aarvig

aarvig

Well Known Member
Well, if finally happened. After two years of negotiations with my wife she has given me the green light to start building an RV-7A with the following stipulations:
1.) Building will never get in the way of the family time or money
2.) She calls when I'm in the middle of riveting, I must stop and cheerfully go whereever I am bid.:rolleyes:
3.) The project will take as long as it needs to complete. In other words, I can't rush it just to finish it. My initial estimates are 7-10 years based on time and money. If I don't start now it will just take that much longer to finish.
4.) I have to involve my kids. This was easy. They could be watching TV or playing video games but I think it is much more productive to be involved in such a wonderful project...this was an easy sell:D.
5.) I have to finish half of the basement.
So, I am excited. We are going to celebrate the occasion tonight by giving my wife a ride in an RV-7A. My AOPA mentor and friend Tom Berge who is a tech counsellor and multiple offender is going to do the honors in his beautiful RV-7A.
First step will be to finish the basement. I'm going to do that over the next few months. Additionally, she is allowing me to build the empennage, wings and part of the fuselage in a downstairs bedroom so I have to convert that to a shop. So, a little work before I get started but hopefully by next winter I will be officially started.:D
Any advice on necessary tools, tables, compressors and building would be greatly appreciated. I am building this plane with the RV's simplicity rule. Day/night VFR with 396 GPS, GtX327 Transponder and SL 40 Com. So, to get started I would like to know what tools are REALLY needed to build this thing. I have more time than money right now, so the KISS principle is necessary. Thanks in advance for the tips.
 
Item #1...you are doomed. The plane will take an huge amount of time from your family. You will slowly become obsessed with it. You are smart to set the rules up front. I told my wife that she only had to say "uncle" and I would shut down. Every dime that you spend is taken away from your family. I will sell my plane in a couple of years and use the cash to pay off my mortgage, so in a way, the plane has been an investment...one that is doing much better than my 401K, I am sad to say...view it as investing in Aluminum Futures :)
Item #2 Yes- if she calls, you should shut down and help out. The nice thing about aluminum aircraft is that you can stop in the middle of most tasks without messing things up. If you were building a glass plane, you can't stop in the middle of a layup.
Item #3...7 to 10 years is very realistic. Make them the best years of your life!!!
Welcome to a great passion that will open up many new areas in your life. You are getting ready to learn more than you learned in college and have a better time doing so.
 
Be careful,

My wife chains me to the shop every morning and beats me if I do not make enough daily progress. Heck I have to eat my lunch tied to the landing gear, and she only allows me 15 minutes to do that.
 
N395V said:
Be careful,

My wife chains me to the shop every morning and beats me if I do not make enough daily progress. Heck I have to eat my lunch tied to the landing gear, and she only allows me 15 minutes to do that.
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Same here. I took two months off and it was her who suggested I get back to work on it. I love her SO much!
 
Project

Hi Dr.

Welcome to the wonderful World of RV's. Do yourself a favor and look for a project in progress. You'll save time and money.

As others have said, you're pretty much in trouble with 1-4!!!

Have fun. Welcome!!!!
 
Last night my wife bucked rivets in the lower fuselage skin! When I started building, she only gave me one requirement... her car stays in the garage.
 
Focus on the airplane

If your wife has agreed to this then she has bought into the whole deal and I'm sure she is aware of it. You have to establish the fact that there is no option to give up. If you start saying things like "this is too hard - I'm going to let this slide for a while" think how that is going to make her feel after she has sacrificed so much to help make this airplane possible. It will break down her faith in you and she will be depressed that her sacrifices were for a whim of yours. Don't be too easy to drop everything when the little missy gets a little testy - hand her a bucking bar and tell her what needs to be done to complete the ongoing task.

Bob Axsom
 
Just don't put that in writing!

Avoid the rush now and get divorced now.

Once you start on your "aluminum mistress" the wife will never understand nights you spend working on 1 project for 3 days.


Just kidding, on the divorce thing only! LOL
 
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N395V said:
Be careful,

My wife chains me to the shop every morning and beats me if I do not make enough daily progress. Heck I have to eat my lunch tied to the landing gear, and she only allows me 15 minutes to do that.
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Does she have an unmarried sister? :D
 
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1) THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD..... Whats that dear? Can't hear you over the rivet gun...

2) THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD..... Whats that dear? Can't hear you over the rivet gun...

3) THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD..... Whats that dear? Can't hear you over the rivet gun...

4) THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD..... Whats that dear? Can't hear you over the rivet gun...

5) THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD..... Whats that dear? Can't hear you over the rivet gun...

:D
 
I only see one set of rules here. What are your rules? What you consider to be non-selfish amount of time may not be her's.

Go ahead and order the book! You aren't building yet but have something to read (part of getting ready to build). Also, since you are going to finish the basement, lay in wait for a empanage kit to become available that someone bought but hasn't started for a sale price (shows her you are frugal). I see them come up periodically on this site. You can even post a WTB. Same on the tools.

Go ahead and get a decent air compressor. You'll need it for the plane and for that pneumatic brad nailer used for triming out the basement.
 
Hey Aaron!

Now that your wife has experienced Tom's RV-7A in flight, you guys should stop over together so she can see what and RV-7 looks like in progress. We can talk about tools, the space you will need and how to stop working when summoned from above! :)

By the way, Tom was nice enough (or evil enough) to give me my first ride in an RV in 2004. The Piper Warrior I was flying at the time was just never the same again!

