Step 1 : Spring Cleaning
So now that the family is supportive of my plans. I need to start prepping my "plan of attack". I already have laid out a few of my needs in the garage. I just bought a bunch of storage which will help me get everything off of the floor. Once this is done, I hope to have a mostly clear garage floor. Can anyone say Spring Cleaning??
Step 2: Research, Research, and Research
So this really is being done at the same time. I've spent a lot of my free time lately researching everything from common RV mods to Avionics to Engines. Now I know a lot will change between now and when I get to the Engine or Avionics parts, but I like to have a rough draft in my head. I think by having a rough idea, it will help me guide myself through the build stages. Due to space constraints, I am pretty sure I will do the empennage then the fuselage. This way I can join them together, and do the interior mostly before worrying about wing structures laying around. Of course this can all change. I am hoping to have my research done by the summer and have a real plan of attack.
Step 3: Plan Ahead
For those who stay up to date on the RV stuff, the estimates for kits are getting longer and longer due to COVID, higher demand, and longer production. This has caused the kits to become 6-8 months for most of the standard kits. So I will definitely plan to order two kits together, the Empennage and One other. Now I could order the wing kit to keep costs down, but in the end, I'm gonna order them all. The other question, Do I eventually want to take on a partner in the build as I get further along. Having a partner would be nice, but that also complicates things as you need to take their opinion into matters. Maybe I would be better off waiting until complete to do so. One step at a time :).
So how am I doing these steps?
I am currently reading through lots of Build Blogs and watching tons of You Tube videos for other builders. Here are some of my favorites:
YouTube: Jason Ellis, BuildFlyGo Channels,
Instagram: BuildFlyGo and Plane Lady
Build Website/Blogs: Charlie Derk, Mark Ciglia, Damazio Family, RV10 Builder, Good Plane Living, and Tim Huneycutt
Many of these sites have great documentation of the build process, upgrades they have done, and tips for future builders they learned along the way. Another great resource I have found have been Van's Air Force Forums and the various RV-10 and Van's Builder Groups on Facebook. There is lots of good information and conversation out there. I think my next task is going to be to order the plans USB stick from Van's to help me layout things in my head and better understand some of the build specific chatter.
So what are your thoughts and tips? Anything unique I should preplan for?
