Still thinking about an RV-14

Building an RV 14 (Not sure why you don't want the 4 seat RV 10) will take 5 + years with many hours put in per week. Probably will cost as much as buying a used one.

So.... why not buy a used RV or maybe a partially / almost built one? As an Experimental, you'll still have many hours of fun working on it and modifying it to your heart's content. Heck, buy it already built and partially rip it apart to configure it as you'd like.

Lots of wrenching combined with not having to wait more than half a decade to fly it.

BTW - building it isn't going to save you a ton - if any - money from buying it used.
 
Building *can* be satisfying, and having the repairman’s certificate means you are never beholden to a mechanic or lack thereof. That said, your points have merit.
 
A repairman’s certificate allows you to inspect / do the annual.

Even without that certificate, can’t the owner still do work on the plane?
 
WDD said:
A repairman’s certificate allows you to inspect / do the annual.

Even without that certificate, can’t the owner still do work on the plane?
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First, to pick nits, in the experimental world, it’s called a condition inspection, not an annual.

Second, yes, the owner of an experimental can work on his own airplane.
 
Got it. So if you buy a used Experimental, you can work on your plane and do basically what you want, but once a year you need an A&P to do a condition inspection.
 
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WDD said:
Got it. So if you buy a used Experimental, you can work on your plane and do basically what you want, but once a year you need an A&P to do a condition inspection once a year.
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Pretty much.
 
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WDD said:
Building an RV 14 (Not sure why you don't want the 4 seat RV 10) will take 5 + years with many hours put in per week. Probably will cost as much as buying a used one.

So.... why not buy a used RV or maybe a partially / almost built one? As an Experimental, you'll still have many hours of fun working on it and modifying it to your heart's content. Heck, buy it already built and partially rip it apart to configure it as you'd like.

Lots of wrenching combined with not having to wait more than half a decade to fly it.

BTW - building it isn't going to save you a ton - if any - money from buying it used.
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If you rewind to the very beginning of the thread, you'll see my reasoning, but the short version is that it's about the journey, not the destination. I'm thinking that long term I'd like to get an A&P certificate, and building the -14 will make up a decent chunk of those hours. If I ever get it done, I'll have an awesome aerobatic plane that is a bit faster than the Lance when I don't need the back seats. I don't NEED another plane, nor could I afford to buy one outright without selling the Lance. Building it is kind of buying it on the installment plan, and you get exactly what you want. If I find I really love building, I could see even selling it and starting on another one. I've really enjoyed what little I've done so far, both with the Lance engine and the RV practice kit. I'm still in the new hobby honeymoon phase though; ask me again in a year.
 
WDD said:
A repairman’s certificate allows you to inspect / do the annual.

Even without that certificate, can’t the owner still do work on the plane?
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Yes, you can work on it. But without it, you are still beholden to an A&P or IA to do the condition inspection. Locally, pilots of second hand experimentals seem to be having a harder and harder time finding mechanics to perform that service.
 
Sounds like Vans has weathered and sorted out the financial pinch from a year or so ago. Glad he didn't go out of business and is still around.
 
Van's claims they are going to ship the kit Feb. 3.

Built some tables. Started on the lighbox kit. It's pretty simple after doing the control section kit. The faceplate of the kit they sent me looked like they kicked it around on the floor for six months.

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Decided to build it anyway and polish it, because it's a learning experience, right?

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I learned that my airplane will not be polished.
 
You done fixing your other airplane yet?
 
To keep all the day to day tools some form of rolling cart modified to hold tools comes in very handy. This becomes more helpful when you progress to larger assemblies when the one tool you want is always on the other side of the shop.
 

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Rv14 is gonna be ready for firewall forward by the time Jim gets all the parts for the engine. Io540 Rv14!
 
WDD said:
Drat - sorry about that. Anything specific? Bearings, cranks, etc?
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No. All of it. 8 weeks and zero parts back. Divco originally said 4 weeks. Haven't bothered calling the machine shop because I can't do anything without the cases anyway. It's infuriating. Can't do a damn thing about it either.
 
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Yikes. Makes you wonder how the average Joe Blow A&P who owns his own shop stay in business if he’s also facing this?

Hang in there.
 
WDD said:
Yikes. Makes you wonder how the average Joe Blow A&P who owns his own shop stay in business if he’s also facing this?

Hang in there.
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Vendors are naturally incentivized to prioritize customers by book order size, and small fry gets put on the back burner. It's not based on first come first serve. The OP is justified on being peeved about it, but in a dying sector where "shrink to profitability" is uttered unironically, that's the hobsons choice small fries like the OP have to eat. It's absolutely commendable he has the time and willingness to tackle the labor himself, where most of us dont or cant.

