N 124RN's build was completed in mid-September. The completed project was trailered from my home to a new hangar in Salem, Oregon the last week of September and then moved to a professional paint shop the following day. After nearly a six week delay, the painted aircraft was returned to its new home, across the street from the airport, on November 5th.
After the painting, the first task was to retrofit the first autopilot option released by Van's Aircraft. This took about 2 days, which was followed by reassembly of the empennage parts that were removed for painting.
After reassembly, an appointment was made with FAA, Hillsboro for the inspection that was done December 1st. An uneventful first flight, lasting about 30 minutes, was made by the owner, Ron Rende on December 2nd, with Steve Johansen flying chase in his RV-3.
The following link will take you to some pictures of the airplane and first flight.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jaknjoan/RV12FirstFlight12209?authkey=Gv1sRgCPq0lP3l7LK0Aw#
This airplane, including the autopilot option, professional paint job, and labor cost the owner many thousands less than $85,000.
After the painting, the first task was to retrofit the first autopilot option released by Van's Aircraft. This took about 2 days, which was followed by reassembly of the empennage parts that were removed for painting.
After reassembly, an appointment was made with FAA, Hillsboro for the inspection that was done December 1st. An uneventful first flight, lasting about 30 minutes, was made by the owner, Ron Rende on December 2nd, with Steve Johansen flying chase in his RV-3.
The following link will take you to some pictures of the airplane and first flight.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jaknjoan/RV12FirstFlight12209?authkey=Gv1sRgCPq0lP3l7LK0Aw#
This airplane, including the autopilot option, professional paint job, and labor cost the owner many thousands less than $85,000.
