J

John Courte

Well Known Member
For a while there, I was blasting along, I got the engine hung and a good chunk of the wiring done, and now I'm circling aimlessly again. I'm working on control sticks, AHRS sensor mount, FWF wiring, and antenna mounting. I'm also making mistakes, and even though I can correct them easily enough, they're time-consuming and disappointing. Looking at all this stuff unfinished and half finished is giving me that "I'll never get all this done" feeling, and it seems downright impossible at the moment.

I'm sure this is the result of a failure to plan, somehow, but as the instructions get thinner, the more personalized and unique configurations get rearranged, and the domino effect, at least for me, is significant.

What do you guys do to clear your heads and reboot the process, get your motivation back and get some order back into the chaos?
 
1. Take a break and going flying with a friend in his RV
2. Make a short list, no more than a dozen, of things to do.
3. Work off the list.
4. Make a new list.
5. repeat all of the above.

Seriously, the "to do" list really helps to keep you focused. Like the tag line says, take a huge task and break it up into many smaller task. You will get there.
 
I'm not building but...

DON'T GIVE UP! I use AltonD's approach all the time and IT DOES WORK. DON'T GIVE UP!
 
John, I feel your pain. Like Alton said, make lists and follow them. I have ADD, according to my teacher daughter, and I got lost quite often. Still do.

Also, find a mentor who knows more than you do, to lend a hand. Were it not for Danny King, I never would have finished. Sometimes, you just need a friend to jump in and keep you focused, helping you through the challenging parts.
 
It's a finite amount of work. Anything you do is one thing less to be done. We all have gone through or will go through what you are experiencing. At least you are doing something, much better than nothing. Keep it up! It's worth it.
 
My experience

When I built my RV7a and got to the point in the project where you are, I got together with my tech counselor and discussed the order that I should proceed on my project. As we came up with a plan for the various sub assemblies, I put together a to do list and went to work. That is what worked for me. Suggest you find a tech counselor or another experienced builder to talk to and put together a plan.
 
AltonD said:
1. Take a break and going flying with a friend in his RV
2. Make a short list, no more than a dozen, of things to do.
3. Work off the list.
4. Make a new list.
5. repeat all of the above.

Seriously, the "to do" list really helps to keep you focused. Like the tag line says, take a huge task and break it up into many smaller task. You will get there.
Click to expand...

To expand on that idea, I flipped the big three-view in the plans package over and tacked it to the wall. I divided it into columns (panel, engine electrical, fuel system, etc...) and started listing every remaining task I could think of. At the bottom of the sheet was a box where I listed every item that needed ordering as I made the individual lists.

This gave my mind a "big picture" of where I was and what needed to be done. It also gave me a way to manage parts inventory so I would have needed items on hand. And...it felt good when I crossed completed tasks off the list.

Everybody will have a variation on this theme but I think flow charting your remaining tasks will be a huge help. It will also assist in scheduling the DAR when you see yourself getting close.

Stay with it, and in case you haven't seen this little blurb maybe it will help you stay focused. There will come a time when everything on your flow chart has been done...except "Fly the Plane". :)
 
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Punch list

Alton is completely right and I did the same thing to keep focused.
A work list is vital as you approach the end. The last several months you won't even need the plans because it becomes very task specific. In engineering construction projects we call these "punch lists".
Make the list, check it twice... :cool:
This is the period where the saying comes that the last 10% takes 90% of the time. Suddenly you'll find you're done!
Keep at it, sort your tasks. Soon enough it'll be "Miller time" and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
 
apkp777 said:
It's a finite amount of work. Anything you do is one thing less to be done. We all have gone through or will go through what you are experiencing. At least you are doing something, much better than nothing. Keep it up! It's worth it.
Click to expand...

During every work session, my philosophy was "Just Do Something". Lists are good for some people. I had several and just thought of them as workflow sequence charts.

The "Just Do Something" philosophy kept things moving when I found I didn't have a tool I needed that I'd carried home and forgot to bring back like a marking pen, cleco pliers, etc. That way I didn't spend any time chastising myself for screwing up. I accepted it as part of the process.

Let's face it. Sometimes you don't feel like sitting on the floor, working on brakes or the pounding of the rivet gun makes your headache worse or it's colder than you expected so the fibreglas is taking forever to cure.. So, just do something else and build on.

Learn to take pleasure and encouragement from the small accomplishments like the latch that closes properly or the switch that operates correctly.

Keep at it. It's worth it!!!

