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Possible Workshop Location in Zurich

islandmonkey

islandmonkey

Well Known Member
I have found an apartment in Zurich with a large enough basement that offers the possibility of being able to build my 3 at home. The basement in this apartment has plenty of natural light through windows at around eye level. It also has a good location for the compressor so that the one and only neighbour will not even hear it. The only drawback is getting the fuselage out once built. I would be able to remove a floor to ceiling window to allow egress of the fuselage from the basement, if the fuselage was narrow enough to go through the window. Failing that the fuselage possibly could be manhandled up the straight staircase and out through a patio door.

Here is a link Zurich Apartment Click on Bilder to see pictures.

My questions are, what is the width of the fuselage at its widest point and the length of the fuselage without the engine mount attached. Also does anyone know the approximate weight of the fuselage without engine mount, instruments, canopy or undercarriage.

Thanks in advance.
 
I don't know about the dimensions, but the completed fuselage structure will weigh less than 230 pounds. Vans lists the crated weight of the fuselage kit as 230 pounds. Subtract 30 pounds from the crate and you are close to 200. I have a TV that weighs more than that...haha
 
Anthony...

Best bet for the dimensions will be the (Preview) Plans. As usual, will always be more complex than 1 or 2 straight numbers, but the relationship between width / height and where it is widest.

Andy
 
Andy Hill said:
Anthony...

Best bet for the dimensions will be the (Preview) Plans. As usual, will always be more complex than 1 or 2 straight numbers, but the relationship between width / height and where it is widest.

Andy
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy, Trouble is my preview plans are in Frankfurt and I am in Zurich. I won't be getting back to Frankfurt until next weekend and I really want to push for this apartment as it has all the right qualifications for my needs. I just need the width of the fuse at its maximum point to ensure I can get it out without demolishing the apartment.

How is your 3 progressing? I have been very busy establishing myself at my new workplace and orientating myself in the local area here in Zurich, so I have not been at VAF very much over the last few weeks.
 
Last edited:
Hi Anthony...

OK: Stn 0 (Firewall) to F-311 (Aft bulkead) is shown as 155 13/32". Measured ours in the jig and ~155.5" ;)

In the area of F303/F-305 (i.e. where you sit) measured 25" tall and 25.5" wide. Might be a fraction less.

Weight will be trivial I would think - you'd strip out anything heavy, and 2 people I would think could carry it easily (Ellie & I could easily lift the RV-8 Fus, and I think that has more seats :rolleyes: )

RV-3 coming on "slowly"... nearly finished the Emp, wing skins being drilled onto skeleton, Fus basically bulkheads largely prepared and on jig...

Andy
 
Andy Hill said:
In the area of F303/F-305 (i.e. where you sit) measured 25" tall and 25.5" wide. Might be a fraction less.
Click to expand...

Don't forget that the belly skin sticks out a couple of inches on either side (under the seat area) to provide the lower wingfuselage fairing - add a couple of inches to the width there. I consider the fuselage to be 24" wide nominally - but add 3" per side for that skin.

Weight is not an issue - Louise and I easily cary the fuse around like a canoe.

Paul
 
flyvans.com said:
sent you a pm...

rgds, bernie
Click to expand...


Thank You VAF.

Here is me a Brit working in Switzerland wanting for one heck of a long time to build an aeroplane and not having the opportunity, up until now. I contacted Bernie earlier this week and there is a workshop available 10 minutes from my workplace and at a price that is very affordable. Bernie and I met tonight and I checked out the workshop.The workshop is absolutly fine for my needs and I am looking forward to getting started. Bernie is a very friendly open guy who is just about to put air under the tyres of his newly finished RV-7a. Bernie questioned my desire to build a single seater and I am sure he will be on my case on this subject for a long time. I am looking forward to chatting with Bernie further.

The power of the Internet is amazing. A website hosted in Texas puts two people together in Switzerland and suddenly the world is a better place.

