ccarter
Well Known Member
Or at least it was finsihed enough to fly... 
For some time now I?ve wanted to post the account of my RV-7 first flight. VAF seemed like the best place. Doug Reeves continues to do an excellent job keeping this forum in shape. And the people who post here have been a great resource during my two year build. We did fly, September 9th, 2008 after just about two years of construction, a total of about 2000 hours. It was my first RV. There could be a second, who knows for sure. I?ve found myself looking at the RV-3B several times in the last few months? Sound familiar Doug??
I?ve run across many stories about how and why people build these planes, RV?s or any experimental for that matter. The reasons are varied and the stories always entertaining and for me also of great value. I am one of those people who had several reasons. I can?t say that it was always my ?dream? to build an airplane. I?ve always wanted to fly and owning outright I knew would be the only way I would really make use of personal air travel. And most of all I wanted to have the ability to travel to places for recreation and business on my own schedule and on short notice. The airlines have made it very difficult to fly, so difficult in fact that this became a viable alternative for some of us, at least for me.
I discovered the Florida gulf coast after moving to Tennessee ten years ago. My RV-7 puts a weekend trip right in the palm of my hand. What?s not to like? I?ve made some great new friends along the way and learned a great deal. Gosh, I?m still learning. For me it was also a very wise investment. These planes tend to hold their value fairly well if cared for, although I have no intentions of parting with it anytime soon. The greatest investment was in myself I think. I pretty much built solo in my garage working just about every evening and all day Saturdays and Sundays during those two years. But then I?m single and the kids are grown. It is better to take a fractured heart and choose to make something good from it than to pine away in self pity from the careless cruelty of others. I could have spent that money on psychotherapy, but look, now I own an airplane and I feel GREAT! Yes, make lemonade from your lemons. It worked for me. My little RV-7 started giving back to me from the moment the project began. I can step back now and see the benefit of my effort, the victory from the disappointment and the joy from the pain. It was worth it.
I remember when I started my research (I called it a feasibility study) and there were numerous articles I read. Reading others accounts of their experience and decision to build helped me considerably. This is my chance to give something back. I?m not sure I can add anything new to what has been written before but what I can do is echo what I have heard, what I?ve read and how it worked for me.
Don?t take the decision to build an aircraft lightly. Get ?healthy? buy in from your spouse (if you have one), or girlfriend/boyfriend. Plan a lot. Plan the workspace, tool set and line up your funding, even it your plan is to skip the pizza several times a month and put the $50 in a coffee can.
I built a mathematical model in Excel, right down to the clecos, wrenches and twist drills. Organize it and get the work area prepped BEFORE the tail kit arrives. Determine how your funding ?can? flow before you drill or drive your first rivet. It won?t come out exactly the way you plan but will keep you going in the right direction. Plan for 1 or 2 ?life change? events during the build (i.e. job change, marriage, ?divorce?, a move or two, family stuff you know). I estimated 2.2 and that was pretty much how it worked out. Do ?something? on the plane at least 5 days out of 7 even if it?s just posting on VAF and/or reading about what others are doing. Keep your momentum going. And always remember, an airplane is just a thing, family comes first.
There is no way but that after you?re finished that machine will be part of you. Time is life and is one of our most precious resources. Perseverance is key. Don?t kid yourself. If the time you spend thinking about the project frequently includes where you will go when it?s finished, how much fun it will be and how interesting you have found ?problem solving in the shop? to be then you will probably make it to the end. What I am telling you is that finishing is better than starting.
Chris Brooks (RV-6) said something to me one evening during one of his tech inspections of my project and I?ve always remembered it. Don?t think of it as you are building an airplane. You are building a lot of little airplane parts. How true.
On that evening in September when I saw N212S nose up and rotate off the runway and climb effortlessly into the Tennessee sky I knew I had done something worth while with two years of my life? and the adventure is just beginning.
First Flight Video:
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LveC2O0eS0
For some time now I?ve wanted to post the account of my RV-7 first flight. VAF seemed like the best place. Doug Reeves continues to do an excellent job keeping this forum in shape. And the people who post here have been a great resource during my two year build. We did fly, September 9th, 2008 after just about two years of construction, a total of about 2000 hours. It was my first RV. There could be a second, who knows for sure. I?ve found myself looking at the RV-3B several times in the last few months? Sound familiar Doug??
I?ve run across many stories about how and why people build these planes, RV?s or any experimental for that matter. The reasons are varied and the stories always entertaining and for me also of great value. I am one of those people who had several reasons. I can?t say that it was always my ?dream? to build an airplane. I?ve always wanted to fly and owning outright I knew would be the only way I would really make use of personal air travel. And most of all I wanted to have the ability to travel to places for recreation and business on my own schedule and on short notice. The airlines have made it very difficult to fly, so difficult in fact that this became a viable alternative for some of us, at least for me.
I discovered the Florida gulf coast after moving to Tennessee ten years ago. My RV-7 puts a weekend trip right in the palm of my hand. What?s not to like? I?ve made some great new friends along the way and learned a great deal. Gosh, I?m still learning. For me it was also a very wise investment. These planes tend to hold their value fairly well if cared for, although I have no intentions of parting with it anytime soon. The greatest investment was in myself I think. I pretty much built solo in my garage working just about every evening and all day Saturdays and Sundays during those two years. But then I?m single and the kids are grown. It is better to take a fractured heart and choose to make something good from it than to pine away in self pity from the careless cruelty of others. I could have spent that money on psychotherapy, but look, now I own an airplane and I feel GREAT! Yes, make lemonade from your lemons. It worked for me. My little RV-7 started giving back to me from the moment the project began. I can step back now and see the benefit of my effort, the victory from the disappointment and the joy from the pain. It was worth it.
I remember when I started my research (I called it a feasibility study) and there were numerous articles I read. Reading others accounts of their experience and decision to build helped me considerably. This is my chance to give something back. I?m not sure I can add anything new to what has been written before but what I can do is echo what I have heard, what I?ve read and how it worked for me.
Don?t take the decision to build an aircraft lightly. Get ?healthy? buy in from your spouse (if you have one), or girlfriend/boyfriend. Plan a lot. Plan the workspace, tool set and line up your funding, even it your plan is to skip the pizza several times a month and put the $50 in a coffee can.
I built a mathematical model in Excel, right down to the clecos, wrenches and twist drills. Organize it and get the work area prepped BEFORE the tail kit arrives. Determine how your funding ?can? flow before you drill or drive your first rivet. It won?t come out exactly the way you plan but will keep you going in the right direction. Plan for 1 or 2 ?life change? events during the build (i.e. job change, marriage, ?divorce?, a move or two, family stuff you know). I estimated 2.2 and that was pretty much how it worked out. Do ?something? on the plane at least 5 days out of 7 even if it?s just posting on VAF and/or reading about what others are doing. Keep your momentum going. And always remember, an airplane is just a thing, family comes first.
There is no way but that after you?re finished that machine will be part of you. Time is life and is one of our most precious resources. Perseverance is key. Don?t kid yourself. If the time you spend thinking about the project frequently includes where you will go when it?s finished, how much fun it will be and how interesting you have found ?problem solving in the shop? to be then you will probably make it to the end. What I am telling you is that finishing is better than starting.
Chris Brooks (RV-6) said something to me one evening during one of his tech inspections of my project and I?ve always remembered it. Don?t think of it as you are building an airplane. You are building a lot of little airplane parts. How true.
On that evening in September when I saw N212S nose up and rotate off the runway and climb effortlessly into the Tennessee sky I knew I had done something worth while with two years of my life? and the adventure is just beginning.
First Flight Video:
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LveC2O0eS0
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