RV Lessons Learned

 

The RV is flying so I thought I'd put together my list of things that I'd like to emphasize, things I'd do differently if I was doing it again (which I won't be, at least not an RV) or things that worked out well.  I like building, and I'm building some Xenos motorglider wings for my brother-in-law, and I've been toying with the idea of building a Fokker DR-1 Triplanes from plans, but that is another story.

1.  I went with the "slow-build" kit because I wanted to experience the entire build, and I certainly did that.  And I'm glad I did it.  But if I were to be a repeat builder, or getting into the air fast was my primary factor, I would go with the Quickbuild kit.  I estimate it would have taken two years off the five year project.  

2.  Buy a band saw with metal cutting blade before you order your Empennage Kit.  The band saw is a big time saver and does a better job.   

3. Go with the more capable Stewart Warner oil cooler from the start.

4.  Building the plane in my basement worked great!  The basement was cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and most of all, I was close to the family. 

5.  Don't maintain a builder's web page.  Maybe there weren't too many in the early days, but now they are a dime a dozen.  Instead of maintaining a web page, you should be building!  The best RV-7 builders web page I know of now in existance is Mike Bullock's:  www.rvplane.com

6.  Fit the wheel pants and gear fairings when the fuselage is on the gear but before the engine is mounted.  This way you don't have to go through the hassle and nerve-racking job of jacking your plane up to get the load off the gear. 

7.  Plan on buying pre-built Intersection fairings instead of making them yourself. 

8.  Stick to the drawings.  Any deviation from the plans add time, and money, to the project.  

9.  Put a Map Box in your panel (Vans sells a Map Box kit)

10.  Join your local EAA Chapter.  Participate in the local RV Yahoo group and Vans Air Force.  Build relationships with other RV builders and flyers. 

11.  Wait as long as you can before buying avionics and electronic devices like EFIS, EIS,  & GPS.  They are constantly improving and if you buy them early, they'll be yesterdays news by your first flight. 

12.  Read the Vans Air Force forums every day.  It's a learning thing. 

13.  Work on the Project every day.  If you can just get started, the next thing you know you've put in a couple of hours. 

14.  Don't go crazy buying things early on.  Hoard your funds.  In the final years of the project, when the money has run out or you are sick of the constant expenditures, or there is something you really do want to buy for the plane, you may wish you had the money back you spent in the early days on things that you now know you didn't need.  A pneumatic squeezer or DRT-2 dimpler are not "have to have" items.  IMHO the time savings with them over a Cleaveland MainSqueeze or a C-frame are insignificant over the entire project.  If you are not IFR-rated now, maybe you don't need a deluxe IFR glass panel with redundant everything.  You can always upgrade the panel.  Be conservative with your funds; the big ticket items come due in the later project years:  a constant speed prop, avionics, nice seat cushions, a nice paintjob, better oil cooler, nice headsets, the list goes on .... 

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