Cheers Doug.
 
rv-3

hi tony,

it was nice meeting you and i'm glad to see that we have a classic win-win situation at hand :)

you're right i will not stop bugging you about the single seater though ;-) and before all the -3 builders shoot me down, ist not particularly only because of the model but also the certification process. Tony will save himself a ton (literally speaking) of engineering paperwork if he builds a model that has already been built/registered. e.g. a 4,6(a),7(a),8,9,10 or 12. So pretty much any RV except the 3. This difference in paperwork equates to lots of money. And since he's the only builder, he'll have to pick up the tab all by himself without being able to split it over several builders as we have been able to.

also resale value and training for it are two additional major points which might be less of an issue in the u.s.
with all the shipping costs, taxes etc... the plane is going to be significantly more expensive compared to what it would cost in the u.s.
so money/protecting value becomes more of a factor.

And Tony, since you're so international anyway, it crossed my mind that several builders in Europe have opted to register in the Netherlands (PH-) even when living outside. I know of a sportcruiser in Switzerland that is PH registered. Don't ask me about its rules and requirements though... But it might avoid you the cost and hassle with the papers on the -3.

rgds,
bernie
 
Bernie, unless Anthoney lets you fly his THREE when it is done, you may never know why he wanted an RV3.
 
Talking about the registration ... I'm a German currently living and working in Durham, UK, but I'm going to get a German registration, and there are more builders outside Germany doing that. What the lady at the OUV explained to me is that the rule "must be build in Germany" essentially means "under German legislation", not necessarily "on German territory". Nevertheless, it makes things easier if you can specify a German post address for the LBA, and maybe explain that in fact your life is centerred there or that you are planning to move back to Germany (which I am), yadda yadda.
 
flyvans.com said:
hi tony,

it was nice meeting you and i'm glad to see that we have a classic win-win situation at hand :)

you're right i will not stop bugging you about the single seater though ;-) and before all the -3 builders shoot me down, ist not particularly only because of the model but also the certification process. Tony will save himself a ton (literally speaking) of engineering paperwork if he builds a model that has already been built/registered. e.g. a 4,6(a),7(a),8,9,10 or 12. So pretty much any RV except the 3. This difference in paperwork equates to lots of money. And since he's the only builder, he'll have to pick up the tab all by himself without being able to split it over several builders as we have been able to.

also resale value and training for it are two additional major points which might be less of an issue in the u.s.
with all the shipping costs, taxes etc... the plane is going to be significantly more expensive compared to what it would cost in the u.s.
so money/protecting value becomes more of a factor.

And Tony, since you're so international anyway, it crossed my mind that several builders in Europe have opted to register in the Netherlands (PH-) even when living outside. I know of a sportcruiser in Switzerland that is PH registered. Don't ask me about its rules and requirements though... But it might avoid you the cost and hassle with the papers on the -3.

rgds,
bernie
Click to expand...

To be honest Bernie, keep reminding me. I like the banter. But also I might ask for a reminder two,three or five years down the track. As Gasman says, you never know, I might let you fly it when its finished.

I had thought of Holland, but they have just lost the World Cup so that is a bad omen. I really want to keep it local and I also want a HB-Y registration.

Hope all goes to plan this week.

Tony.
 
Hi Tony,

thanks for the generous offer of letting me fly... ;-)
however, i do not have any taildragger experience and probably won't have either, so i'll have to skip on that one...

rgds,
bernie

p.s. talked to the rv-4 owner yet?
HB-YKA is the one in Speck:
http://db.experimental.ch:9080/eas-db/form.jsp?search1=yka

also, in the list i did find a 3!!! however, judging from the callsign, this must have been built years ago, before all the requirements regarding paperwork came up...
http://db.experimental.ch:9080/eas-db/make.jsp?search1=van
http://db.experimental.ch:9080/eas-db/form.jsp?search1=ydo
the BAZL register doesn't carry it though, which means it can't be flying yet / not any more.

oh and our first flight won't be until after osh :-( The paper hasn't showed up yet, while Lex left for vacation yesterday.
 
flyvans.com said:
Hi Tony,

thanks for the generous offer of letting me fly... ;-)
however, i do not have any taildragger experience and probably won't have either, so i'll have to skip on that one...

rgds,
bernie
Click to expand...

Bernie,

I am going to be on your case to fly a tail wheel. There is nothing better.

Enjoy Osh and if you could bring me back a VAF baseball cap I will be very happy. I will make sure you get something nice in return like a plate of fish and chips or a pint of warm beer.:p

Cheers Tony
 
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