How much money in dollars. See criteria below

  • Zero (ya right)

    Votes: 1 1.1%

  • 1 - 50

    Votes: 14 14.7%

  • 51 - 200

    Votes: 33 34.7%

  • 201 - 500

    Votes: 23 24.2%

  • 501 - 1000

    Votes: 18 18.9%

  • 1001 - 3000

    Votes: 5 5.3%

  • more than 3000

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Total voters
    95
D

diamond

Well Known Member
So it's common to have to reorder parts that get damaged during the build, right? At least that's the impression I get from years of reading posts on VAF. I'm curious how much extra money is spent, on average, during the course of an entire RV build fixing screw-ups. Here's the criteria for the poll.

1) Interested in money spent for new parts and shipping for your first build only.
2) I'm guessing fewer screw-ups with pre-punched kits, so let's make this poll for pre-punched kits only.
2) Not interested in money spent replacing tools.
3) Interested in slow build wings and fuselage folks who built the entire plane, not purchased partially built.
4) Screw-ups caused by you or anyone helping you in the process of building. Not damaged items caused by moving, dropping, fire, etc.
 
I'm not building a prepunched model so I didn't vote, but I have probably spent a few hundred in replacement parts I screwed up. I'm not done, but the vast majority of the metal work is.

From memory I replaced (when I couldn't repair):

1 Lower longeron
1 Vertical former in the baggage area
1 Tank baffle
1 Aft upper tailcone skin (the small one)
1 The formed lower part of the rear spar carrythrough bulkhead
1 Wing Rib
1 Aileron Skin (was damaged in storage)

That's all I can remember, but there were probably others that I had the material on-hand to remake myself.
 
It's not the $

It's not the $, but the question is the time. How many HOURS did your screwups cost?

I think I am only in for about $30 in parts, and another $45 in shipping :(

Hours, that is a hole nother story :eek: As My task tonight is to drill out about 50 rivets so I can move one piece from in front of another to behind.

Bill
 
Anyone who has cracked a canopy gets elevated immediately to the big spending category. So one little screw-up can cost you a bundle. If not for that, my replacement parts would be a little over $200, but definitely less than $500.
 
Freight

My parts cost has been under $200.00 However the freight to get parts for one screw up was over $200:eek:
 
*Tip-up canopy just over $1000 including shipping.
*Three elevator trim skins to get one that I was proud of. Shipping cost more than the parts.
* Horizontal stab fiberglass tips because at the time I did not know how to fix fiberglass. Now I do.
 
Where's the option for I dont know...dont want to know...dont let my wife know.

I've messed up several rudder skins...a rib here and there...spar for the hs...a skin for an aileron.

As Bill said...its the time that you miss waiting for the part that hurts more than the cost of the part. The cost of the shipping is just a reminder to be more careful next time.
 
BSwayze said:
Anyone who has cracked a canopy gets elevated immediately to the big spending category. So one little screw-up can cost you a bundle. If not for that, my replacement parts would be a little over $200, but definitely less than $500.
Click to expand...

I am guilty.
 
I'm convinced that Van's make more money from replacement parts than they make on the kits themselves. I think I replaced one $100 part at least twice. The worst is when you spend $25 to ship a $4 part because it is holding up the building process.
 
messup

I cut the rear elevator push rod tube an inch short. I had moved my rule up to 1 inch to get a more accurate measurment and forgot to add it to the smart end. Duh!
 
Encouraging results. Sounds like screw-ups for most are not terribly devastating to the pocket book. Are there one or two parts that are more commonly ruined by the first time builder? If so, maybe extras of these parts should be ordered with the kit so that one doesn't have to pay for shipping and put the project on hold if/when it happens. Assuming such parts are reasonably priced to begin with.
 
I'm on my second right elevator, second rudder (spars salvaged), a couple of baffles (i ordered extra front ones because there'll be some experimentation to fit around my governor), and half of a roll bar.

Why?

Because long periods between sustained build activity take my skills down significantly. It's not so much the money that gets to me as the time. Putting in a lot of hours on something only to have to junk it is worse than cracking open my wallet to replace the parts.
 
Without VAF and the numerous builder web sites out there I would probably have a much larger scrap pile. I've screwed up very little (so far, fingers crossed) - a piece of hat section that wasn't clamped down enough while drilling and some angle pieces that were drilled incorrectly. I always have a list of things to buy, so if I'm getting charged for shipping I make the most of it.
 
Humbly human.

I wasn't into this project very far before I realized it wasn't going to be perfect.

The one that hurt the most was the crack in the canopy. I'm going to live with it for now, but may get another someday if it bothers me.
 
(1) New right elevator (first one had too much twist)
(2) New slider canopy frame (don't tweek after drilling holes in it as the instructions tell you to). Failed welding repair$, Frame$$, shipping$$$$$$
(3) New right elevator skin--bad hole
(4) Mulltiple other things that I have conveniently forgot

I'm being delusional thinking I'm in the 500-1000$ club but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Steve Johnson
RV9A 165 hours of fun
 
I can't answer this 'cause I've worked on too many planes. I think my favorite one was the 3hole control cable support thingy near the RV8 quadrant. I cut it with a hacksaw, files, sander, polisher, etc. Maybe 5hours to make it look totally polished. Then I discovered I'd made a mirror image to the plans.
 
On the rv12 build we've oversized some holes on a bracket, layered a wing skin wrong, lost nutplates, put a whole skin on the horizintal stab without attaching spacers to the ribs, and a few odds and ends. Its definetily added up in the time category. As far as cost, it has not been very bad to my knoweledge, we have been very fortunate.
 
$200 club

Looks like I'm about average in the $51-$200 club.

I applaud Van for not gouging on the price of replacement parts. He could certainly take advantage of the situation, but instead his prices are extremely reasonable - trim tabs, of which I have bought three, $15 bucks, etc.
Try that on your store-bought light plane.....

I think it's good business as we are more likely to throw a bad part away then to 'try and make it work'.
 
Very timely...

Just NOW put a post up to remember to measure twice and cut once. Made 2 left flap spars.

DOH!

I am 3/4ths finished with my wings, and just now ordered my first replacement parts due to 'screwups'. I guess that is a good thing, but it sucks nonetheless.

Happy Building,

Gregg
 
I'm in the rudder/elevator skin club. I can't remeber which, but I do remember how...I forgot to dimple the stiffeners. They looked kinda funny spaced away from the skin like that...:eek:
The unused stiffeners got used in all kinds of special tools and stifffeners etc. so I wouldn't call it a total loss. I think one of them is a support bracket for the back of the radio boxes.
Alternate engines...now that's where you make and remake parts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.