Doing anything that's not in the plans just burns time. Any kind of modification seems to take an age.
This is VERY true! Just adding the throttle quadrant added about 40 hours because I had to figure out how to do it. I could do it again in about two hours. Would I do it again, if it took me 40 hours, heck yes!
It was also surprising how long it took to get to go from a "finished airframe" to a flying aeroplane. Mid you we did fit an alternative engine and that just burned time (probably at least one year of our 6-year build).
Dave
In talking with many builders, this is where they slow down and stop. Some builders complain about the wiring because it looks like you are not making any progress. However, I drew up my schematic and checked each wire off as I installed and tested. So, I was making progress and I could tell by the checkmarks on my schematic I was moving along, it never slowed me down.
No, I didn't fab anything until it was required by the plans...
When I pre-made parts, I would put them away so I could find them when the time was right. Sure enough, when the right time came, I couldn't find them until after I made the replacement parts. I'm not thinking there was any time savings in there.
However, when I would get tired of working on one thing, I would do something else. I remember building the seats out of sequence and not back-to-back (no pun intended.). I just needed to rivet something, so I made a seat back.
Fiberglass might as well have been from outer space when I started on my RV. A couple of the local canard builders showed me how to work with the stuff and I?m at peace with it now. It is really kind of cool to work with.
Just remember, none of it flies until all of it flies.