What do i need to know about *building* a new experimental plane

kyleb said:
One, in particular, had a total failure of the VPX. The box died the first time he left the pattern in Phase 1. Lost comm, lost txp, and on down the line. The manufacturer of the VPX blamed faulty or poor quality components in the VPX. It was a new unit when the builder bought it, but had been superseded prior to first flight.

The other, had random problems with electrical things. Flaps wouldn't do this, something else wouldn't do that. The problems were intermittent. They eventually concluded that the VPX was the problem, sent it back, got the reworked (or new) one, and everything has been fine since.
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Make sure it's configured correctly!

My friend put a VPX in his RV-7A. On the first flight, he came in to land but instead made a low approach. On the second low approach, we noticed his flaps weren't down. About four more low approaches followed, still no flaps. Next time around, he set her down...so we immediately drove over to his hangar to meet him, congratulate him on the first flight, etc. He taxied up with tumbleweeds in the landing gear!! He had gone off the end of the runway, out of our sight. Fortunately, the aircraft was fine but his ego was dinged up a bit.

Turns out the issue was incorrect programming that didn't allow the flaps to deploy below 40 kts or something...way too low an airspeed. Thus configured, everything worked fine in the ground tests, but not in the air.

I really don't need the complexity on my RV...I've got a flap paddle switch that I hold for about 2 seconds for 10 degrees, and 7-8 seconds for full deployment.

Be careful out there!!
 


Here's an old shot of my panel. I really really like the layout and I love the VPX features.
 
My hangar neighbor was nice enough to spend a few hours with me yesterday to show me some different sheet metal skills: riveting (with rivet gun and squeezer), back riveting (this was much harder), dimpling, using a rivet gauge, clecos, nut plates, etc. Tons of fun. I can see how you could get sucked into this real quick. Maybe some day! I just want to order up the Cleaveland tool kit already!

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CC268 said:
My hangar neighbor was nice enough to spend a few hours with me yesterday to show me some different sheet metal skills: riveting (with rivet gun and squeezer), back riveting (this was much harder), dimpling, using a rivet gauge, clecos, nut plates, etc. Tons of fun. I can see how you could get sucked into this real quick. Maybe some day! I just want to order up the Cleaveland tool kit already!
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You won't do wrong with the classes, but practice like you did yesterday is the real secret, particularly in driving rivets. I was well into the RV-6 project before I could comfortably drive 1/8" rivets in odd positions.
 
kyleb said:
You won't do wrong with the classes, but practice like you did yesterday is the real secret, particularly in driving rivets. I was well into the RV-6 project before I could comfortably drive 1/8" rivets in odd positions.
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Yea he said he practices almost every time on scrap before starting work on the airplane. I’d really like to do that EAA class! And the electrical systems one as well.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
Confession: I have a few switches that are completely unlabeled!! :eek::eek: Oh, the horror!
They are switches of different types/sizes, located well away from my main bank of toggles. I'm sure they'll get labels eventually.

But seeing that I'm the only guy who flies it, I'm good with that.
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As this beautiful mind ages, it just keeps on relearning that standards like switch labeling are in place for a reason. The moment stuff hits the fan is exactly when I’m least able to remember anything or worse, most likely to err.

On that point, the new display install shook up things a bit and it reconvinced me to discreetly (and crudely) label my Nav/com and navigator with ‘Nav1’ and ‘Com2’ etc. Up to this point its all in memory and after 1,000 hours you’d think I have it locked and loaded. Put a little stress in the equation and errors abound.

No one else has flown my plane from the left seat either, and probably never will.


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Bill Watson said:
No one else has flown my plane from the left seat either, and probably never will.
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You're probably right, but you never know. A friend of mine got in a weird situation a year ago where he parked his airplane outside in a coastal location and he was out of country. A hurricane spun up in the 4-5 days he was gone and it became necessary to stage a rescue of his airplane without his involvement.

