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wrongway john

Well Known Member
For those that haven?t seen it yet on youtube, here?s a great video that condensed 4,500 hours to 10 minutes and some great music to go with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujLOzOpy1iY

I know 4's take longer, but geezus, hoping some builders have quality 4's that only took half that time. A few have told me when you build, if you can stay with it for longer work periods, say 6-10 hour work days instead of a couple of hours here and there, that that is supposed to help cut down on the overall man hours.

Another RV-4 flying low and fast down a winding river. Interesting music it's set to. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40_MzuKIGA
 
Not quite....

In 4,500 hours you should be able to carve an RV-4 from a solid block of aluminum....
 
...well, that's my RV and I can tell you that it takes that much, even if your a good craftsman, here's why:
I counted every hour, not only shoptime. There was a good amount of hours headscratching, ordering parts, cleaning up the shop, building jigs, messing around with misswelded engine-mounts, overhauling the engine and (maybe the biggest part) priming every bit before assembly and clean up the mess after spaying.
Of course I could have done it in half the time, but I wanted to do it the best way I could, not the fastest way I could. It was the project of a lifetime, and I wanted it to look like one in every detail.
For me, every hour I would have saved by building with some compromises I would spend afterwards thinking: Man, I should have done this and that more precise, but it's too late now.
Call me a typical German:D
Cheers, Dirk
 
Nice!!!

rv8r said:
...well, that's my RV and I can tell you that it takes that much, even if your a good craftsman, here's why:
I counted every hour, not only shoptime. There was a good amount of hours headscratching, ordering parts, cleaning up the shop, building jigs, messing around with misswelded engine-mounts, overhauling the engine and (maybe the biggest part) priming every bit before assembly and clean up the mess after spaying.
Of course I could have done it in half the time, but I wanted to do it the best way I could, not the fastest way I could. It was the project of a lifetime, and I wanted it to look like one in every detail.
For me, every hour I would have saved by building with some compromises I would spend afterwards thinking: Man, I should have done this and that more precise, but it's too late now.
Call me a typical German:D
Cheers, Dirk
Click to expand...

That is one fine RV4!!!! Man... Very Nice work. Want to sell it?? I think we have a container bringing a Turbo 210 over to the states soon, we can add it in... :D
 
That was a great video, Dirk. The music and pics are inspiring, and the ?damn epoxy? written into the dust, and other parts I thought were funny too.

Anyway, great job. I?ve watched that video quite a few times now, and showed it to several friends. I?m afraid what is going to get me too, is the ?head scratching? part, and the amount of time I?m going to spend, not knowing what exactly to do if I still undertake such a project. And thanks for clarifying your hours, it helps me to understand. I?m going to make my decision around December, and still see if I feel about it the way I have been these last few months.
 
the hill isn't nearly as high as it might seem at times..

Dirk..... that really brought back some memories of building my -4, which first flew in July 2001. I can relate with the time spent building......8 years for me...I stopped logging hours after the first month:)...btw: the -4 is one sweet flying machine, the best of the lot but I am a little bias !
 
Dog hours

OK 4,500 in Dog Hours....

Frankly, I didn't count mine - probably took that many or more counting all the mental building before, you know, actual building. And rebuildiong after screwing things up.

But, it is the best RV of all (-3 would be but you can't share so it loses to the -4).

So, 4,000, 4 million - who cares - its all downhill once you just START.
 
Bravo!

rv8r said:
...For me, every hour I would have saved by building with some compromises I would spend afterwards thinking: Man, I should have done this and that more precise.....
Click to expand...
Dirk,

Outstanding! No matched hole Tab A into Slot B construction for you! Your obvious attention to detail and superb craftsmanship shined through in that video every step of the way. I did not see any evidence you are the type to compromise. Where others may settle for "good enough" you showed what can be done when passion for excellence supercedes the pedestrian "Build on!" approach to aircraft construction. You should be very proud. You set an example and raised the bar for all of us. Congratulations, my friend. Happy flying.
 
