Why does this take so long?

eric_marsh · #1 11-29-2010, 06:27 AM

After too many days and weeks of having my time taken up by a myriad of other obligations this weekend was my own. I wanted to spend it doing something just for me - working on my RV-6. I'm working on the right wing and my current goal was to fit the ribs to the spar and reinforcing angles.

The weekend has come and gone. The ribs (except for the tank ribs) have been fit and all the necessary holes drilled. I took my time, doing the job carefully to make sure that everything is done correctly, or at least as correctly as I can get it.

But looking back I have to wonder why the job took so long. It doesn't seem like I really did all that much.

Sunday night I concluded that this is going to take some time and I might as well just relax and enjoy the building process. My 58th birthday is in a couple weeks. I hope I get this thing done before I'm too old to pass a medical.

DEWATSON · #2 11-29-2010, 06:32 AM

Eric,

It does seem to take forever to get it completely built. I started 4 yers and 9 months ago but I now have an airworthy certficate and I've made 8 flights. It is well worth the time. RVs are incredible airplanes.

I remember being in your shoes very well. Try to do something everyday and eventually you'll run out of something to do. Enjoy the build......I already miss it.

wrongway john · #3 11-29-2010, 07:10 AM

It does take too long. I think after getting through the first one, if I chose to do it again, at least for me, anyway, I think I ought to be able cut the time by three-fourths or more. I say this because of all of the time I have spent figuring out how to go about doing something. I think I?m easily going to have well over 5,000 hours in my 4, but probably only 1,500 hours or so of actually building it. The rest was thinking things through. It?s heck when you don?t have an EAA chapter or anybody else near by to give you guidance. A few guys that dropped by were tube and fabric guys.

My shop is also always a work in progress. More tools are getting ordered on a regular basis, shop has been rearranged multiple times. I'm currently setting up a home-made paint booth for priming parts next, which also involves having air pumped in the mask of which I may make my own air box as well.

With distractions, I just fly by the seat of my pants these days. Gosh, what you plan, and what actually happens that day is often so different, I'm just winging it on a day to day basis now.

Losing the medical is always a concern. I'm 52, and hope I have bought me some extra time, by taking care of myself better. I've been jogging reguarly the last couple of years: 5k 3X a week. I keep my weight at a reasonable level, and try to eat somewhat well also. You'll really notice a difference in your blood work by taking these steps.

I want to do a great job, and don't want to rush it. So, like a few others here, I have decided to go get something else flying for now.

eric_marsh · #4 11-29-2010, 07:38 AM

I am thinking that next time around it should go much more quickly. It seems like I'm spending a fair amount of time making sure that I'm not making any mistakes, not to mention time finding parts in inventory and so forth.

If I had the money I'd buy myself a Cessna 150 or the like, just to get some hours in. Of course that would take away from my build time.

It's not an entirely unpleasant way to spend time though.

WenEng · #5 11-29-2010, 07:39 AM

Frankly, reading all the Vans postings started to make me think I couldn't possibly build a correct airplane and all those jokes about, '' and you're actually going to get in that and fly it??" from friends became an annoyance. Like others have said, we are not building a space shuttle and the RV-6 is a rugged aircraft that could fly with 50% mistakes (my joke). What I was doing was staring at the parts wondering what have I missed that ties into building of this part that will be wrong because I should have know about it but didn't...... I can only say that I studied hard for over a year, practiced with a training kit and more, and plowed into the wing with angst. Now, looking back, I was waaayyyy to worried about making a mistake. Just fix mistakes and move on. Don't focus on being perfect even though that is a goal of mine. I accept the fact I am not building a perfect airplane, but I am building an airplane perfect for me.
And, remember that when you come across something that reminds you you should have known better, just fix it and move on.

flytoboat · #6 11-29-2010, 07:52 AM

For the same reason a divorce is so expensive - It's worth it!!

Danny King · #7 11-29-2010, 09:47 AM

Someone said to do something everyday. That really works. I tell builders to spend five minutes a day on their plane. Five minutes! Anyone can fit in five minutes a day, right?

Ok, there's a trick! Like a good book on your night stand, the hardest part is to pick it up, and start reading. But, as soon as you start reading, you get into the story, and your probably won't stop reading until you reach the end of that chapter. I found the hardest part building the Doll was getting off my butt and going out to the shop and picking up a tool. But....... just like reading that book, once I got started on my five minutes, I couldn't seem to stop. Then, I'd look up at the clock and hours had passed. That's the trick.

The Doll was a slow build and it took me two years and seven month to complete, including the paint job. I know that most builders will not work that fast, but the five minutes a day plan will really speed up your project.

Veetail88 · #8 11-29-2010, 09:51 AM

Take your best guess and multiply by 3.

The sooner you accept this, the less you'll stress over it.

When I ask my brother for a hand, he'll ask how long. I'll reply "oh, a couple of hours max."

So he plans for 6.

Whatchagonnado?

Kevin Horton · #9 11-29-2010, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veetail88

Take your best guess and multiply by 3.

The sooner you accept this, the less you'll stress over it.

When I ask my brother for a hand, he'll ask how long. I'll reply "oh, a couple of hours max."

So he plans for 6.

In my experience even if you applied the "3 times rule" when you made your original estimate, it still takes at least two times as long as your estimate to do any significant job. If you judge the job as insignificant, it'll take four times as long as the estimate - if the job looks quick, you must have missed something.

Daver · #10 11-29-2010, 06:06 PM

Building an airplane is no small task.

Actually, its a "bazillion" small tasks all strung together.

Many times during my build, I felt like the lone Hebrew slave building the great pyramid of Geza - a daunting task unlikely to be completed in one (or several) lifetimes.

The day's goal was never to "build a plane" rather it was something like "today I'm going to fab these two brackets on sheet xx....."

Eventually you will run out of tasks and you'll have an airplane.

Looking back, it really did go fast.

Just stay at it!

Dave
-9A flying