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E. D. Eliot

Well Known Member
Will be starting my 12 build in a month or two and will start construction with the empennage as per Van's instructions. I am a novice aircraft builder and since garage space is somewhat limited, I am wondering if there are any disadvantages to leaving the 'tailcone' build until I get the front of the fuselage built?

So, to those who are way ahead of me in the building process, please advise - thanks very much.
 
If I were to do it again I would do it in this order.

Fuse
Tail cone
finish
avionics
power plant
vertical and horizontal
wing
 
E.D.,

Good to hear you willl be going ahead with the project. Order of build depends on many factors. One big one is experience level. If you were an experienced builder, delaying the empenage would be OK. However - as an inexperienced builder working on a first airplane project, I would definitely suggest doing the empenage first. That's because it is a great place to learn all the new skills on relatively simple structures. If I had done the fuselage first I might have given up when I got to the longerons, for instance.

If storage space is a big concern, you could wait on the wings. Mine have been taking up space in the garage for months, and they will be sitting there for many months more.

I will be doing the Avionics Kit last. I was in the computer business, and I know how fast electronics becomes obsolete. I would rather wait until I am just about ready to fly to get the latest engineering levels in hardware and software.

Hope this helps.

John
 
Tailcone or complete empennage kit?

Hi,

The empennage kit includes fin, rudder, horizontal tail, and the tailcone. If you are proposing to start with the fin, rudder, and horizontail tail, but leaving out the tailcone, this seems a reasonable option. As a beginning builder you will learn the necessary skills with the first three components, allowing you to move on without doing the tailplane at that stage. That's my personal view, also as a beginning builder.

For me the tailcone was a nuisance taking up lots of space until I recently nailed it the the fuselage.

Cheers...Keith
 
Agree with Keith

I generally agree with Keith. I am in that early group of builders who did the wings first because that was the first kit. Mine have also been sitting for many months. On the flip side- I am glad to have the wings behind me. They have the most deburring, most rivets, etc and become pretty monotonous. However, I would not wait until the very end to build the wings either, as you need them to drill the flaperon torque tubes-something that gets hard to do from an access perspective after the turtle deck skins are on (like several other builders, I have left those skins off much longer than the plans suggest). As a new builder, I too would avoid doing the fuselage first. It was definitely the most complex part- having many parts and requiring the most complex fabrication steps (mainly the longerons).
 
What about 21-10 Step 9?

The fuselage plans say to closely fit, by filing, the F-1203C fuselage spar receptacles to the stub spars of both wings. How do you do that if you don't have the wings?

As for waiting for the latest avionics hardware, we are almost two years since kit release now and still don't have the light kit, or the dual display. I doubt if there will be any hardware re-engineering in the next two years on the avionics. By that time most of us will be flying.

Space required can be a problem, I am working in a two car garage and have rented space near by. I justify that considering that when the plane is ready to hangar, I will have to outlay hangar rent anyway.

Tony
 
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When do you want to start?

When I finally made the decision to build, well, I was excited and ready to get started. So, for me that meant the empennage was first(Since it was immediately available).

I ordered my emp, fuse, and wings late October. The emp kit arrived second week of November and is now completed. The wings are scheduled next for delivery in early January, and the fuse not until the last week of January.

I thought the same way about the correct order to do this, but at some time either way you will have major assemblies to set aside for a while.

I am glad I did the emp first - It was a good place to begin from a skills development perspective.. Although I am looking forward to those longerons and the rest of the fuse it will be good to have wings tucked away just waiting.
 
I would build the tail cone now. The fusegage and tailcone are about 16'5" long total. I have been building in a hanger and just brought the fuselage to my house for the avionics and paint prep. The wings do take up a lot of space and I would concur to wait on them.
 
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