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From lurker to builder??

sloengineer

Active Member
Well after much pontification and persuasion of the silent partners (aka wives), it seems my dad and I are finally preparing for an RV-14A build!! The shop site is being prepped and should be done, covid permitting, in the next couple months. As I plan, please let me ask a question to the collective.

If you could only pick one item to quick build, would you pick wings or fuselage? I figure the empennage will last us until we have to make that decision, but I'd rather be prepared.

PS: If this post should be moved to another section, please let me know.
 
Welcome to building!

I have two thoughts on this as I have done both in standard build. The wings were rather boring but went quick. The fuselage was cool/fun but took awhile. If you want to avoid boredom do the wings, if you want to save time my vote is fuselage. It is generally easier to make modifications to a standard build so keep that in mind too.
 
I have my rudder compete, but I paused since the pandemic messed with my timing to order the wings. However, after thinking about it for a while, I think I will actually order the fuselage next.

The wings seem pretty boring to put together, and then I will have to store them somewhere. However the fuselage is something that my kids can actually sit in and make airplane noises.

Worst case if I end up with too much money and not enough time I can always order the quickbuild wings.
 
I have two thoughts on this as I have done both in standard build. The wings were rather boring but went quick. The fuselage was cool/fun but took awhile. If you want to avoid boredom do the wings, if you want to save time my vote is fuselage. It is generally easier to make modifications to a standard build so keep that in mind too.

Having built a slow-build 9A, I totally agree with jcarne. Wings go faster, but there's lots of repetition. The fuselage was much more interesting to work on but took longer.
 
I built both standard. Wings were tedious and especially the tanks can be an issue. And if you completed one side, there's still the other side to go. The fuselage was fun because here you see an aircraft growing. If i would have to build it again i would strongly consider the wings being QB.
 
Agree with the above (I've done standard kits for both); I'd go QB fuselage if I had the money. BUT, I'd still build the wings first; they take up less space (see below) and it's more riveting/assembly practice for the fuselage, where it seems you'll be in more contortionist poses.

The wings are tedious but fairly straightforward, though I'll disagree about the tanks; I actually enjoyed building those (so much so that I built four :D). Fuselage is more interesting; mine has dragged on for a while thanks to some family stuff but it's back cranking along now.

Of course, I'm on the "pay as you go" plan and the savings from not going QB mean I now have a good chance of finishing in the next two years, assuming I can keep working at a steady pace and we don't have an alien invasion or AI takeover or something like that--but at the pace this year is going, who knows?

One thing to keep in mind if storage is an issue... the wings should take up less space than a fuselage, if you build a vertical stand/cart to store them. And if you use a jig/stand for the wings (not sure what the process is on a -14) that takes up room too.
 
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RV14 Build

I go back to the original premise, we bought both wings and fuselage quick build and I could not be happier. In the end it will still take about 2 1/2 years + building it with my neighbour when we have time. If you weight the cost vs time it is money well spent. And believe me you won't be short of things to do, things to study, things to buy, things to re-do, things to go demo and daily reading on VAF.
Have a grand time!! It is the most fun you can have in aviation!
I have really enjoyed it!
Larry
 
Thanks for the feedback! It kinda confirms what we were thinking. I worry about sealing the tanks, but dad thinks the wings will go faster because it's more repetitive. Sounds like the consensus may be he's right and the fuselage is a time hog due to complexity and probably more head scratching.
 
QB

Thanks for the feedback! It kinda confirms what we were thinking. I worry about sealing the tanks, but dad thinks the wings will go faster because it's more repetitive. Sounds like the consensus may be he's right and the fuselage is a time hog due to complexity and probably more head scratching.

That would be my experience. Wings were tedious but not complicated. Tanks were fun.
Fuse is a long complicated project. Especially the canopy.
 
I did slow build fuse, QB wings. Would probably do both fast build now but as first project I definitely enjoyed the fuse more than I would have the wings. More interesting, much less repetition, as others have noted. Plus I didn't like the idea of building tanks. I was happy with QB wing quality.

I am doing QB wing and fuse on the RV-10
 
Biggest Lego Set I've

Sloengineer,

Please see your PM.

Welcome aboard, and best of luck!

Mike

Laptop challenged... ..subject should read "Biggest Lego Set I've Seen!"
 
well I started long enough ago that quick build was not an option. I did on the other hand do the QB avionics. :).

If I were to build again I would still slow build and pay for the avionics.

I built the wings first and built them at the same time. Two benches bolted together lengthwise so that the wing spar could sit completely on the benches. I did also like building the tanks, but might not if one leaks when I put fuel in them.
 
There's lots of benefit from doing a slow-build. My 8.5 year journey gave me very intimate knowledge of every rivet in my bird (and tube and wire, etc). When done, you really understand the machine you're flying and any special features it might have. The "fast build" parts may speed up the timeline, but at the expense of understanding how the full project came together. I'd definitely do the slow build again in a heartbeat.

It's a great journey; enjoy every rivet (some you get to enjoy twice :D)
 
Update!

In the end, we were able to go QB wings and fuse. They should arrive in April. We had to build a shop, but now we are in it and building away on the empennage.

Not to sound like a Van's fanboy, but I really like this kit so far! We have a lot of wood working tools available, so the cutting and shaping of the aluminum has gone quite well. I have a lot of design and fabrication, but I've never solid riveted before. Really enjoying the new skill. I'm in the process of building a drill guide to assist with the trailing edge drilling and countersinking. I'll get some pictures up after it's done in case it could help anyone else.
 
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