Mike
 
One thing I found helpful near the end of the -6A build was to put together the Condition Inspection Checklist. This did a few things for me. First, it gave me something to work on when I didn't feel like actually working on the plane. Then, when I had it all together, it became the punch list for ensuring that the aircraft was ready for inspection. When I got bogged down on something, waiting for parts or simply brain-locked on how to solve a problem, I could always work on the checklist, going back over stuff that had been long since done and checking them off. That made for some low-impact work and the unchecked stuff grew visibly shorter, which really helped my morale. Best of all, when I was done I was confident that all the important stuff had been checked and the DAR would find little to critique. I'd say you're about at the stage to start preparing your checklist; don't forget to add the one-time first flight stuff such as the paperwork, W&B, POH, test plans, etc. They also make good filler for the days when you would prefer to use your head rather than your hands.
 
lists

Agreeing with much of the above.

Every night when you hit the shop, don't think - just pick something on a list and start working.

Every night before you leave the shop, sit down and reflect. Update your lists and maybe start a new list.

Congratulations on having arrived to this late stage of the project. For the first years of the project, we just use the simple skills of drilling and riveting over and over. In these late stages, you build a lot of knowledge to earn that future "Repairman" certificate. Fun times. Eventually your lists will start saying stuff like: get plane to airport, faa paperwork, get insurance, find inspector...
 
I remember feeling the exact same way about three quarters of the way through my -6 project. I got a long way into it and got lost just like you. People would ask me how I was going with the project and I would say the same as you "I've lost my way with it"

I had the wings completed, tail, fuse, canopy, engine hung...the works and then came time to strip everything out of the interior for painting so I could continue with the mountain of things ahead. I could not face this task ( I hate painting)and stopped work for 2 YEARS. Did not even look at the project in that time. Then the bride and I decided to move to the other side of the country. The only way that thing in the shop was going to get there was under its own power. Motivation to start work again. Don't know what all the fuss was about...had it stripped out and painted in a week or so and moved on to completion. Took 10 years to get it flying but we got there!

The point being DO NOT STOP WORK. It is very hard to get started again, trust me.
As the others have said, make a list of the things that need doing on the assembly that your working on and work through them one at a time until completion. Make sure you FINISH each assembly as much as you can before moving on. If you don't do this it will do your head in having to return to something you thought was already completed. Chopping and changing from one thing to another looses your train of thought and thats when mistakes get made. Try to reward yourself somehow at the completion of each assembly. Maybe a few photos? a beer? or whatever it takes to keep motivated to start the next assembly. Its all about job satisfaction.

You have got this far so no point in stopping now. The completed aircraft will be one of your greatest lifetime achievements.... Guaranteed.

Good luck
Graham
 
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At this stage I always work in. By that I mean I focus on the tail and complete everything possible and then work my way up the fuselage.
Then to the wing tips and work my way in
Then to the spinner and back through the engine compartment.
Now you are down to the panel and controls.

When all of that is done and the plane is ready for inspection I reverse the order to check what I have done starting with;

The fuel system
Flight controls
Engine controls etc.
 
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.

I suspect almost all of us have experienced what you are feeling now.

Lots of good ideas above, making lists is highly recommended, and as was already suggested, dont make long lists.

I find that having at least one thing on the list that produces a visible result helps to motivate me. If I walk out to the shop, and see the result of my work:D

First time I lit up the panel was a huge boost-------made it a lot easier to finish all the rest of the wiring.

Carry on, the doldrums you are now in are actually a sign of progress...
 
Thanks everyone, the advice is much appreciated. The idea of making lists is something I've done sporadically, but not regularly. Perhaps it's time to do it for all the remaining tasks, but not all at once, and maybe not to the last detail.

When I do make lists, there are some tasks that just branch fractally into subtasks, which can make it look like there's more to do than there is. I guess I'm just at that point where my subconscious lizardbrain is saying "I've worked on this for a long time, I want to go flying now."
 
Don't forget!

I can't remember all the things I forgot!

The clear focus comes from good health practices.

Get enough sleep, eat enough food. Junk is not really food even though they call it junk food.

When you want to work on your plane and you feel foggy, clean and organize it will at least make your next work session be less trouble by having to find the dang whatever it was you thought you needed.

The prepared area is a big thing that makes me want to go out and work the next session.

I had a few of these issues, I was working 9-10 hrs at work and still got 80+ construction hours last month.

Take your time and enjoy the experience:)

Best Wishes!
 
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