Talk me out of building a Van's RV

I’ll be at the airport tomorrow. Come on down
 
I’ll be at the airport tomorrow. Come on down
My phase 1 restriction is 50 nm from home, so I can't get down to Bisman just yet. Soon, though!

Here is the picture my friend took and my sister doctored. The entire process of making this joke at my expense was done before I got back into the landing pattern.

IMG_2202.jpeg
 
My phase 1 restriction is 50 nm from home, so I can't get down to Bisman just yet. Soon, though!

Here is the picture my friend took and my sister doctored. The entire process of making this joke at my expense was done before I got back into the landing pattern.

View attachment 94611
Congrats!! Let me know when you setup the GoFundMe for the paint job. :)
 
Congrats!! Let me know when you setup the GoFundMe for the paint job. :)
The interior will be the first of my GoFundMe campaigns. I can stare at those aluminum wings forever if I’m not sitting on an aluminum pan. :)
 
Ikea, lol !

Congrats !

Not quite 'two weeks to taxi'....
How long did it take you to get to this point ?
 
Ikea, lol !

Congrats !

Not quite 'two weeks to taxi'....
How long did it take you to get to this point ?
A bit over 3 years and 1300 man-hours. That doesn’t include research, studying manuals, writing checklists, etc.
 
...1300 man-hours...
If I didn't hate you prepunched guys already that would be enough right there. ;)

All jokes aside, congratulations! I hope to see regular updates.

Nauga,
back in the game
 
If I didn't hate you prepunched guys already that would be enough right there. ;)

All jokes aside, congratulations! I hope to see regular updates.

Nauga,
back in the game
It’s okay to hate us. We’ll still help you dimple and rivet once you finish drilling your 80,000 holes. :)
 
What I need now is someone to talk me out of the whole thing.

I’m here to tell you that you really shouldn’t do it. If it’s an RV, you’ll be required to do overhead breaks for pattern entry and every pilot if a Twin Cessna will get annoyed with you. Plus it’s a lot of work to build a plane.

:D
 
I bought my RV 8. The way I look at it... I had a guy build it for me. I paid for parts and supplies, but didn't pay a dime for his labor. Happy with the way it worked out. More years flying instead of building, which is important since I'm 67. The builder experience? That starts in June when I get my Sling TSI kit.
 
I’m here to tell you that you really shouldn’t do it. If it’s an RV, you’ll be required to do overhead breaks for pattern entry and every pilot if a Twin Cessna will get annoyed with you. Plus it’s a lot of work to build a plane.

:D
That is a very convincing argument. When are you going to get the SFAR training to operate a time machine?
 
That is a very convincing argument. When are you going to get the SFAR training to operate a time machine?

Seeing as I already operated a time machine for 2.5 years and nearly 500 hours (I suppose starting about the time you started your build), I should go back in time and tell myself to do it all over again. :)

I’m going through and catching up on your thread. A major congratulations for your accomplishment. Incidentally, I do expect my kids will want to build a plane at some point and in a few years, that may be taking up a bay in the shop.
 
If I didn't hate you prepunched guys already that would be enough right there. ;)

All jokes aside, congratulations! I hope to see regular updates.

Nauga,
back in the game

"back in the game"?
Does that imply the RV-4 is going to be replaced with something now under construction?
 
A bit over 3 years and 1300 man-hours. That doesn’t include research, studying manuals, writing checklists, etc.

Congrats. Well done!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

But I have to note that has to be the longest duration IKEA flat-pack assembly project in history. ;)
 
Congrats. Well done!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

But I have to note that has to be the longest duration IKEA flat-pack assembly project in history. ;)
Challenge accepted!
 
I’m going through and catching up on your thread. A major congratulations for your accomplishment. Incidentally, I do expect my kids will want to build a plane at some point and in a few years, that may be taking up a bay in the shop.
I would be glad to stop by, show my pictures, tell my story, and try to talk you all out of doing it. Let me know when the kids are ready to hear that. :)
 
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Building an RV, or any airplane, will bring stress, time pressure, financial pressure and take you away from your loved ones physically & mentally.

If you can thread the needle to manage all that -. You will end up with a frigging awesome aircraft you will never our grow.

I built a less complex plane. In my case, I don't think what I lost in the process was worth the effort. However, I'm an older person whick no doubt affects my perspective.
 
I would be glad to stop by, show my pictures, tell my story, and try to talk you all out of doing it. Let me know when the kids are ready to hear that. :)

It seems to me that multiple trips are required. You need to bring the 310 by so I can poke at it and tell you all the areas to optimize it and make it go faster. Then, you can bring the RV by with your pictures, story, etc. and also give rides so that you talk us out of it and then we decide to ignore you anyway. ;)

With the boy being 8 and the girls 6 (plus runway not complete, etc.) we're a few years off from the start of any such project. I am hoping to get the runway usable this year, although with everything going on relating to RVing, the shop, etc. this may be a year that not much happens with it. That's fine if that happens.

I give you a major thumbs up for going with the third wheel in the correct location with the decision to make a tailwheel. I get why a lot of people go with a nosewheel variant, I just think it's wrong. :)

-Ted
Who has no tailwheel endorsement
 
Does that imply the RV-4 is going to be replaced with something now under construction?
It means the RV is almost ready to fly again after an extended downtime for upgrades and relocations and life in general. But this is the 'talk me out of building" thread, not the 'talk me out of *re*building.'

Nauga,
and his second first flight
 
But this is the 'talk me out of building" thread, not the 'talk me out of *re*building.'
I doubt the people around here would do a better job of that than they did for my initial build.
 
I doubt the people around here would do a better job of that than they did for my initial build.

I always try to rebuild things at least half as badly as I built them.
 
I always try to rebuild things at least half as badly as I built them.

"We make it nice because we do it twice!" :D

If you build a plane you will rebuild/remake a few parts in the learning process.

(The voice of experience)
 
"We make it nice because we do it twice!" :D

If you build a plane you will rebuild/remake a few parts in the learning process.

(The voice of experience)
I was planning to build a joke plane from my scrap parts and play a prank on the DAR. People say “practice on a piece of scrap” and I always retort “I run an equal opportunity shop. Every piece I work on has an equal opportunity to become scrap.”
 
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