As to APs, all the ones I dealt with in the 13 years i dabbled in this nonsense, all were deriving their primary income from commercial customers, my small fry arse was never primary income for them and i was treated accordingly.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I have heard over and over again, that if you buy a polished airplane, enjoy it the first year you have it, because after that it's getting painted. :rofl:
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I’ve let my neighbors know that should they ever see a bare, polished aluminum plane in my hangar, to just go ahead and grab the sledgehammer in the corner, and proceed to beat me.
 
Had to re-work the lightbox a bit because Van's provides the finest Chinesium LEDs (I don't suppose there's any other kind) and the adhesive let go as soon as I screwed the back on and stood it up.

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It turned out okay. I would like the front panel to be shinier and a little more consistent, bit I was DONE with polishing.

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It looks pretty cool in the dark, though.

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As you are in the farming business, as as an experimental you can do anything to it. Add a small hopper, call it a crop duster and write it off on taxes

Aerobatic crop duster. Oh yeah…..
 
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Merry Christmas to me...just got the bill of lading for the tail kit! Guess I better finish getting my shop organized. Oregon to Illinois, might even be here before New Year's. Guess there's no backlog ATM. My estimated ship date was supposed to have been Feb. 3.
 
WDD said:
You doing the quick build kits?
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Negative

I'm trying to decide when I should order the wing kit. Lead time is supposedly about 5 months, but the lead time for the tail kit was originally 2 months and is now down to 2 weeks. I don't want the wings too early purely because I don't want to part with the money, but that would be better than getting the tail done and having to stop. Jan & Feb are my two slowest months, so I should be able to get a lot done.

I guess the only answer is to get started on the tail and see how I'm going. I've read that the pages for the most part are broken into nearly even chunks of time, so you can count pages to determine approximately how long it's going to take you. No idea if that's true.
 
Sounds like you’re off to a good start.

Just curious. What is the deciding factor for “normal” vs “quick build”? Cost? Lead time on kits? Shaving a year or so off of build time isn’t a factor?

Obviously since Vans doesn’t sell all of their kits “quick build” many other builders do the full build as well.
 
WDD said:
What is the deciding factor for “normal” vs “quick build”? Cost? Lead time on kits? Shaving a year or so off of build time isn’t a factor?
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yes
yes
not in my case:
Jim K said:
the short version is that it's about the journey, not the destination. I'm thinking that long term I'd like to get an A&P certificate, and building the -14 will make up a decent chunk of those hours.
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I built the fuselage before the wings. The older kits shipped the longerons for the fuselage in the long crate with the wing spars, so you had to get the wing kit in order to proceed with the fuselage kit. The RV-14 does not have full-length longerons, so the shorter longeron pieces fit into the empennage and fuselage kit crates.
 
iamtheari said:
I built the fuselage before the wings. The older kits shipped the longerons for the fuselage in the long crate with the wing spars, so you had to get the wing kit in order to proceed with the fuselage kit. The RV-14 does not have full-length longerons, so the shorter longeron pieces fit into the empennage and fuselage kit crates.
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So here's my thought, and I'm open to suggestions... I think I have room to store the wings in my hangar, but not the complete fuselage. I'm thinking I build the wings, move them to the hangar (with the added benefit of making the Lance nervous) and that frees up my build space to tackle the fuse. and FWF.
 
Jim K said:
So here's my thought, and I'm open to suggestions... I think I have room to store the wings in my hangar, but not the complete fuselage. I'm thinking I build the wings, move them to the hangar (with the added benefit of making the Lance nervous) and that frees up my build space to tackle the fuse. and FWF.
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That’s exactly what I did on both builds. I even painted them at that point.
 
From a self motivation standpoint, I’d think I want something to sit in (on a milk crate) and make airplane noises first rather than wings. The wings, especially since there are 2, would get boring, but if I had the fuse “done” would motivate me to get er done. I could also break the wing boredom with panel, wiring, interior, firewall stuff, etc.

I’ve thought hard about building, but want to fly and other stuff. Maybe in the future.
 
Depending on your hangar. Build a mezzanine. Would there be enough space above the tail to store completed parts?
 
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flyingcheesehead said:
I have heard over and over again, that if you buy a polished airplane, enjoy it the first year you have it, because after that it's getting painted. :rofl:
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I've seen and heard of a few folks get the polishing done and then cover it with a ceramic coating. Evidently this keeps the high polish appearance by preventing surface oxidation, eliminating the need for constant re-polishing. Does anyone have experience with this? I keep eyeing my rough Cherokee paint-job and considering going for a polished appearance
(except control surfaces and cowling).
 
AvNavCom said:
I've seen and heard of a few folks get the polishing done and then cover it with a ceramic coating. Evidently this keeps the high polish appearance by preventing surface oxidation, eliminating the need for constant re-polishing.
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I'd like to hear more about this too. I'm polishing my -4 mostly because (a) I can do it incrementally and still fly and (b) It adds no weight. I'm open to I can do to make it easier and still meet both (a) and (b).

Nauga,
and a little snot on a doorknob
 
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