[Lemmingman]

I see on many builders sites they have a detailed log of how much time they spend on this component or that component. Does the FAA want that accurate a log of your activity on the plane? I looked around last night and didn't see anything to indicate that they care, one way or the other. Are the times there just for the fun of it, or is there some other reason I am missing to track it?

 

[aarvig]

Time keeping is not required.

Having said that, I keep a log just so that some day I can look back and see just what it took to build a plane. You do need to prove to the FAA that you actually built it. To do this keep a photographic log.

 

[DickDe]

logs & pictures

I kept a very complete written log on my RV6 construction and a picture album, which was done with a film camera as digital was still in its infancy yet. The DAR did not ask to see any of it while certifying the airplane but he was interested in engine runup time, weight and balance, proper logbook enteries, etc..

But after the airplane was certified, I went down to the FSDO office to get my experimental builder repair certificate. I took everything I had including receipts which could prove I actually built it. After having a discussion with the FSDO inspector and offering to show him my records, the only thing he wanted was a few pictures of the project during construction with myself in the picture. He glanced through the rest of the album quickly and went through my engine & airframe logbooks, registration, airworthiness certificate, and my Operations Limitation Letter fairly thoroughly before signing off on my repairmans certificate. He did not look at my builders log at all nor did he want to see any of Van's receipts. My impression was that I had to prove to him that I actually built this airplane and I complied with the 51% rule although he never said anything to that affect.

Now I am in the middle of an RV8 project and I have the same written log but with digital images. I don't know if I will make another album, use a disc, or carry a zip drive with the pictures but I will have more than enough to prove I deserve that certificate otherwise I will not be able to do the yearly condition inspection.

Dick DeCramer
RV6 N500DD flying since 2004
RV8 fuselage in canoe stage
Northfield, MN

 

[DaAV8R]

Build Log

I have been trying to keep a log of my work time. As far as I'm concerned, its a giant pain in the *$#. I doubt mine will make it to the end. I get enough paperwork at the office and I don't have much interest in doing it in my basement. I'm thinking an estimate at the end of each month would be a decent compromise. I can't imagine proving you built the thing is that big of a problem when you know every rivet in the machine, have pics and witnesses.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[wvshooter]

I'm amazed that anyone would take the time to log hours worked. I'm building a Mustang II from plans which means I am fabricating the majority of parts from raw stock. I would be the most depressed person in town if I actually knew how many hours I'm investing. I don't want to know. I also don't want to know how much money I am spending.

For me building is about the doing. Of course I'm taking lots of digital photos and occasionally will appear in a photo. The photos are plenty of documentation that I actually built the thing.

An honest account of all the tasks and hours would fill up hundreds of pages and would be unrealistic to try to keep track of.

 

[fixnflyguy]

Use the construction manual as the log

I had no request for any written log to present to the FAA during my inspection. However, since I manage aircraft overhaul for a living, and my RV-4 took me over 15 years to complete,I found it ideal to simply write in my construction manual along the way with simple check marks adjacent to the steps I had completed, as well as an occasional date on the page. It will surprise you how much you may forget if you happen to take a month off..or more. I also keep a simple calendar in my shop, and jot down very basic tasks I worked each week. That will give you a snapshot of how often you actually work,but not take much time..I have 15 calendars in my"box-o-****"..kind of neat to look back and reflect on !
Bill E.
RV-4/N76WE
Phase 1
Advance NC (8A7)

 

[Mel]

Accurate time keeping is not required...

All you need is some kind of chronological log showing that you constructed the aircraft over a time period. In many instances a DAR will not spend a lot of time looking over your log because he will know if you built the aircraft after talking with you for just a few minutes.

 

[Ironflight]

I'm amazed that anyone would take the time to log hours worked...

But many of us are engineers, and simply can't help keeping track of such things!

No useful purpose really, except when people ask how long it takes to build one of these things - then we have actual DATA to give them!

As Mel says, no requirement at all....but it only takes me a few seconds to add to a speadhseet that we keep up on a computer by the shop door.

Paul

 

[Bob Axsom]

ARGH!

To difficult to keep track of what you are doing or keep a decent record of something that is costing a fortune in money and unrecoverable time out of you life - You can't be bothered with the historical significance to you, your family and anyone interested in what you are doing - ARGH! Never mind, go play.

Bob Axsom

 

[chipf]

What Paul said.

I'm tracking it because I'm a complete nerd. I recorded my pool temperature for five years, and my run/bike/swim distances. Tracking data is part of my genome.

The charm seems to have worn off this winter, I'm only accurate to about an hour, if I even record the entry: "1.3 hrs, yet more wiring" - just doesn't have the same appeal that it used to.

But my rivet count is still accurate to better than 1%.

 

[roee]

Yep, us engineers...

But many of us are engineers, and simply can't help keeping track of such things!

I'm an engineer, and even worse, I bill my clients by the hour, so keeping an accurate log of time worked is a matter of habit. So when I started building the RV, naturally that's what I did. Until one day I realized that it made it feel too much like (gasp) WORK! Now I'm still carefully documenting my build process (with emphasis on the interesting stuff: problems, solutions, modifications, not the mundane...), but no longer logging number of hours worked, at all. I have since put in countless hours (pun intended) on the project, and have enjoyed every minute of it!

 

[wil]

I'm just getting into my build and have no intention of logging hours. I am planning on writing a brief description of progress for each work session, one to three sentences max.

I work six months each year and will work on the project the other six months. I'm a photographer and will document the build with a photo record and will let the camera log the pictures by date and time.

During the six months of the year I'll be building I, don't even wear a watch and live in shorts and tee shirts. I usually don't even know which day of the week it is or the time of day. Keeping track of the hours I build is a waste of time for me. All I care about is finishing the task at hand and moving on to the next. When I run out of tasks, I'll go flying.