I forgot the biggest part: Registration! In the US, you fly off your hours and you're fine to do whatever you want, but STOP: This is GERMANY....
First flight, ok, you get a licence for 6 month, for 2-3 guys you named before to fly that plane. You are only allowed to fly it for testing purposes and it's forbidden to fly over crowed areas.
Now you have to perform a noise measurement, if you fail, no final registration....
Under 64 DB is good, but not easy to achieve, believe me. Some mufflers from a Ducati motorcycle did the job after much testing.
You want to registrate it in the Aerobatic category?? More hassle, they want everything from spinning to stalls in every configuration.
You have to fly to maximum ceiling (I gave up at 21000 feet, my oxigen run dry...), you have to proof ROC, landing distance without flaps, is that aircraft able to be controlled if your trim tab runs out to fore of max aft and so on. That all takes time.
What, an autopilot installed?: OK, more testing: Proof this and that, does it behave like this, will it do that if this happens, can it be overruned in this situation, what happens if a servo blocks, try this and so on and so on....
Did you use fireproof materials for the upholstery? You have to write your own POH with all the data requiered, 5 returns from the authorities because the numbering of the pages of that handbook have been wrong, that all counts to those 4500 hours (If I'm honest, I assumed those hours after the paintjob was done, but not after final registration, that would be a more reasonable 4800 hours...)
But whatever it took: This is the best flying machine I was allowed to operate and it was built my myself, so there is no reason to say anything bad,it was really worth it!!!!
(And I think I own the first experimental, full aerobatic RV4 with autopilot installed in Germany:cool:)
If the German authorities are happy with an RV, the rest of the world could lean back, right?...LOL
Cheers, Dirk
 
rv8r said:
If the German authorities are happy with an RV, the rest of the world could lean back, right?...LOL
Cheers, Dirk
Click to expand...

Respect!


That's all I can say Dirk. I have followed your site along side Dan Checkoway's. You had far more flaming hoops to jump through and you were building a model that was not pre drilled. Plus your paint job is better. :)

Are you going to Hahnweide near Stuttgart this weekend?
 
4,500 hours and $$$$ ????

Grreat video and RV-4 Dirk. Now counting the actual build time hours is one thing...hopefully you DIDN'T keep track of all the Euro's;) And if you did, don't post it here, my wife may see it and get the REAL idea what ours cost!

Yikes!
 
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Death Bed Request

An elderly amateur builder was getting ready to meet his maker after a long and fruitful life. A fellow builder of many years dropped by and was asked to do one last thing for his friend after he passed away...

"For goodness sake don't let my wife sell the plane for what I told her it cost!"

Jim Sharkey
 
Nicely Done!

Great Dirk! I bought my RV4 tail kit in 89' before the internet, builders groups and RV's higher than the 6 became the norm. I took another eight years to get her flying looking half as nice as yours!

Now your challenge is to put at least 150 hours a year on it for 10 years! (I did!:)

Well done!
Smokey
HR2
 
Looks darn nice. I can only hope that when I get around to building a HRII it's anywhere near as nice. My inherited -4 project ALREADY isn't that nice :(.
 
Yes, I have been to Hahnweide and a'm still overwhelmed with impressions. Imagine a B17 chased by a FW 190 a hundred feet off the ground right above me, seeking shadow under the cowl of my RV, just to see that a Spitfire is dogfighting with the 190, followed by a P40, but there's a ME 109 right at the P40's tail....in 2009, not 65 years ago!
I have been to Duxford two times, but this weekend was the by far most thrilling experience I ever had!! Great show, big party, nice people, excelent organisation and a typical "big boy's weekend". Imagine that above scene and 10 (RATHER OLD) guy's like me hopping and yelling like drunk under those impressions......
To see something like this in Germany is still kind of unbelievable to me, and I have to thank the team of Hahnweide 2009 for this. To see 6 (!!!) JU52's in a row was unique, to see a Polikarpov Rata in flight as well.
To get home in 1'54" from Stuttgart...what a blast:) RV was cleaned up and the barbecue underway along with some beer, when my buddy and his Globe Swift came in for landing......they departed right behind me:D
What a great weekend, what a great aircraft, what a great experience...
Smokey, I logged 150 hours in 2 years, but DON'T tell it to my wife with fuel as hight as 2,40 Euros a liter here, LOL.
jsharkey, that's a good one....I have to change my last will......
Thank God to choose the right hobby!
Dirk
 
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