J

jetpltrich

I'm New Here
Reviewing the plans for an eventual build of the RV-8. Is there any particular reason why the empennage is built first?

Rich
 
Its the easiest part to learn on ... takes up minimal space .. gives you good understanding of all the main processes. Riveting / dimpling etc... and when you screw up .. parts are low cost to replace ... If non of that apply to you .. start on whatever part you like :)
 
Another reason to start on the tail is its cheap. When you discover building is not for you...you can get out reasonably unscathed.
 
I understand the reasons and I'm sure you all think I'm nuts. I was a structures mechanic long before I was an airline pilot and my father I built a 3/4 scale Fw-190 which took 14 years to construct from scratch. If you do a google image search of N190DJ you'll see the aircraft.

Being constrained by a wife that is no longer I now want to build the RV-8 which I've fancied for some time now. I love working with aluminum and shot my first rivet at age 12.

I can't wait.

Rich
 
I think the best reason to start on the empennage is that those instructions are far more detailed. The manual gets more obscure the further along you get.

So for most builders, it really helps to build skills with in depth instruction, then by the time you get to the wings & fuse, you have the building/plan deciphering skills you need.

But if you're already fully skilled, then sure, jump in where you like.
 
Where to start

If you have good metal working skills, it probably doesn't matter where you start. One thing to consider is that the tail is easier to store than the wings and fuse.
 
a little different idea

My mentor for my build (who has built 4) thought I might start out by working on the inside the fuselage, countersinking and riviting all the nutplates for the floor. His idea was that this wasn't extremely crucial that these be perfect and would give me alot of practice..and personally I think it was a spot that I could learn to fix screwups and how to avoid screwups
 
What building the fuselage first does is keeps you motavated to finish the plane. I spent numerous hours in the unfinished fuselage pretend flying, it keeps you going. It is the main reason why I want to start with it.

Rich
 
Rich,

While it is entirely possible to start with the fuselage, there are a few things shipped with the wing kit which are needed by the fuselage. These include:

1) Center Spar Section for the wings. These are shipped with the wings because they are match drilled to the wing spars. I don't know if Van's would ship these separate from the wing spars.

2) Longerons - These are long pieces of .125" angle which fit into the wing boxes. They can typically be shipped separately from Van's, or procured locally.

3) Other long angle - There is a fair amount of parts in the fuselage which are fabricated from a long .063" angle stock shipped with the wings.

Starting with the fuselage is totally do-able, just make sure to check with Van's on the above items.
 
My previous build. Scratch built took 14 years. I look forward to the RV-8 Kit, the fact that everything is precut and bellframes and ribs formed is huge! Rich

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