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WSBuilder

Well Known Member
This weekend I finished fabricating the flap control brackets for my -4 and experienced first-hand what so many talk about in terms of this part's complexity. Despite reading as many relevant builders' websites as I could find, there were still plenty of surprises when I did it for myself. I'm sure newer RV variants have superior manuals along with improved designs, but it occurred to me that perhaps another way to help each other would be if we collectively edited Vans construction manuals. I think Vans is disinclined to invest such additional manpower in the older airplanes, especially.

My idea is that Doug could host a Word text document containing the build manuals and we could add to that text to help clarify or correct where the drawings don't tell the whole/right story. That way we wouldn't have to fish through multiple websites and hope for relevant comments. It could include imbedded hyperlinks to websites for pictures and descriptions. It would be another way to synergise all the great help on this site. I don't have a website but I'd sure contribute on the manual. Whatdayathink?
 
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It's a good idea, but you have to consider liability too. It's one thing to say, :I found this tip on the internet." It's quite another to download a revision or addition to a BUILD manual. Maybe it's all simantics, but Doug has to watch his back too, since this site is... his job? now.
 
WSBuilder said:
My idea is that Doug could host a Word text document containing the build manuals and we could add to that text...
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This is what a wiki is for.
 
Good Point

osxuser said:
It's a good idea, but you have to consider liability too. It's one thing to say, :I found this tip on the internet." It's quite another to download a revision or addition to a BUILD manual. Maybe it's all simantics, but Doug has to watch his back too, since this site is... his job? now.
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You're absolutely right, so we wouldn't want to put in "do it this way" type edits. More like "notice that the -C component must be bent to conform to..". The how-to stuff should be limited to the websites.
 
How different are the manuals from revision to revision?

I got my manual back in Fall of 2005 - I'm not sure how closely it'd match up to someone working from plans/manual from today.

I have a scanner at work that I may try to scan the pages in to see if I can get them up on a wiki. Of course, they are all marked up so I donno how that'll work out.

Modifications should be handled with 'comments', rather than actual editing.

Besides, what kind of liability can you have from a semi-anonymous post on a public website? (I would expect less than what you might find from posting here in the forums!)
 
RV Wiki

WSBuilderHM said:
You're right, Dan. So who would support doing this? From the -4 community?
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I agree that a wiki would be a great place to put comments on the manual. But, let's not start another one - use the RV Wiki that already exists. All we need for someone who cares about this concept to pick up the baton and add it to the wiki.
 
ccrawford said:
How different are the manuals from revision to revision?

I have a scanner at work that I may try to scan the pages in to see if I can get them up on a wiki. Of course, they are all marked up so I donno how that'll work out.

Modifications should be handled with 'comments', rather than actual editing.

Besides, what kind of liability can you have from a semi-anonymous post on a public website? (I would expect less than what you might find from posting here in the forums!)
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I don't know how Van's would feel with their (Im sure) copywrighted manual posted. There was a previous thread about scanning and posting the manual.
I don't remember if anyone called Van's to ask if it was okay or not.

Anyway, I would be unconcerned with liability. The major hurdle is getting the info in the wiki.
 
Agree with Dan: WIKI

Wiki is definitely the way to go on this, IMHO. Matt already has the wheel created over on his site and I can't think of a better way to do it.

b,
dr
 
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