[Ironflight]

A frequent question I have seen on the forums goes something like this??I live in northern Saskatchewan, my nearest neighbor is 100 miles away through the forest, we get infrequent satellite telephone communications, and occasional air-drops from UPS. Can I build an RV myself without any helpers?? I think it is time we collect some real data to help folks answer this questions ? hence, this week?s poll?.(inspired by a suggestion from Louise)

Most of the tasks required to build an RV can be done alone. Sure, extra hands can be a big help, and frankly, unless you?re Clyde the Orangutan, I?m not quite sure how you buck wing skins by yourself (but I know it is done!) ? but with a little ingenuity, a hermit could probably build one without another nearby soul. There are times where you just need help lifting big and heavy objects ? or you have to be clever with rigging derricks, lines and pulleys. The question is?.?for how much of the time you spent in the shop did you have a helper when building your RV?? This is a total estimate, don?t go searching your logs for numbers (that means all of you/us engineer-types?), and if you aren?t yet finished, and think you have a good handle on how you work, you can use your experience to date as a guide.

BTW, getting help is a great way to build an RV, share skills, and meet like minded people. I think some of the coolest arrangements I have heard is when a group of folks build a group of airplanes at the same time!

(As always, no warrantees express or implied, your results may vary, results may not be valid in Saskatchewan, Siberia, or North Dakota??)

 

[cytoxin]

very little

i used many different arrangements of 3"x1.5"x 18" bucking bars got underneath and shot away. sometime just 3 or 4 then move the bar,,,over and over again. with a roll of duct tape you can do anything.

 

[RickWoodall]

I never work alone

I am not known for my patience. I have a retired father in law with tool and mold experience....he is always the voice of reason. Might be on my 12th canopy if it wasnt for the more mature... "hang on, lets look at the plans again" or "lets look at those pics on dan c's site one more time" haha, i am getting better though. Its like therapy and a nice way to spend some time with someone with lots of experience and stories.

 

[grover]

almost never use help

combination of no social skills, hard headedness and general overconfidence in my abilities. . .

 

[dwilson]

My dad and me!

Could have done a LOT of my 9A by myself, but had the great pleasure of working with my 79 year old father for a large part of the project.

We had a great time together correcting our goofs and figuring out how to avoid other potholes.

It is an experience that I will treasure as long as I live.

We had the great good fortune to fly the completed masterpiece to OshKosh together last summer. It was the first time either of us had attended. We loved it!

Both the building and the flying of this airplane is rooted in relationships with family and friends.

Duane

 

[plehrke]

Does standing around consulting count?

I did pretty much everything myself but, when I moved the project to the airport, there were lots of times when I would stand around looking at the project deep in technical consultation with others. Here at my day job at the big airplane factory we get to charge that to the government. At the hanger I would just call it "shouting the sh--". It is value added however. I did not include it in my total time to build.

 

[pierre smith]

Best of both worlds...

.....since my day job (Ag) is very seasonal. Winters I worked alone during the week and my buddy/partner would come on weekends and evenings to buck, etc, then I'd be alone again for most of the daytime hours. You don't need help wiring or for small items like building the rudder pedal assembly.

Regards,

 

[DaX]

I am 100% funding the project (so far), but this is a chance for me and my father to spend time together, so he's out there about 50% of the time. I am building it at his house, after all.

 

[Steve]

My kids and I riveted the top wing skins.
My -6 bud and I did the bottom wing skins.
My daughter and I did both top aft fuse skins.
My -6 bud (again) and I did the top forward fuse skin.

I don't know how anyone could do that all riveting alone unless you have gorilla arms or you roll/unroll the aluminum wing skins as you go, risking creases.

Use your kids and you'll save on beer,
Steve

 

[David-aviator]

Paul,

With all the data you are collecting with these polls there should be enough information to write a demographic book on building and flying RV's. It may also contain enough information about the people who do it for another book. A thousand years from now it will make interesting reading for whoever is still hanging out on the planet.

 

[Ironflight]

Paul,

With all the data you are collecting with these polls there should be enough information to write a demographic book on building and flying RV's. It may also contain enough information about the people who do it for another book.

Quiet David - you're going to let people in on my plans for generating some AVGAS money once I retire!

