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Why doesn't the QB have its own instructions?

carrollcw

carrollcw

Well Known Member
OK, so I am working on the fuselage now and I gotta tell ya, the instructions are pissing me off! At least for the wings they tell you which sections of the instructions apply to the QB. Fuselage, not so much. I guarantee I have wasted at least 5 hrs at this point going through all the instructions and blueprints making sure everything is installed, yet there are entire bulkheads that are completely installed! Why can't Vans have a QB instruction manual? Anyone have a manual that shows all the steps that are NA for a QB????
 
Right!

Soooo glad i went slow build because it would have taken me that long to figure out the instructions for the qb!

I sometimes wonder how the first time qb guys actually save time over us sb guys with the poor propaganda sheets!

Ummmm... I hear ya!

Buuuttttt... I am still workin on my sb!

Hang in there!

:rolleyes: CJ
 
Just a suggestion ....

I was frustated as well for a while and then someone suggested that while I bought a QuickBuild, it would do me a lot of good to build it like a slow build. Soooo... I went through the manual as if it were a slow build and checked off each step as I verified that it was done. Not that that was perfect either but this is a homebuilt kit and the fact that it even has instructions past a set of blueprints is pretty amazing.

I probably spent 20-40 hours or so extra during the build reading and checking parts but compared to the 2000- 2500 hours in the actual build, it really wasn't much and I learned a lot about what was done and why?

BTW, don't let anyone kid you that it's a 1,500 hour project. The first time build is 1,500 hours building and 1,500 hours reading and researching the right way to get it done. ( oh,...another 100+ hours rebuilding parts that you didn't get quite right the first time ..... and yes I know anal-retentive has a hyphen in it ;)

Take your time,.... it really is a great experience !

Bill S
7a Quick Build that only took 7 years :)
 
The actual answer to the question Clark is that Van's WANTS you to be an expert in the airplane that you will have built when it is done - which means that they want you to go through the steps in the instructions to verify that they have been completed - and in that way, educate yourself on how the structure is built. You'll be the licensed repairman for that airplane when it is finished BECAUSE you know how it is built, and therefore, you really should know it. Most folks over the years have reported taking about 20 hours to go through the steps - it isn't that involved. Think of it as a few nights reading a good novel.

Paul
 
All QBs are not identical

These are just some observations that rationalize the way it is - you can stop reading if you like.

It is a good idea to inspect the work that has been completed by others to assure that it has been done right in this foreign contract, hand built, partially complete, fabrication and assembly process. Time passes, contracts run out, new contracts are made, companies change, personnel change, errors are made, methods change, tools wear out, local instructions contain errors, instructions are misinterpreted, drawings conflict, operations are missed, wrong materials are used, van's design changes, parts and assemblies from different times in the design & manufacturing evolution come together in one airplane, standard repairs/nonstandard repairs/unauthorized repairs may be made, etc. Every additional instruction written is an additional opportunity for error and an increase in cost. Regardless of what others have done before you in the process, it is your only personal quality assurance and it is important.

Bob Axsom
 
carrollcw said:
OK, so I am working on the fuselage now and I gotta tell ya, the instructions are pissing me off! At least for the wings they tell you which sections of the instructions apply to the QB. Fuselage, not so much. I guarantee I have wasted at least 5 hrs at this point going through all the instructions and blueprints making sure everything is installed, yet there are entire bulkheads that are completely installed! Why can't Vans have a QB instruction manual? Anyone have a manual that shows all the steps that are NA for a QB????
Click to expand...

You haven't wasted any time. You have spent five educational hours. :)

By the time I got to the fuselage of my RV-6 slow-build, I was rarely consulting the build manual--I found building from the plans to be more productive. Just start at the tail of the fuse, check everything against the plans, and work your way forward. Install anything that is on the plans but missing from your fuse.

Studying plans (for hours) is just part of the process of figuring out how your RV goes together. Accept those hours as building hours, not wasted time. Five hours is nothing in the grand scheme of things.....I spent that much time trying to figure out how the canopy latches work......... ;)

Best wishes for an enjoyable conclusion to your project!
 
I echo everything Bill said in post #3. EVERYThing. That was my experience - and reaction - also. I too was highly frustrated by what seemed to be a lot of head scratching and "loitering around", figuring out how and where to use the instructions on a partially completed fuse. But I soon realized it was part of the process and my mental picture of immediate and perfect productivity upon the arrival of the QB fuse was simply unrealistic.
As they say, "You'll get over it." :D
 
Only advise I have is to not be in a hurry. 100% of the mistakes I've ever made have been when I was in a hurry. Always takes longer to do anything twice....
 
rbibb said:
Only advise I have is to not be in a hurry. 100% of the mistakes I've ever made have been when I was in a hurry. Always takes longer to do anything twice....
Click to expand...

Yeah! But the third time is usually a charm :) Anybody need two rough sets of canopy skirts :rolleyes:

You haven't built an RV until you've built it twice .... OK ... maybe exaggerating a little :)

Bill S
7a flying 135
GotTheGrin :)
 
"Anybody need two rough sets of canopy skirts"

Ha.. I built 3 left flaps and that is after the right one was perfect! just one of those things that happen. :mad:
 
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