In the spirit of keeping our marriage a priority during the build, Beth and I set up "work nights" where she knows that I'll be working in the shop until late. This helped us because she now expects that I'm unavailable on those evenings and isn't bummed when I'm down there. She even plans to ride her bike (on a trainer) in the shop on a couple of those "work night" during the week. The other side of that deal is that we hang out on the non-work nights and not in the shop! Last night was Friday which is a non-work night. We were heading out to dinner and believe it or not, we saw Tom's yellow RV-7A tearing overhead at about 7:35 pm. That must have been your wife's demo flight!

Give me a call and you guys can swing over!

- Peter

PS - One other thing that keeps Beth motivated about the build is that we fly to see her friends or take little trips in the RV-6 every few weeks. Make sure you plan to keep flying something during your build.
 
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Does she have an unmarried sister? :D__________________
Larry Geiger
Lincoln, NE
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Yes, and she is wealthy. But you would be husband #4 the 1st 3 died.

Hmmmm... maybe that is why she is wealthy.:eek:
 
Thanks everybody!

I appreciate the advice and the humor!:D Kari had a blast last night. It was a perfect night to fly. One thing we have both discovered is the RV community is a really nice family to be a part of. Lots of good people.
Tom flew Kari over our house where our kids and my parents were watching. My dad who used to fly said to my mom as the plane went blasting over "yeah, that ain't no cessna!!":D
Well, I have a lot of work to do and a lot to learn but like I said, 7-10 years to do it in. I'm really looking forward to the process. The minnesota wing of vans air force is pretty active both in terms of flying planes and projects being built. It's nice to know that there is help out there when I get hung up (I am sure that will occur more than once :rolleyes:)
I feel confident the RV is the way to go both in terms of kit quality, engineering quality and support. Thanks Tom for taking my wife for a ride!
 
Glad Kari and everyone had a good time. Nothing like clipping along at 170knts, then landing at 55knts. Van's performance envelope is simply incredible.

Good luck Doc, we'll be here when you need us, or visa versa. ;)

BTW, what kind of DR. are you? Physiologist or proctologist?...... either one and you will get a workout on this forum!
 
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After three years....

Today, I was working on the wiring for the flaps when the Mrs came into the garage and said I need my car washed and I want to show you where to plant the new flowers.

I went right out and washed her car and planted the flowers.

I am into my third year right now.
 
avee8tor13 said:
Today, I was working on the wiring for the flaps when the Mrs came into the garage and said I need my car washed and I want to show you where to plant the new flowers.

I went right out and washed her car and planted the flowers.

I am into my third year right now.
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You are the man! Gotta keep those ladies happy. Based on imput from this forum that seems to be the married mans key to success in building.
 
Geico266 said:
Glad Kari and everyone had a good time. Nothing like clipping along at 170knts, then landing at 55knts. Van's performance envelope is simply incredible.

Good luck Doc, we'll be here when you need us, or visa versa. ;)

BTW, what kind of DR. are you? Physiologist or proctologist?...... either one and you will get a workout on this forum!
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Ha! Nope, I am neither a physiologist or proctologist. I am a chiropractor. So I'm the guy you want to talk to if you bounce any of your landings.:D
 
Aaron, glad things are moving along. I built my plane almost entirely after 9:00 at night, when our kids were young, meaning single digit ages or just past. My wife was always so tired also from chasing three boys that I was the only one up past 9. If you can chip away an hour a night, maybe 5 nights a week, it will get done in 5 or 6 years. You have a realistic view on the time.

Good luck with flight training! We will cross paths...
 
Here's Kari on her first GA plane ride in 10 years. She had a great pilot. It was also her 50K test drive:D Thanks again Tom for taking the time and sharing your beautiful plane.

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Why not suggest SHE get a pilot's license. Talk about increasing your negotiation position!!!!
 
Tom Berge

Tom must be getting a commission from Van's. He gave me my first ride in an RV as well. Excellent salesman.

ff
 
Doc, now is the time to convince her you need a panel like Tom's. WOW!

Stein Air can fix you right up.
 
Geico266 said:
Doc, now is the time to convince her you need a panel like Tom's. WOW!

Stein Air can fix you right up.
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Actually, last night we were both up til 12 pm going through the VAF website and the mothership's website. Kari ACTUALLY said to me; "You need to save up money for one of those GPS things that Tom has in his plane." I couldn't believe it.:D Now the RV affliction has us both!! :D Deep down inside SHE wants an RV just as bad as I do. I'm willing to settle for basic but she wants the goodies. That opens all sorts of doors. ;) I said "honey, that GPS is at least 12 grand plus the Mode S transponder its attached to is about $3500 bucks. She said "I'd feel a lot better if you had it in your plane." Well, looks like I'm saving for a nicer panel. At least 7 years away so I have time. All I have are the preview plans and the cost of this plane is already going up. Gotta keep the wife happy.:D
 
You'll have plenty of time to plan the panel, after several days of checking out vendors and suppliers SnF & OSH. This is a must for anyone contimplating building. Plus your bride will get more hooked on the Van's / VAF community by hanging out with other RV building "widows". I can't wait for the airshow season to start.
 
We are going...

To Oshkosh this year. I am not sure if Kari is going but my 3 year old and I will be there. He already loves planes so we are planning on two days. Hopefully I will get to meet some of you.
 
AlexPeterson said:
Aaron, glad things are moving along. I built my plane almost entirely after 9:00 at night, when our kids were young, meaning single digit ages or just past. My wife was always so tired also from chasing three boys that I was the only one up past 9. If you can chip away an hour a night, maybe 5 nights a week, it will get done in 5 or 6 years. You have a realistic view on the time.

Good luck with flight training! We will cross paths...
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I'll be looking forward to it Alex. We actually talked last summer about building with young families. I always used your story to help my wife understand how it can be done.."there is this guy who built his plane after everyone in the house was sleeping!" It helped seal the deal.
 
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