Thanks for sharing Randy - fantastic!
I debated this and I know they can affect flight characteristics. But, I wanted reduced drag for engine cooling. Glad I did, my CHT's were 389-402. Not sure what they would have been with increased drag without pants. It flew pretty well. A little left yaw. I'll take them off later after CHT's come down with more break-in time.
Yesterday was a big day for N783V! She got her Special Airworthiness Certificate!
The D.A.R. was great! If you're anywhere near Central Texas (San Antonio area) I highly recommend Boyd Kempf for FAA inspection. He's retired from FAA and knows his stuff. Plus, he had a very "helpful" spirit and attitude. He found some squawks, but we were able to correct before he left.
Today is 1st flight! It's 5:44 am, headed to airport for approx 7:30 am flight for the cooler a.m. temps.
Thank you Les Bourne! My EAA tech counselor, mentor and friend for ALL the knowledge and help to make this happen!!
David,
NICE WORK! Wow! I can tell you are going to have a quality built plane on your hands!
Any words of wisdom that helped you land a Reserve Grand Champion and Bronze Lindy? Is there a list someplace that outlines what judges are looking for in a quality build?
Here's what I learned from Sun N Fun and Osh judging. Judges look for "quality of build" and "innovation". Though judges are very tight lipped about what they are specifically looking at, here's what I observed. For quality of build they look at rivets, alignment and gaps very closely. For alignment, they want the wing tips, ailerons, and flaps (in reflex) to all line up in a straight line and at bottom of fuse (not below) when done. They also look at elevators. Make sure you have both flush with horizontal stabilizer. You'd be surprised how many don't line up. Also they look at gap lines between control surfaces. Make sure they are gapped properly and straight. They also look at even and uniform paint gap in cowling lines. This took me FOREVER to get straight! Be patient and you will get there.
For innovation, not sure exactly what they value. I have many "innovations" but most were not my idea or build. For example, Aerosport center console and throttle quadrant. It wasn't per plans, but I didn't build it either. So, not sure what they value or not....
And lastly, quality paint! At Sun N Fun, of the awards given, most every award winner had Evoke Aviation involved in some way. Jonathan either designed their paint scheme, painted the plane, or both. He's not cheap, but he is good!
In case you haven't see it, here's a video tour of my plane. You can see from it how good Jonathan did on the paint.
https://youtu.be/DT0xSpBLDkU
From the pics on your build, it looks like you pay very close attention to detail. Keep it going till the end and I'll bet you win an award too!
Way to go Krea! Huge milestone! Very happy for you and am always impressed when someone sees their project across the finish line!
That's fantastic Krea! Congrats on that huge milestone!
-Marc
Krea----CONGRATS my friend!! Job well done.
Tom
Excellent! Congrats Krea!
But not one that's very soon.
What date was your order placed, for this crating date? Very recently or some time ago? As this seems to be the same as the current Van’s lead time but I am aware it fluctuates frequently
I ordered in late November 2022. The crating date has slipped even more, now estimated July 28-August 18 2023. Hard to get excited or motivated at this point.
I ordered in late November 2022. The crating date has slipped even more, now estimated July 28-August 18 2023. Hard to get excited or motivated at this point.
Do I need butter?
Step 6: Radius the corners at the forward end of the
VS-705 Nose Rib and VS-706 Tip Rib flanges to
ease fit when the skins are installed. See Figure 2
and Section 5.2.
Similar boat... Ordered Mid October! Received update email to expect mid-July crating and now I log in and see the same late-July to mid-August crating. Wonder if it has anything to do with the SB from last week and new hinge brackets.
Oh well, hopefully it will be waiting for me when we get back from OSH!
I was in the same boat... Van's sent me on a little bit of a rollercoaster. I ordered on 9/26/22, and it was originally intended to crate April-May of this year... and then it got moved to Jul 9 2023 - Jul 30 2023 earlier this month... and on this Monday it got moved to Jan 30 2023 - Feb 24 2023... Submitted remainder my payment yesterday, hopefully you get a similar email soon!
Just completed the vertical stabilizer! Took 45.4 man-hours. Definitely underestimated how much work this is going to be!