ccarter

ccarter

Well Known Member
These are things I constantly say to myself while in the shop (no really, I mean it!) while working on the "7".

Surely you guys and gals out there have more you can add to the list....


1. ?You cannot build quickly you can only build constantly?
2. ?The second one?s always better?
3. ?You can always cut more off but you can?t cut more on?
4. ?You can always drill more out but you can?t drill more in?
5. ?Match drill EVERYTHING!, or at least whenever possible?
6. ?Fingers make poor drilling clamps. (Honey, pass the band aids please?.?) :eek:
7. ?Do not hope it will work, KNOW it will work?
8. ?If it was easy everybody would be doing it?
9. ?When in serious doubt, make a new one?
10. ?Finishing is better than starting?
 
Good thread!

Here is what I kept telling myself during the build:

"Doing your best is OK, but doing it right is better"

"Don't let money stop your progress, get it somehow"

"The hardest part of any job is getting started"
 
As I would work on some small part I had to keep telling myself...

None of it flies until all of it flies!
 
Guilty as charged.

Time spent on the computer/VAF website is time not working on the plane.
 
Mike S said:
Time spent on the computer/VAF website is time not working on the plane.
Click to expand...

Actually, time spent on the web researching how others before you did it can indeed save time! I have avoided a few mistakes that way - and could have avoided more had I taken the time to do the research or ask a question about something I wasn't sure about before I messed it up.
 
11. Turning your first crosswind...after your first takeoff...in the plane you built....you will say out loud to nobody in particular, "It was worth it."
 
I say to myself, whenever tempted to take a questionable shortcut, "If EVER I had a job that my life depended on, this is it." TR
 
Oh yes

Guilty here. I can't build from work, but during those half english/half german conf calls, yes, research! Motivation! Rick 90432 wings.
 
Pre-loading....

If a fastener is pulling two parts into alignment against their will, the two parts are not yet properly fitting togetehr....or you're putting them together wrong.

Never rivet until you have to, never drill until you have to, never cut until you have to....
 
Thinking is Fundamental

1-Never start a task where you don't understand the objective, the process and the failure modes.
2-A hole not clecoed during the match drilling sequence is one that will be misaligned.
3-When a mistake is made there is a suitable fix that does not require fabricating a new part or assembly.
4-When a cosmetic imperfection screams for scrapping the part or assembly, take it as punishment for poor workmanship, a learning experience and Move on - unless it is major it fades to nothingness as work progresses.
5-If it doesn't look right, stop and think it through as far as you have to to the completed airplane to understand how it should be.
6-A new process is an opportunity to learn, cherish it.
7-No matter how awkward a task is, there is a tool you can buy or make to complete it properly.

Bob Axsom
 
You pay for your mistakes...Van's Aircraft will not give you free replacement parts :eek:

you can be upset with yourself, your tools, your anything, But never show that you're upset with your helper.... Ahhh... at least that's what I hear. :eek:
 
There are a finite number of parts in the finished aircraft. Therefore, every part completed, no matter how small, is one step closer to the first flight.
 
scottg said:
There are a finite number of parts in the finished aircraft. Therefore, every part completed, no matter how small, is one step closer to the first flight.
Click to expand...

That's true UNTIL you start making "improvements" to the design :D
 
-- Perfection is impossible. At first you will not believe this applies to you, but it does.
-- Pain is temporary. The drill-hole in your finger will heal.
-- Listen carefully to the subtle advice of those who have done this before. They will not always yell advice into your ear.
-- You can learn more in 1500 hours of building than in 16 years of school.
-- Every once in a while, on a sunny day, when everyone else is flying and you're in the shop, it is necessary to leave the project for a while and just go join them.
-- Don't contemplate the size of the entire project at once. Take it one small task at a time. Before you know it, you will have made substantial progress without even realizing it.
-- Take care of your tools and they will reward you.
-- Do not breathe primer fumes! Not even a little bit.
 
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