Epiphanies?..

[Ironflight]

I was reading a thread this morning about someone who found unintentional (but fixable) damage to one of his empennage components, and his comment in the end was ?I?m tired of trying to chase the perfect plane?. This folks, is what I call an epiphany moment ? a time when your entire perspective suddenly changes. They can be thought of as either positive or negative ? and truly, it is all about how you THINK of them that makes them important. A big one is when you suddenly realize that you are flying in the airplane you built. It might be one where you realize that you are going to need some help, and take on a partner. Or that time when you stop stalling and realize that yea, you really DO need to take that engine back off the mount in order to change that fuel pump that you got from Joe?s surplus airplane parts, and no, you don?t know it?s pedigree. These are light switch? moments ? and they almost always feel like a weight has been lifted once you experience them.

I think one of my memorable epiphanies on my first build was when I realized that I didn?t need to build the ?ultimate? airplane ? I was building because my existing airplane (an old Yankee) wasn?t going to last forever (or much longer?), and I wanted a solid, dependable airplane that I could fly for a long time. Yes, I still built what I wanted ? but I felt the relief of allowing myself to NOT build every conceivable bit of perfection into the plane. I allowed myself to build a ?good? airplane. It was an immensely relaxing realization!

Honestly, I think every builder I have talked to has had at least one of these moments?.care to share your stories here?

Paul

[SilverEagle2]

I am still a new builder, but have taken much advice from others thus far.

In your honor Paul, one of those builders said to me once...."You're not building the Space Shuttle!"

Another said, "when in doubt, go look at the assembly of your "Certified Beech" and then get back to work, yours will be better!"

These have helped a perspective "perfection chaser" stay in check.

[prkaye]

... After flying my -9A for a year, I've had two epiphanies

1) 160kts just isn't fast enough

2) A taildragger would be better

(kidding... sort of).

[John Tierney]

As Mark Forss from EAA one said in a Sportair Workshop, your not building a Swiss watch, your building a very good farm tractor.

[diamond]

I'm not a builder yet, but I had a life experience 3 years ago that sounds similar to the toddlers in the shop ordeal referred to by Paul.

I've always had a thing about parking my vehicles FAR away from others in public lots to avoid door dings. When I bought my new F150 3 years ago, it was no different. My family never wanted to go out to eat in my truck, because they knew it meant the longest possible walk from the parking lot to the restaurant. This went on for a year until the day when my wife had to borrow the truck to haul something. Well.... she backed into a mailbox and put a substantial dent in the tailgate. I was grief-stricken for days, but when the cloud lifted, my perspective began to change...and drastically. No longer did I stress over where to park. Heck, in my mind the truck had received its "initiation" into the real world, so it was meaningless to continue pursuing a dent/scrath-free existence. Like I said, I'm not a builder yet, but maybe it's similar to getting that first good ding or scratch in an elevator. Life goes on and what really matters begins to surface.

[rampilot]

Originally Posted by John Tierney

As Mark Forss from EAA one said in a Sportair Workshop, your not building a Swiss watch, your building a very good farm tractor.

I think I just had one! And a good laugh! How true!

[snoop9erdog]

My most recent revelation was that I really want and am changing my quickbuild 9A configuration to a taildragger. This realization came after I agreed with myself (and the voices within) that it will make me a more refined pilot and that I really would like to land on unimproved (mostly grass) strips. It was also driven home after the possibility of using our own 1800 ft strip on the farm.

[db8]

I have copied and pasted below what I just wrote in the other post Paul was referencing. Just one more comment. I would guess the general pilot that starts off building a kit is a perfectionist (or annal as my wife says). In our profession (or even non profession), you have to be.....or things can come up and bite you if your attention to detail isn't there -- at least to some extent.

"I think we can all relate to this post. I think most of us strive for perfection when starting something like this because we want it to look great and want it to be safe.

There were many times in the project that I couldn't sleep at night because of a dent or a scratch or something that I'd worry about (mainly empennage phase). As many of you have mentioned, that's just part of the deal, and you have to fix it however it makes you happy and press on. Some might leave it like it is ... some might take it off and start over.... and some (like me) would lightly sand the groove so there are no sharp edges, fill it and press on. I feel there is no compromise in safety by doing that.

My 17 year old son was playing ping pong and the paddle slipped out of his hand (his story and he's sticking to it). He dented two of the large wing panels that were against the wall (before I started the wings). I was bumbed (again) at the idea of wanting a perfect airplane but not having the perfect airplane. But things happen along the way of this awesome journey, and all we can do is try to not stress too much over the unexpected bumps in the road. It's all fixable -- it might just take a little (or a lot) longer with whatever solution floats your boat." Dave

[airguy]

Originally Posted by SilverEagle2

Another said, "when in doubt, go look at the assembly of your "Certified Beech" and then get back to work, yours will be better!"

+1 for this. I long ago ceased to panic about perfection after seeing my 172 opened up for annual and getting a close look at "certified" work.

Just this past weekend I had my fuse all cleaned out and prepped to paint floors and sidewalls because my wife didn't want to fly in an "ugly airplane" - but the more I thought about it (I didn't even have a color in mind, I figured I would just go with an off-white for something neutral) the more I didn't like it. I'll just fly it naked for Phase 1 like so many others do since I'll be scratching/dinging paint anyway as I adjust and inspect stuff. If I don't like it later I'll put some lightweight upholstery over it, and I'll even let my wife pick out the colors. I'm building this because I want to, and that's all the goal I need for this project.

[stevemcgirr]

For me, a major reason for taking on this project, an RV 7, is to build as a team with my 14 year old son, Doug. Ultimately, it will likely be his plane anyway.

This means, when he bucks a row of rivets on a skin surface, and loses control once (this happened) bucking the skin next to the rivet into a little, but visible, blister, I have had to learn that the skill being acquired is far more important than the cosmetic result.

BTW, building an airplane is a blast. Building an airplane with your son is indescribable