sahrens

sahrens

Well Known Member
As I continue working on my fuselage I sometimes have to step back and think, am I extending the building time searching for perfection or is this good enough.

I would like some insight on how some of you that have finished walk that line attempting to avoid perfection becoming the enemy of good enough.

Any thoughts.
 
Don't let completionitus effect your judgement

Take as long as it takes to do every job the best you can. It took me 8 years to complete our RV-6A and it is as good as I could make it. I have no regrets. That is what I think you want to feel when you are done. The build process should not be rushed because there are a lot of things that can be done many ways and the best is not always obvious. The one commitment I made was to use what I received in the kit and not order replacement parts - ever. There is always a way to fix discrepancies without starting over.

Bob Axsom

P.S. I lived in Petaluma in 1955 while stationed at Hamilton AFB.
 
Last edited:
This is a great question and you're bound to get a few different perspectives. Mine is a little different than Bob's. I looked at my build as being above average (actually well above average for most of it). There were some things I could've done better on, but I made sure that everything I did was at least structurally sound, and in most cases well above that. I don't have the skill that a lot of builders on VAF have, but I have prior experience working on airplanes in the Navy for 8 years.

I very well could have been extremely careful with every rivet that was set and every wire run, making sure that it was "show quality", etc. But, I also didn't want to spend more than the average amount of time building a Quickbuild RV-7A kit. So it's a trade off. To me, the extra time making sure everything was in the top 1% or better of "beautification" just wasn't worth it. I made sure it was all structural and strong, which actually leads to a pretty decent looking airplane when you're done.

I've seen some airplanes out there that look much worse than mine, and I'll bet that they are strong and fly well. My recommendation to you is to build in as much quality as you can stand...just don't ever let your level of quality fall below average! ;)
 
Hello Scott,

It sounds to me like you have discovered the secret that many who never finish do not - Perfection is impossible. If you let yourself get bound to it, then unless you are a virtuoso working on his umpteenth airplane, completion is doubtful.

"Good Enough" can usually be measured in small increments - the degree to which you polish edges, debur holes, drill, countersink, rivet, etc. Building the airplane is simply a matter of stacking a few tens of thousands of these small operations together. Building the tail should have given you the confidence to judge your fabrication and assembly work, but if you are still unsure, then it is possibly time for a Tech Counselor visit to look over how you do things, and hopefully give you some confidence in how you are doing.

Independent eyes are very valuable if you are building primarily alone, and have no previous experience. Get them early and often, so that you can learn to judge the quality yourself. these are not spacecraft we are building - they are airplanes. I frequently describe Cubs as "farm equipment", because that is how they were built - by men in the early part of the last century who were used to building things with what they had.

RV's are obviously more sophisticated, but they are designed to be built by mortals. Get another set of eyes - or two - on the project, and you'll probably be surprised that you know more than you think.

Paul
 
Last edited:
Good Job

Scott, Paul dye hit the nail on the head. From what I've seen you are going to have a really nice plane. Perfection is illusive. Steve
 
The multiple eyes have it...

As Steve and Paul suggest, have a few experienced builders look things over. I was always surprised to hear when I critiqued one of may parts in front of my peers the comment was usually "that's better than the one I made."
Ken Scott also had a very usefull thought when he visited my project early on.
"Your building an airplane, not a watch."
 
You know, Scott, when I started my project, I had already been to Oshkosh enough times to have seen the incredible rise in quality that it took to become an award winner over the years. I'm enough of a realist to have looked at my project early on and -- yes, even after making and remaking the same empennage parts until they were "perfect" -- come to the conclusion that I was not building a plane to win awards. I was building it to fly it.

I think my total revelation came when I went over one of Lyle Heffel's beautiful planes. It really became clear to me -- he's done this before. He's a very talented and experienced builder with mechanical abilities that I don't possess and never will. I had never held a rivet gun before. I'd never used a band saw. Never hooked up an engine of any sort. And, if you want to know how really stupid I am, ask Danny King how many times he had to explain to me what a "buss" is ... :D

Smokey will never win any awards at Oshkosh. I might win Best of Show at some small fly-in somewhere because I think it will be a unique head-turner once he's painted. But you know, if no awards are ever forthcoming, I'll be quite happy because I'm pretty sure it's as solid as most other RVs out there, and it flies pretty straight and true.

