RV Assembly Workshop Weekend

Hi Gang! So I'm back from D.C. I had a great weekend in Virginia visiting my brother and his family. We carved pumpkins and such. A nice time was had by all.

I attended the EAA SportAir, Van's Assembly Workshop in Frederick, MD, which is about an hour from my brother's place so it worked out pretty well to visit and attend the workshop. It was held at the Frederick airport (FDK), in the EAA Chapter 524 Aviation Education Center hanger.

Our Host Location for the Weekend - EAA Chapter 524

Yep, I've never driven a rivet or even pulled a pop rivet, aka, blind rivet in my life. Yeah, I've done minor sheet metal and aluminum repair around the house here and there but never had or required the need to rivet anything.

Rivets Guys & Gals! It's Just the Beginning

This workshop comes highly recommended by many in the airplane kit building community. The Van's Assembly one is more focused on the Van's line of aircraft. This course was taught by Jack Dueck. What a fantastic instructor. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Van's airplanes and sheet metal in general. He owns his own business and knows this stuff up, down, left & right!

Jack Dueck - Van's Assembly Instructor

All aspects of building a Van's plane are covered from the introduction of RV Aircraft building, learning the required information and steps involved, gaining the necessary hands-on skills with the tools and materials and building one's confidence level for a Van's project. Everything is discussed and nothing is missed. A Powerpoint show is presented to familiarize you with what to expect during the course.

Let's Get to Work!

You then start work on a personal project to get you acquainted with the tools, drilling, deburring, riveting and even drilling out those bad rivets and fixing the errors. After a little work on that, you'll be teamed up with a partner and work on a wing section project. This is pretty exticing, building an actual representation of what you'll be building when you order your first kit, the empennage. I had a great partner and we did really well overall. Our project got an EXCELLENT signoff by Jack. What a great feeling. Yeah, we could've done a little better but for first-timers, WAHOO!! I only injured myself a little bit. Well, some might say it was major but it did not require any stitches. I accidentally missed the wood backing block when drilling through the aluminum and went straight into my left index finger. No pictures here kids. Not for the squeamish. OUCH! I bled like a stuck pig! Fortunately, one of the attendees (John) was previously a medic so he assisted with the cleanup on aisle 5, LOL! Quick clean, gauze and a little duct tape go along way! Back to the project.

Simple Yes, But I Can't Wait to Get Started

My building partner, Tony, owns his own RV-7A but is very interested in building his own. He bought his -7A back in April and has about 300 hours in it but he really wants to build. He'll sell his -7A after he finishes his build. His bird is really put together well, very clean.

Build Partner Tony Climbing in his RV-7A

All in all, I had a fantastic experience with the workshop. I plan to take the Electronics & Avaionics workshop in November out here in Riverside. I won't fly across the country ,if I can help it, to attend a seminar/workshop again. As others do, I highly recommend this course if you are interested in building your own kit airplane. Here are a few more pics from the weekend.

Frederick's Municipal Airport Building - FDK

Larry (left) & Wally - EAA Chapter 524 Members

EAA Chapter 524 Members Wally (left) & Doug
Watching Tony Prepare to Depart in his RV-7A

The Workshop Classroom

Our Not Yet Finished Wing Project, Rivet Tape &
Our Personal Projects Staked Waiting for Us

Thanks for Reading!

EAA SportAir Workshop

Howdy all! Short post this time. Just thought I'd catch you up with what's going on. I'm on a flight to D.C. tomorrow to attend the Van's RV Assembly workshop in Frederick, Maryland. I'll be visiting my brother as well and staying with him and his family while there. The workshop is about an hour away, not too bad in the grand scheme of things. I'm real anxious to start gathering more information on RV building, the ins and outs of FAA regs and requirements, etc.

In November, they are having additional workshops at the Riverside, CA airport, Flabob (RIR). They are planning to have an Electrical Systems and Avionics workshop which is recommended. I plan to attend that one.

That's about it for now. Oh, I think I found a buyer for my '72 bug so that means I'll become an official builder soon, hopefully before end of year. I'll get the empennage kit with that money, then a tool kit very soon after then start the process. I know, I should already have the tool kit but I'm trying to beat the increase of pricing on the Van's kits which usually happen in January. Either way, I'll be busy. I'll need to construct the EAA Tables as well and that will certainly keep me busy for a couple days.

Have a great weekend and I'll let you know next week how things went. Thanks for Reading!

The Workspace

Ok, so I'll tell you about the workspace. I have a 3-car garage that has, amazingly, 3 cars parked in there. Most people use a garage for anything BUT cars, like storage, a game room, or, heaven forbid, an actual workshop. Well, I recently bought a MINI Cooper and didn't want to keep it out in the elements so I cleared about 70 sqare feet for it. Yeah, it doesn't take up much space. So, I plan to start off working in the 1-car space for the interim. I'll slowly spread out and use more space and kick somone out of the 2nd part of the garage in addition to myself being kicked out for the space. Maybe I'll just park the Coop in the living room. Wife ought to love that! Love you Wifey!