 

[JordanGrant]

Help from the wife?

I voted in the 0-5% category, but that's because I only counted actual hands-on help. I gotta say, I couldn't have done it without help from my wife, though. The original plan was to build it "together", but after a couple of months my wife had to admit that she just didn't like the building process. Studying the plans and obsessing over all the details was just not her style. Instead, she helped with "blue collar labor" when she could, but mostly just freed me up to work on it. My wife cooked/cleaned/mowed the lawn/etc. so that I could spend the whole weekend in the garage. Even though her hands-on help was only when I needed a second set of hands, all the other stuff was a calculated and deliberate effort to help us finish our airplane.

Oh yeah, and she did all the Phase I flight testing, too.

 

[N8RV]

When I started N8RV, the only resource besides calling Van's was an e-mail list started by Phil Arter. I think I've only called Van's for tech help about 5 times. For the majority of the metal work, I only needed someone to buck rivets, and I always managed to find somebody.

However, as I started to run out of things to rivet, I became stuck again. Suddenly, I found myself in foreign territory again. Till then, all I had to do was make Widget A and make Goober B ... then rivet them together. The hardest part was finding the stinkin' drawing of Goober B in Van's drawings!

Start talking engines, electrical systems, fuel system plumbing, etc. ... enter DANNY KING!! If he didn't live half-a-country away, N8RV would've been flying years ago. However, with his quick trips up here every couple of years, big leaps are made and the end is in sight.

So, I'd say that for the first 90% of the project, I did most of it myself. For the last 90%, I need LOTS of help. That's where Danny and this forum come in. Without either, I'd never finish this danged thing ...

 

[turbo]

i wish i could say...........

i built my 6 but i didn't. i payed exactly what the builder had into it. $75,000 back in 2000. been the happiest rv owner possible. the best flying decision i have ever made. keep pounding those rivets. see you in the sky.

 

[hydroguy2]

I've had less than 3hrs of help (outside of the QB folks). but I wish the Magic baffle fairy would come over today and make it right with my plenum.

 

[aerhed]

An 8, a 10, & a CP328 (no help)

combination of no social skills, hard headedness and general overconfidence in my abilities. . .

Hey, you're not my missing twin are you?

 

[airguy]

Half way through the fuse, and the only help I've needed so far was about one hour for bucking some of the bottom fuse skin rivets.

Yes, you can buck the wing rivets solo, I did it too.

 

[Jaypratt]

The Borrowed Horse

RV8 'Borrowed Horse'

A group fun project!
Carol helped with riviting, putting up parts, inventory, nut and bolts.
Bill Pippen, Pippen York Flying Machines, an avionics company, made the panel, powder coated it, delivered it.
Americas Aircraft Engines built my engine at Sun n Fun 2007
Jim Vroom did the panel hookup / wireing.
Troy Thompson did a bunch of the fiberglass finishing.
Grady, GLO did the paint.
I had an auto body shop paint the interior.

Borrowed Horse is 3 years old this month. 345 hours so far. My 4th RV.

 

[Daver]

mostly solo

There's just a few places where you need an assistant to buck a rivet or hold up the other end of a wing, etc.

Mostly solo building.

Fabricating brackets, de-burring metal, clecos in - clecos out.

Building an aircraft entails lonely, long hours in the garage.

For those of you that have completed a project like this - I salute you!

Dave
-9A almost done....

 

[Vlad]

Mostly solo, then I met Robin and used him then got a wrestler Roman to lift and roll her out of the basement to get some tan and back. I would estimate I had healthy 1% help

 

[jsharkey]

Myself and my family - mainly my son as skilled rivet gun expert - aged 13 to 22 - I held the bucking bar

And as a proud father he has just graduated from RPI in Troy NY with an engineering degree and started his first professional job with years of hands on experience already.

 

[Captain Sacto]

Rarely ask for help

I'm far from finished, but the topic is an interesting one, so I'll chime in.

I really only ask for help when I absolutely need it. I love being chief decision-maker, foreman, and lead janitor. Of course, this could explain my extraordinarily slow pace.

I have a neighbor who would just love to help. He's a nice guy, an older gent, but a "take charge" kind of guy who would be giving me assignments before long. The airplane would be done much faster, but it wouldn't be "mine".

.