And THAT'S why I built it.

As Tony Horton says, "Just do your best ... and forget the rest."
 
Flying Scotsman said:
I'm reminded of Tin Cup:

"[The golfer gives] A little nod to the gods...That he is fallible. That perfection is unobtainable."

:)
Click to expand...
You KNOW in your gut if the work you have done is excellent, par, sub par, or marginal. That your airplane is a reflection of the quality control standards you hold your self to is accountability as it should be. Like golf, you can't really cheat and expect to achieve. Unlike golf ...feel free to take as many Mulligans as it takes to get your airplane built right.

Seldom quoted, here's another gem from Roy: "You define the moment or the moment defines you." Roy McAvoy Tin Cup
 
I often think of the phrase "why isn't there time to do it right, but always time to do it over?" I'm definitely shooting for quality over quantity, but I'm not obsessing about it either. If I can only get so much done in the time I have available, so be it. The last thing I want on my mind is that questionable rivet I decide was "good enough" during the build. In other words, like that "gut feeling," if I know I could do it better, or If I say to myself "that's good enough," it probably isn't.
 
unobtainable

"One who stives for perfection must settle for excellence."

George Meketa
RV8, N444TX, 1013hrs.
 
Our projects sort of mirror our personalities. If all the details of your life are near perfect, then I suppose your plane should be also. But if you are average in life, then I see it as perfectly acceptable to have an average plane. When it's a question of airworthiness, that is never to be questioned of course, but hey, I was a "B" student in school, I'd give my plane a "B" also. That doesn't mean I don't get jealous when I see some of the true "works of art" that some guys create with their planes. They should be proud. I really do want mine to be great also. I am doing my best, I am sure others do the same.
 
In all seriousness...I think I've spent as much on replacement parts as the actual kit itself, in striving to make things as close to perfect as I can get them and being unwilling to settle for parts that I've mucked up which would be "okay" but not "perfect" (whatever that means).

I want this plane, just like I want my work at the office, to be the absolute best I can make it. I may not be able to afford the top-of-the-line avionics stack and the world's prettiest, most dazzling paint job, but what I want at the end is a clean, well-built, pretty airplane with nice (IFR capable) avionics, that will reflect well on me and my skills.

Plus, I'm planning on polished aluminum, so it forces me to be extra diligent in all of the skins and structure...can't hide any imperfections with paint! :)

(and we only allow one mulligan per 9 on the course, BTW).
 
I don't set my goals in terms of perfection, I set them in terms of functionality. What is it that I'm trying to achieve and what is necessary to achieve that goal?

I've built too many bikes and things, put a huge amount of work into them just to see them get messed up the first time I take them out.

It reminds me of a friend who road raced motorcycles. Whenever he took home a new bike he ceremonially hit the gas tank with a ball peen hammer. His explanation is that way he won't feel so bad the first time the bike gets scratched up.

So my goals are not to build a machine to make everyone ooh and aah. It's to build something that I will enjoy. If I get a few oohs and aahs along the way, that's just an added bonus.

Your mileage may vary.
 
Strive for perfection, but don't dwell on it...

My advice is to strive for perfection, but don't dwell on it. Do the best you can do and then move on. As others have said, you will know if it is "good enough."

The best advice I've seen is to seek advice of a Tech Counselor or two, or three... the earlier, and more often, the better. They have the experience to advise if your work is up to par, over par, or under par, and they WILL let you know.

I have, so far, done the best I can do, and have gotten good reviews from tech counselors, but I don't think I'm building a show plane... good enough for me.

Above all, I truly believe I am building a safe, reliable, flyable aircraft, and that is my goal. I will confidently fly my family members in it when done.
 
perfection

In all seriousness...I think I've spent as much on replacement parts as the actual kit itself, in striving to make things as close to perfect as I can get them and being unwilling to settle for parts that I've mucked up which would be "okay" but not "perfect" (whatever that means).
Click to expand...

Me too, my bank account tells my wife that I've built a four seat twin ! If you bump into her, don't say anything, I'm sure she hasn't realised! ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.