Preview of Things to come - The "Before"

There is a cool plan set for a pair of workbenches that can be found here at the EAA website. The plans will make 2 benchs about 2' deep x5' wide x 34" high. They've been built by many builders and seem to be just the ticket for the workspace. If you look around, you can find various mods for them. One site I like has you attaching a couple casters on one end for easier portability. You can find one idea here at the EAA videos site. I did the math on this little project and the cost at my local Lowes is approximately $175. I followed the bill of materials for the pricing. I could go with cheaper materials to save a few bucks but I'm going to be building on these tables for a few years so I'd like them to last. I've seen others out there add drawers to benefit keeping tools closer to the work area. I'm considering doing this as well. Drawer slides go for about $25 a set for the size of drawer that'll fit these benches.

EAA's Workbench Design

That's the update for now. I'll be going to the EAA RV Builders Workshop in D.C. next Saturday, 10/22. I'm really stoked about that! I'll be visiting my brother when there as well. Good times! Take care for now and Thanks for Reading!

The Process

Ok, for those who don't know the process of building a kit plane, I'll explain. In the case of Van's aircraft, there are 4 kits to purchase. The 4 kits are the empannage ("tail feathers": rudder and the vertical stabilizer), wings, fuselage and finishing kit (canopy and it's frame, landing gear, cowling, engine mount, brake lines and hoses). The builder needs to supply avionics, instruments, interior, engine and propeller.

The cool thing is you don't have to purchase them altogether. One drawback is that kit prices go up every year, this is typical. Of course there are pros and cons to everything. When you purchase a kit, upon arrival, you have a limited amount of time to check the inventory for correctness. If you were to purchase all kits at the same time, you'd have a bazillion parts to comb through in a short amount of time which can be a pretty daunting task.  By ordering the kits separately, you won't have space/storage problems, and you don't have to lay a wad of cash out all at once. Pricing typically goes up on kits the beginning of the year. I hope to purchase my empennage before the end of December. I can wait on the tool kit needed for assembly of my airplane as the prices are usually pretty consistent. I've got a VW Bug I'm planning to sell soon and apply the proceeds to my first purchase. We'll see how that goes.

There are two types of kits available: quick build and standard build. The quick build has parts pre-assembled and cost  a ibt more. The standard build kit allows the builder to assemble from the ground up, or top of the rudder down, however you want to look at it and they can save you a few bucks. I plan to build the standard kit. An advantage to building a quick build kit, one can get in the air sooner. I'm not in that big a rush. The exciting part of building the standard kit is that you'll know every square inch of your plane, in and out!

Van's also supplies Lycoming engines to the builders at a discounted rate, so long as they've ordered a kit from them. They supply propellers as well and do carry an assortment of instuments and avionics.

What makes an RV plane, as well as other kit planes, fall into the Experimental category is that less than 50% is fabricated by the kit manufacturer and 51% or greater is built/fabricated by the builder. Van's kits come from Aurora, Oregon. Some folks who live closer to the mfr., choose to pick up their kits personally. I did the math and I would end up spending more in fuel than it would cost to ship so I'll go that route. I'm just a little too far away. I hear a factory tour is is a must. I plan on taking the tour and taking a ride in one of their demonstrators.

There is your crash course in the initial ordering of a Van's RV. There are a lot more elements to ordering parts and accessories for your Van's RV than what I've covered here. All can be found at the Van's website.

Catch ya later and Thanks for Reading!

Stick Time

As you may or may not know, the plane I'm going to build is a low-wing plane. I've been flying nothing but high-wing planes since the beginning of my training. My trusty steed for the day was a Piper Warrior II. I flew for a total of 1.4 hours doing the typical slow flight, stalls, steep turns and landings, both full stop and touch-and-goes. This served two purposes. First, it'll start getting me used to flying low-wing planes and b) this accomplishment adds another vehicle to my arsenal of avilable planes. The typical planes (C-152s & C-172s) at my FBO are usually out for training flights and it's hard to count on having a plane when you want to fly.  The Piper is rarely rented so that'll give me a chance to fly more, WooHoo!

My Ride for the Day - Piper Warrior II N6313C

I also got an e-mail today from EAA SportAir announcing that there are going to be more seminars added to a location near me in Riverside, CA, RIR. The seminar is called "What's involved in kit building?". It's a fact-filled discussion of regulations and paperwork, the workspace required, the time commitment needed, and the financial investment and insurance considerations of building your own aircraft. I've gotten information online with some of this information but think I'll attend to get all my ducks in a row. For $25 you can take a couple of family members with you to make it a family affair. For your 25 clams you even get a pizza dinner! Not a bad evening.

So all-around, it was a pretty good day. It was a beautiful day for flying, mid 80s, light winds and clear skies. Winter is nearing which will yield better flying weather and more flying time. Take care, KPR and Thanks for Reading!