An unlabeled switch came into play on the return flight by someone experienced in type, but not experienced with *that* airplane.
 
kyleb said:
You're probably right, but you never know. A friend of mine got in a weird situation a year ago where he parked his airplane outside in a coastal location and he was out of country. A hurricane spun up in the 4-5 days he was gone and it became necessary to stage a rescue of his airplane without his involvement.

An unlabeled switch came into play on the return flight by someone experienced in type, but not experienced with *that* airplane.
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Oh, I know. That’s probably a more likely scenario than most of the equipment failures we try to guard against.


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looks like i missed out on the RV building class in Maryland, doesnt show any availability anymore ... o well, there is a sheet metal basics class in Vegas.... thats like killing 6-7 birds with one stone...
 
WannFly said:
looks like i missed out on the RV building class in Maryland, doesnt show any availability anymore ... o well, there is a sheet metal basics class in Vegas.... thats like killing 6-7 birds with one stone...
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Step 1: Buy the toolbox kit from Van's. It's $30 plus shipping.
Step 2: Fly the toolbox kit to western ND. That will take a couple of dollars of AvGas.
Step 3: Check out my RV-14 project and then use my tools to build the toolbox.
Step 4: Fly back to Fargo and spend the entire trip thinking about which RV kit to order. That will cost you a lot more. :)
 
iamtheari said:
Step 1: Buy the toolbox kit from Van's. It's $30 plus shipping.
Step 2: Fly the toolbox kit to western ND. That will take a couple of dollars of AvGas.
Step 3: Check out my RV-14 project and then use my tools to build the toolbox.
Step 4: Fly back to Fargo and spend the entire trip thinking about which RV kit to order. That will cost you a lot more. :)
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i will take you up on that offer.. count on it
 
iamtheari said:
Step 1: Buy the toolbox kit from Van's. It's $30 plus shipping.
Step 2: Fly the toolbox kit to western ND. That will take a couple of dollars of AvGas.
Step 3: Check out my RV-14 project and then use my tools to build the toolbox.
Step 4: Fly back to Fargo and spend the entire trip thinking about which RV kit to order. That will cost you a lot more. :)
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I love the "pay it forward" spirit. I just met with a guy who's thinking about building and did an in-hangar tutorial with a bunch of scrap aluminum and rivets. Turns out he's a natural!
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I love the "pay it forward" spirit. I just met with a guy who's thinking about building and did an in-hangar tutorial with a bunch of scrap aluminum and rivets. Turns out he's a natural!
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I don’t get this prejudice about “scrap aluminum” vs. other aluminum. In my airplane factory, all aluminum is created equal and has a chance of earning the rank of “scrap.” :)

Maybe we builders like to con other people into building so we don’t feel as insane as we would otherwise.
 
iamtheari said:
I don’t get this prejudice about “scrap aluminum” vs. other aluminum. In my airplane factory, all aluminum is created equal and has a chance of earning the rank of “scrap.” :)

Maybe we builders like to con other people into building so we don’t feel as insane as we would otherwise.
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And I have turned lots of scrap into actual airplane parts :D
 
WannFly said:
So looks like rt outside my TRSA there is a guy who build 2 -10 and a 12. I am gonna stalk him until he gives me a ride
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I stalked an RV-14 taildragger to sit in before I bought my kit. I would definitely recommend doing that with whatever plane you want to build, if it’s at all possible. It would not be fun to spend 2,000 hours building an airplane that you end up hating to get into.
 
WannFly said:
I am gonna stalk him until he gives me a ride
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Take some lotion for it's skin..
 
CC268 said:
My hangar neighbor was nice enough to spend a few hours with me yesterday to show me some different sheet metal skills: riveting (with rivet gun and squeezer), back riveting (this was much harder), dimpling, using a rivet gauge, clecos, nut plates, etc. Tons of fun. I can see how you could get sucked into this real quick. Maybe some day! I just want to order up the Cleaveland tool kit already!

