thing that was lost.

So if you use this excellent program, make sure you burn it to a disc OFTEN.
We are nearly finished now, and apart from the photos we took we have no record of the build, glad we at least have the photos.