What was your total build time for your RV-7A

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

I just passed 1,800 hours this afternoon. The fuse is still open to the sky (wiring to do yet so now sense riveting on top skin. Engine is in crate, no avionics yet. But I'd have to say it's been 1,800 of the best hours I've ever spent.

 

[hydroguy2]

still going

just under 300hrs thus far. Long ways to go, no engine, no fiberglass, and no wiring done.

 

[Captain Avgas]

Build to the best of your ability.

The worst RV I've ever seen was built from a flat pack in 12 months.....the builder had so many skeletons in the closet he promptly flogged it off and started on another project which isn't going to be much better. Some people need to pursue excellence and some don't give a rat's rear (it's in the personality).

The best RV I've seen (a major award winner) was built over 7 years. It was a work of great beauty and exhibited finesse and patience in every detail.

My advice to builders is to not be preoccupied with how long it takes other builders to finish their aircraft. It is not the time that matters....it's the quality. So take as long as you need to build something you can feel good about. I keep coming across builders who rushed to get in the air and later expressed considerable disappointment that they didn't build to the best of their abilities.

 

[Jamie Aust]

Hi Bob,
You might want to have people point out if its Q/B or sloooow build, like myself.
Im around the 600 hrs mark, emp/wings done, into aft fuse now. EST it should be in the air next week..... I wish !!!

 

[tacaruth]

Hi Bob,

Here are the hours for my slo-build 7A.

Empennage 181 hours
Wings 469
Fuselage 511
Finish 800 (includes painting)
Total 1,961

Keep the faith. It will be finished.

Tom
RV-7A N175TJ Flying

 

[robertahegy]

Mine was about 1300 hrs over 18 months including paint and interior, but it was a Quickbuild and I consider myself very skilled. I also have a very nice shop at home which helped me to keep working on it regularly. Plus, living on an airport with no flying plane was very motivating. I do work a full time job, as well. My hubby cleaned up after me, which was an immense help. He spent about 5-600 hrs helping me when he wasn't picking up after me. He was a motivated passenger.

Roberta

 

[Webb]

hours

~1509 hours me. 750 hours building helper.

 

[N941WR]

Bob,

I didn't complete your survey as I have a -9, even though the build times should be the same.

It took me over 2800 hours over four years and four months for my slow build to get air under the wheels.

Don't let the hours drive you crazy, it is like hiking. Some guys march through the most beautiful places on earth just to say they hiked the trail in under X days while others take their time and enjoy the scenery. The fast hiker can’t tell you a thing about the beauty but the second guy will tell you about every flower, rock outcropping, waterfall, etc. I've been on both types of hikes and found I enjoyed the journey more than the destination.

Just remember, "Not all who wander are lost."

 

[rv7boy]

Labor Hours

One thing to keep in mind is that not all builders count their hours the same. Some count shop hours, others count "touch hours," i.e., where the builder is actually "touching" hardware. In the defense industry, we used to have to keep up with "FAIT" labor...Fabrication, Assembly, Inspection and Test...all separately. I suspect some folks only count Fabrication and Assembly hours.

Bob, I'm not knocking your survey, but folks shouldn't get depressed because someone built their RV in XXX hours. I've come to find it amusing that we builders sometimes get into this hobby as an escape from work and then we want to compare each other's projects as if we were at work!

Don

 

[Rick6a]

I'll Be There When I Get There

........I'm not knocking your survey, but folks shouldn't get depressed because someone built their RV in XXX hours......

I completely agree with Don on this one. There are so many variables that it is impossible to compare build times unless we all agree on what constitutes actual "build time." How do you measure mulling over plans, problem solving, commuting back and forth to the project ? Related or unrelated, how do you measure the unexpected curve ball that life can sometimes toss in your path? How do we tally the casual visitors who stop by or impromtu bull sessions that often errupt while working or unexpected interruptions caused by waiting for parts or tools? Actual physical "touch labor" labor is easy to measure. But how do you measure time as it relates to key and major purchases some builders are fortunate enough to pay for in cash while others must stagger over time, financed with a credit card?

About the only measurement a bunch of Type A's can agree on is calendar time and even that metric is no reliable indicator of quality from one RV to the next. I continue to see marginally constructed projects that remain unfinished year after year. Alternatively, I have seen an example completed and flown in about 18 months AND exceptionally well constructed too. Some of us have kids and must work for a living while others are childless, enjoying the retirement years. Thanks to the genius of Van's, the RV world enjoys a broad demographic and to top it off, we all come to the table equipped with a unique skill set. I don't subscribe to the notion that RV's are "simple" airplanes. Maybe the basic airframe is but the innards we stuff em with can be sophisticated and subject to failure. Some people are gifted with uncommon natural talents and others no matter how earnest will always be somewhat challenged. Most of us occupy a niche somewhere in the middle. Still, I am reminded of a saying my wife sometimes repeats: "You just can't put in what God left out." When I think about these things "build time" seems as unimportant a distraction as the uniformed passer-by who is sure to ask: "When ya gonna fly it?" or "Watcha gunna paint it?"

 

[Rick_A]

Stop counting long ago

I was at 2300 hrs on a 7A QB in August '08 when I quit logging hours. Now I just say things like "Spent the month of August working on the windshield fairing".

I'm sure I'm over 3500 hours by now... so at least 3x longer then Roberta ... but I'm getting close to finishing.