Flying In to Work

No, flying to work is not a regular occurance. My company has an event once a year called Bring Your Wheels/Wings to Work. I've wanted to fly in and have a plane on display for several years now. I so look forward to doing this one day. Just to say I did it, I've thought of renting a plane and flying in but don't see much point to it. I'll wait to fly my own. :) Folks fly and drive in and put their vehicles and planes on display. Like going to a car show and a fly-in at the same time. Quite exciting to see all the RVs there. I believe there were about 5 on display last year. They're a great source of inspiration and ideas. I've posted a picture of me in one of the owner's planes. You might have heard of him, Paul "Rosie" Rosles. Very nice guy. He was nice enough to let me jump in and get a picture. Thanks Paul!

Me Sitting in Owner Paul "Rosie" Rosales' RV-6A - 2010
It Fits Nicely & has a Great Feel!

This year's event will be near the end of October. I can't wait to start more networking with other pilots.  That's it for now. Thanks for Reading!

Anticipation

Hi Gang! I plan to use the next posts to catch you up and give you a little more info about me and where I am with my yet, unstarted project. My profile is a little limited with what I can post there.

Regarding my current flying situation, I'm current in C-152s and 172s. As a matter of fact, last Friday I got checked out in a more powerful, 180hp C-172. I don't have any endorsements yet but plan to move up the ladder. I'd like to work on complex and high performance. Don't know which one first but we'll see what's available and what finances will allow. There are a couple of Piper Arrows at my FBO, www.barnesaviation.com, on Fox Field KWJF. So, I'll get some time in those so I have more availability of planes to rent. I'm also very interested in getting IFR rated.

I've been researching information about building for quite sometime. I've looked at a lot of other blogs and don't have any final decisions regarding props or engines, let alone avionics and interiors. A lot of information to weigh in on. I suppose once I have the kit in my garage, decisions will come a little more promptly. Right now, weight is a bit of a concern so that will direct some of those decisions.

I've pretty much decided on a vendor for a RV tool kit. I'm pretty sure I'm going with Isham tools for their kit, www.planetools.com. If anybody has any input or suggestions, I'm open. It seems to be the best kit so far, especially with the dimpler. I have a small compressor now but nowhere near what I'll need for the task. I'll be getting a 30 gal. compressor later. I have many of the other power tools that I've seen other builders using.

Right now, I'm working on the website to get it cleaned up and straightened out. Please let me know what you think. I always welcome input.

That's about it for now. Thanks for reading and in the words of many other builders, KPR (keep pounding rivets)!

The Decision

Isn't an RV-7 some sort of recreational vehicle? Well, yes and no. In this case, it's a model of airplane produced by Van's Aircraft. And yes, it could be construed as recreational. I plan to do a lot of flying for both enjoyment and traveling instead of driving for many years to come. I've been driving the highways for years and now enjoy the view from the air and look forward to faster travel times and no traffic and sharing the experience with anyone who wants to ride along, mostly my wife with weekend trips and vacations.

Here are both a description of the model I've chosen and associated views. You can find this information at the Van's website: https://www.vansaircraft.com/rv-7/.

3-View

Interior Dimensions & Baggage Area

"The RV-7/7A is Van’s most popular current design. The RV-7/7A has a roomy cockpit that will easily accept two 6’ + adults with sufficient leg, head and elbow room to stay comfortable for three to four hours at a time. The side-by-side seating arrangement puts both occupants on an equal footing – standard dual controls and optional dual brakes give either occupant full control with equal visibility. It is an all-around sport airplane, with excellent cross-country capability, fine aerobatic qualities and superior handling. A typical RV-7 can hold two FAA standard pilots, 100 lbs. of baggage and full tanks: 42 gallons. At the aerobatic gross weight of 1600 lbs., the RV-7/7A complies with the +6/-3G standards of the FAA’s Aerobatic Category and can still carry two people, making it possible for a new pilot to get aerobatic instruction before he or she starts rolling and looping. Both sliding and tip-up canopies are available." You can visit the site for much more information.

I'm a pretty hands-on guy and mechanically minded. This project is filled with a LOT of interesting skills that I look forward to learning and honing. I plan to build with tricycle gear. Yes, I'd be interested with having a tailwheel endorsement but don't necessarily have the desire to have a tailwheel plane. I currently plan to have a 180-200hp engine, not sure which yet. In addition, I'm still weighing the prop decision, fixed vs. constant speed. I will be going with a sliding canopy. Paint scheme, now there is a big quandry. I've been looking at a lot of RV's schemes trying to get some ideas. We'll see how that goes. This is an aircraft that can be built in a 2-car garage. I'll sacrifice parking in the driveway for awhile. I am fortunate to live in the high desert of Southern California so will have the luxury of working year-round with no comfort issues. It may get a little hot at times but I'll try to outfit the garage so it's consistently comfortable. 

Timeframe is not much of an issue but I have a goal of completing in no more than 5 years. That's a long time but it depends on how finances go and luck with the lottery. I look forward to the exciting task of building, owning and flying my own aircraft. I also look forward to having people watch the progress and I welcome comments and questions during the "endeavor".

I've signed up for a Van's RV Assembly, SportAir Workshop (http://www.sportair.com/) for 3rd week in October and cannot wait for that!
Stay tuned and enjoy the ride. Thanks For Reading!