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danboy

Member
Well, I made the first decision and that was to build a 9A. What do some of you suggest I make as far as first decisions. Should I have my avionics picked out before starting the wings to install AP servos, etc? What things should I have decided before starting the tail? Thanks...
 
Avionics Last

I'm sure others more expert and experienced than I am will chime in, but avionics changes so fast that it should be among the very last decisions made. It might be several years until you need to make that decision.

$0.02
 
Nothing.

Defer all decisions right up until the point where they impact your schedule.

If you invest a lot of time on research and pick avionics (for instance) today, whatever you chose will be obsolete when the time comes to actually buy anything, so you'll have twice the necessary time invested in your research.

New engine options come available, new lighting options appear on a (seemingly) annual basis, and a lot of other items change as well.

Defer, defer, defer.

Your job at this point is to build an airframe. Not build a shop, not decide on avionics or an engine. Sure, researching those things is fun, but for the most part, you'll be better served by putting off those decisions.
 
So I'm guessing, to do the tail the only thing I really should decide on is elec. or manual trim....that's done, electric. Then Vans or Ray Allen? I'm assuming it's much easier to do electric trim while the elevator and stab are being built than after...
 
Research

Have you made a decision on primer?

In lieu of deferring things to the point where they may hold you up, my philosophy is to continually research and plan ahead so that when I get to a certain point I am prepared to flow through it seemlessly. I don't let this get in the way of building though. For me, building is easy because there are relatively decent instructions and it is really just a lot of repetitious tasks. However, I didnt know the first darn thing about wiring an airplane or avionics. So I spend time now planning it so it can be simpler when I get there.

From what I've seen I'd agree many things can be deferred until you have an airframe but, it certainly can't hurt to plan ahead. (antennas, servos, lighting, panel)

I've haven't bought into the whole avionics advancing too quickly. It's deffinately not like your typical best buy consumer products.... Take the garmin 430 for example. Pretty sure most of us would still like one in our panel right? .... They were released about 15 years ago and still pulling $8500 new.
 
Pick your mission for the airplane and stick to it. I'm building a -9A, Day/Night VFR, glass panel. I want to have an efficient cruiser for travels, so that is what I'm building. Later I may decide I need to be IFR rated, so there will be room for expansion in the panel. I just want this thing flying as soon as practical (pay as you go plan). It is very easy to get sucked into feature creep! My advice, build the airframe and by the time you have that completed you can start to think about electronics, props, engine, paint, upholstery, etc.
 
My thoughts

Since you asked for opinions..

Get the metal work done. ALL of it, and get onto the canopy etc. Leave all electrical stuff till the end. ALL of it. Run conduits...feed a string or two through while you build.

Eg. I tried to do more, installed trutrak ap brackets, and stein harness to I could add servos later. Figured that made sense. Ended up going dynon way, brackets were universal i was told. Nope...new bracket has more support so, a new wing bracket needed, and tt wire harness got all cut up as it wasnt appropriate for the skyview either. Lights are changing so quickly that the old welding cables can be replaced with 20g with no strobe box.

I have only been flying 15 months, and I already wish I hadnt gone garmin gtx327 trans as I could have the dynon with ads-b, weather and traffic.

The build always goes slower than we want, the stuff you put in your panel in a couple years will be night and day diff than even what I have from a 2011 finish.

Good luck and enjoy it.
 
bruceh said:
Pick your mission for the airplane and stick to it.
Click to expand...

Bingo! Write down your mission and the goals for the airplane. Paint them on the shop wall to remind you what it was that you set out to do. It's fair to re-evaluate them once in awhile to see if it still makes sense, but changing your requirements along the way will cost significantly in both time and money.

Shopping without know what you are shopping for is a great way to end up with a camel when what you really wanted was a race horse.

Paul
 
danboy said:
So I'm guessing, to do the tail the only thing I really should decide on is elec. or manual trim....that's done, electric. Then Vans or Ray Allen? I'm assuming it's much easier to do electric trim while the elevator and stab are being built than after...
Click to expand...
The electric trim Vans supplies with the tail kit is a Ray Allen motor and hardware.

Or thing you may like to consider early in the piece is if you're going to paint the aircraft or go with polished aluminium. If the latter, it will probably be easier if you polish each elevator separately, the VS separate to the rudder, etc.

While I agree the capability in avionics changes rapidly, I settled on Dynon products long before I'd even bought the kit. I'd watched their development since the first D10 and decided that they were the best for me. Pick a supplier that you like and go from there. It is easier to install autopilot hardware while things are apart, but in saying that the (Dynon) servos can be installed easily at a later date.

Think about what lights you want - even DIY if you want - and run a couple of extra wires in your loom for contingencies. It is easier to run wires while things are apart than trying to snake them through an already-built assembly, even the QB fuselage and wings can introduce some challenges there.

Don't decide on engines and props till much later. I was sure I was going to get a new donk from Aerosport, but found an alright deal on a 76-series Lycoming down the road so bought that instead. Which in turn requires modification to the engine mount I've already got from Vans - no big deal, but an example of how changing decisions halfway through can have more ramifications than just what you see in front of you.

Finally, don't plan on doing anything quickly with your build. Everything takes longer than you think it will, so think accordingly.
 
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