The reason why I said wait for awhile is that there are some decisions you may not have made or are prepared to make today. Van's kits are clearly put together for the masses to have a very sucessful build and an attempt to keep prices reasonable. There is nothing wrong with building a default standard kit.
Some folks like to upgrade some of the components for a variety of reasons. It's not my intent to promote or convince anyone that these are better than the standard kit options, but only to inform that options are out there. Only you can decide what is best for your project.
BTW, I do agree with Bill. The Cee Bailey windows are a much better final product than the ones in the Finish kit, plus you don't have to go through all the issues getting them to fit. If they were available when I purchased my Finish kit and knowing what I had to do, I would probably go that route. But if you are on a budget and have the time available, the Van's windows are in majority of flying RV-10s.
Tim Olson has lists of the contents of all the kits on his site. The FWF contents can be found at:
http://myrv10.com/files/kitparts/FF-10_IO-540_CT10-3.DOC
If you order the Van's FWF kit and the Van's OEM engine, you also need to order the bushing kit from Van's for the alternator. It's about $30. It should be standard in the kit and I don't know why it isn't. Search the archives if you want the history behind this issues.
The FWF kit assumes that you are installing the standard OEM Lycoming 540. If you have another engine and the accessories aren't identical, some of the lengths of the controls and hoses may not be correct.
If you have extensive avionics and perhaps AC, you may want a 70a alternator instead of the standard 60a.
Many builders upgrade the Aero-Classic or Niagara coolers to an Airflow.
If you install a panel other than the default, such as the Aerosport Products, you'll need your control cables to be about 3" longer than what's in the kit. Some have made the ones in the kit work, but they are extremely tight.
With non-standard accessories, the hoses may not be the correct length. Other mods like a Barrett cold air sump or Rod Bower's Ram air relocated the position of the fuel controller. Other folks want custom hoses from either TS Flightlines or Bonaco.
So if you decide to do some of these modifications, then there really isn't much left in the FWF kit except for the exhaust and baffle kits.
I think the same logic applies to the electrical kit. Van's has designed a very good kit that meets a very frugal VFR design standard and makes it easy for a very non-technical person to install sucessfully. The problem is that very few RV-10s that I've seen that the builder was satisifed with this electrical design. Especially if you intend to fly IFR. I am of the belief that the majority of RV-10 builders either elect to implement on of Bob Nuckoll's Z designs or go with a Vertical Power unit like a VP/X or VP-400.
With all these options, there is no right or wrong decision. The problems with the forums is that everyone tends to promote the solution they used and will debate like they are defending their religion.
- Determine you requirements
- Research the options that will meet your requirements
- Then make the decision on what to purchase to satisfy you requirements.
I can or anyone else can share why we made the decisions we did, but that is just antedotal information. Our mission requirements may be different and require different approaches.
It's going to take awhile to build the first couple kits. Use that time to do your research and formulate your decisions. If it turns out you want a basic, plans built RV-10. Great! Or if you want a loaded RV-10 with all the popular modifications, that is great too! The decision is yours. Good luck with your build.
.
