Don Jones

Don Jones

Well Known Member
I now have a 400lb box of aluminum on it's way to me. Scheduled to arrive Tuesday the 19th. Empennage is 99% complete, guess I better get busy and make preperations to start building some wings:)

Hope the spars are OK!
 
Prepare to be overwhelmed! Gotta update your sig ;)

My fuse is shipping next week, so I'm in the same boat. I need to get those flaps and ailerons done!
 
Don,

I remember when my wing kit arrived. After unpacking and inventorying everything, I sat down and almost started crying while thinking, "What have I done? I just spent how much on all this stuff? I'll never finish it!"

The next day I was down in the shop working on the first holes.

Well, after one year and 180+ trouble free hours, the RV continues to impress me.

Keep pounding those rivets, all the time and money is worth it!
 
Lionclaw said:
Prepare to be overwhelmed! Gotta update your sig ;)

My fuse is shipping next week, so I'm in the same boat. I need to get those flaps and ailerons done!
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Ok signature updated, now to update the website. Wow, didn't realize how far behind that was getting. Too busy banging rivets I guess;)
 
Good deal. Now the fun part really begins. I really enjoyed the wings. Well, ok, getting the leading edge skins to fit the ribs was a tremendous pain. I am glad my hands then were not as arthritic as they are now, but with the wings, you get to see a big structure come together and, like Bill indicated, you begin to see what you have gotten yourself into. Don't get overwhelmed. I remember, one of the first things you have to do is rivet a bizzillion nut plats and it sure gets boring, but visible progress comes pretty quickly and seeing the wing spars with the ribs mounted is a real thrill.

Have fun, don't stress, take it a step at a time, and in a while, you will have two beautiful wings needing a fuselage.
 
Don- I am a month into my wings and they really seem to come together quickly. I'm building both wings at same time.
 
That's my plan as well!

jmbrwn said:
Don- I am a month into my wings and they really seem to come together quickly. I'm building both wings at same time.
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Cool, that is what I am planning to do. Get all the drudgery out of the way at the same time. These things would be quick to build if it wasn't for all the de-burring, dimpling, wash rinse, repeat;)
I am really looking forward to building the wings. Then I will feel that I really have an airplane under construction.
So far it has been an educational and interesting process. I really enjoy building this stuff. Almost as much as I will flying it:D
 
I think the wings took me about 3x as long as the tail kit to finish. For me, x was about one month. Depending upon your particular value of "x", don't wait too long to order the fuselage kit. Once your wings are done, you won't be able to stand waiting for the fuselage kit to show up.
 
Don,
Keep us posted on the state of your wing spars, with respect the great mis-bent spar fiasco that recently surfaced. You might have one of the first kits shipped after Van's fixed the problem.

My wing kit ships in about 1 month, and I'm getting very anxious!
 
chipf said:
Don,
Keep us posted on the state of your wing spars, with respect the great mis-bent spar fiasco that recently surfaced. You might have one of the first kits shipped after Van's fixed the problem.

My wing kit ships in about 1 month, and I'm getting very anxious!
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I will do that, probably the first thing I will check once I get my hands on it. Surely they are checking them now before shipping them:confused:
 
So now the tail kit is done!

Finished the trailing edges this weekend as well as rolling the rudder leading edge. Man is that a pain in the butt. I was worried about the trailing edges, piece of cake! Now to clean up and get ready for the wing kit to arrive.
 
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