View attachment 69802 View attachment 69803 View attachment 69804 View attachment 69805
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as to photo 4, a couple layers of masking tape on the rivet set will keep the dome of the rivet unmarked and stop smileys.

bob
 
got a ride yesterday in a -7A... i cant believe a 180 horse machine took off like a rocket ship and cruised at 155 true at 1500 AGL!! had a blast, overly responsive controls and man those wings are short! the guy was right... it was a very expensive ride
 
WannFly said:
got a ride yesterday in a -7A... i cant believe a 180 horse machine took off like a rocket ship and cruised at 155 true at 1500 AGL!! had a blast, overly responsive controls and man those wings are short! the guy was right... it was a very expensive ride
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The controls aren't overly responsive. You're just accustomed to driving dump trucks is all.
 
DaleB said:
The controls aren't overly responsive. You're just accustomed to driving dump trucks is all.
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Ha ha ha, yeah that could be it too. I took controls for some time and in a bank I am used to putting some pressure on the yoke while turning, that dang think climbed 300 ft in matter of seconds
 
WannFly said:
Ha ha ha, yeah that could be it too. I took controls for some time and in a bank I am used to putting some pressure on the yoke while turning, that dang think climbed 300 ft in matter of seconds
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Ha! Yeah, a friend took me up in his RV-7 for the first time several years ago. He let me take the stick - first time without a yoke, but it was natural. I rolled into a turn and tried for a sight picture similar to what I was used to, and he started laughing. We were turning and climbing at about 1500 FPM. I'd never flown anything that WOULD climb at 1500 FPM, even intentionally.

I was out in my RV-12 today. Even that end of the RV spectrum is so much more responsive and better performing than something like a 172, it's not even funny. And, in 3.6 hours of flying I burned MAYBE 15 gallons. I'll know for sure when I fill it up, need to recalibrate the fuel flow, but the float gauge is pretty accurate and it says I still have roughly 6 gallons in the tank.

Edit: I mis-remembered the amounts, I guess. EFIS said 2.7 gallons remaining, float gauge read maybe 5. I put 15.5 in, so my burn on a 3.6 hour cross-country trip was 4.3 GPH of $2.63 per gallon ethanol-free premium MOGAS. I wasn't pushing it hard; no point to since we have the wheel pants off for painting.
 
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WannFly said:
got a ride yesterday in a -7A... i cant believe a 180 horse machine took off like a rocket ship and cruised at 155 true at 1500 AGL!! had a blast, overly responsive controls and man those wings are short! the guy was right... it was a very expensive ride
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I'm glad you got up in one! They're really "two finger" airplanes...that's how my transition trainer said to control the aircraft. The first time I tried steep turns in my -9A I was climbing like crazy at a constant power setting, as it seems to like neutral elevator, or even a little down to maintain altitude. It's 160 hp and has a FP prop, so it doesn't rocket off the runway, but once on step it'll do 1500 fpm easy at solo weight. I like to cruise climb at 100 kts/1000 fpm, nice round numbers and it keeps the cylinders cool. With the great climb rate, I find myself typically going over Class C airspace instead of flying through it...reduces radio calls, and there's a lot less traffic up high (and all those Southwest jets are big and easy to spot).

I'm so glad I put in the autopilot, as the Van's planes are all pretty pitch-sensitive (some would say pitch-responsive :)). No problem hand-flying for an hour's trip, but the corrections do get tedious on a 3-hour leg.
 
Ray Eaker said:
I took a ride in an RV-8 and now own/built/flying my RV-7A, thanks to that ride. Flying my Cherokee 140 much after that flight was no fun.
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I found that out first hand after I flew my archer today... and spent 2 agonizing hours going 255 nm WITH a strong tailwind
 
unsafervguy said:
as to photo 4, a couple layers of masking tape on the rivet set will keep the dome of the rivet unmarked and stop smileys.

bob
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I had that problem in A&P class. I asked the instructor about it. He said that was because I was pulling the rivet gun away from the rivet before it had completely stopped. I stopped getting smileys, etc., once I started waiting a second after releasing the trigger to pull the gun away from the rivet.
 
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