Chapter 7 Begins : The Rudder

 So we have completed the last remaining step of chapter 6 and have officially broken ground into chapter 7.  Chapter 7 is the Rudder, which will be mounted eventually to the back of the Vertical Stabilizer from chapter 6.  This piece uses some different and new building techniques which I did not get to use in chapter 6.  During this chapter I will do a bunch of backriveting, some pull rivets, rivet a trailing edge, and roll a skin.  I am looking forward to this, the only thing I didn't do in my fundamentals class was the actually adhesive that goes in the trailing edge.  On that note, I should go order that soon so its here when I get to that point.

Today I pulled out the beginning parts and got organized.  The first few steps of chapter 7 have me labeling the cut lines for separating the pieces.  Many of the pieces come together as on larger piece, and some need to be cut apart or trimmed down.  The directions are very clear and make the process easy, its just a tedious job making sure to line things up.  I wish I had a metal break as the did in Atlanta, but the cost isn't conducive to my light use.  Here are the pieces I had marked up which are ready for cutting.  This took me a little over an hour to get done.  Next session will be cutting and deburring all of these parts down. 

Marked Rudder Pieces - Pre-Cutting

Marked Rudder Pieces - Pre-Cutting

Another item on my to do list is to finish organizing the parts.  I have honestly been debating getting a storage unit but that is going to be about $150 a month.  I really don't want to do so yet but spaces are limited around my area and I don't want to miss out on the right size one.  Optimally, the unit will be large enough to store the bigger pieces as I finish them and other parts I don't need yet.  This will also free up much more garage space to allow for work once I get to the tail cone and bigger pieces.  I have to make some calls and see what's available.

Rapid Air System

 Prior to starting this project I only had a dinky little pancake type compressor.  Obviously this wasn't going to cut it for what I was going to do, and my garage only has three outlets in it, so space is limited for placement purposes.  I decided after some thought that I wanted the compressor at the back of my garage for a few different reasons.  The first is that my wife wants the garage on her side available for snow storms in the winter, so that took one outlet out of play.  The second side of the garage I utilize for my business packing and shipping, so I didn't want to move everything around to make space.  So this left me with the rear garage location only.  With this setup, I had to determine whether I wanted a long reel to use and drag everywhere or something different.  I did some googling and came across the RapidAir system.  This system uses semi-flexible tubing with push on connectors to make a air system.  I was able to put my compressor anywhere and run tubing around my garage for access.  The simplicity of the kit setup made this an easy choice and installation wasn't bad at all.

Main Compressor Hookup to System Regulator

The main compressor uses a standard flex hose to make connection to the "input" manifold, in my case it is the regulator.  This is what pressurizes the system and allows me to control the system pressure for all outlets.  I added a quarter turn valve after the regulator to allow me to isolate the system in the event I need to repair a connection or do maintenance, that way I don't drain the entire compressor tank when I open the system.

Main Drop Located Mid Garage

My main drop is in the middle of the garage off the main beam.  This gives me plenty of hose to work anywhere inside the garage comfortably and keeps the hose out of the way when necessary.  My secondary access reel is at the garage door which allows me to drag the hose outside.  This is my plan for my priming sessions, allowing me to go outside on the grass with the spray gun.  I added a filter and dryer in line to that output so I have clean air as shown below.

Air Filter and Dryer for Second Outlet.  Will be my outside paint hookup.

My "Remote" Hookup and Outside Reel at Door

After completing install, I have to say it wasn't that bad.  It took some time to plan the layout, cut the tubing, and mount everything up.  My only criticisms is that the kit doesn't contain any mounting screws, they make a size recommendation and leave you to find your own.  I wish they had just sent some screws with the kit.  So far this is a really nice layout and everything works well.  It allows me to keep the actual compressor as far from the bedrooms and minimize noise so I can work at night plus gives me flexibility to work inside, outside, or wherever.  I might add another hookup on the back of my house for pool stuff but that comes later.  For now, its plane building time.

DRDT Setup Finished and More Deliveries...

 So I got some time and finally made it to Lowes.  I was able to pickup some cheap carpet and cut it down.  I deliberately bought extra so I could cover the DRDT, Wing Stand, and some scrap to use as padding.  I still want to get a piece of ribbed carpet to act as a table runner on my workbenches.  I saw another builder who used that and it was convenient for when you dropped things as they would get caught between the ridges.  Regardless, I wrapped up the table in carpet and came across an issue.  The table dimensions really don't allow for the carpet depth, and as soon as I tried to put it over the frame, it wouldn't go down.  I ended up trimming the carpet to cover the tops and outside edges only, and ran it smooth to the middle edges.  I ran my hand all around and didn't notice anything sharp that will beat up the skins, but I plan to monitor it for a bit to be safe.  Anyone building this later, I'd recommend leaving a little space in the center gap to allow for the carpet or carpet across the top over the front.

Completed DRDT Table

After wrapping up the DRDT table, I got in my Stewart Products primer shipment.  My can of EkoPrime and EkoEtch arrived so I am now ready to start priming parts.  I looked into the first two sections of the wing build and thought about things I would need.  I have made my run to Harbor Freight for a Tap and Dye set for fabricating the tie downs and some other odds and ends.  I also have ordered some paint strainers and a vice for the table which should come in the next day or two.  I am hoping to start match drilling by the weekend.

In other thoughts, I also have been debating how to organize the garage.  I ended up buying two deep hooks to hand on the ceiling joist.  These allow me to hang the longer narrow pieces like J Channels, Spars, and such off the floor and out of the way until I need them.  The actual spar crate only has the two spars in it and I think I will be breaking that down soon.  My current though process is to build the wing stand sooner than later.  By building the wing stand, I can store the two spars horizontally together, put the larger skins underneath on the cart, and break down both crates for disposal.  This would open up the floor space for the empennage kit to arrive late next month sometime.  However, I looked through the plans and I think it might be wise to build in order versus jumping around.  It seems like if I prep the spars, I can then start adding things as I finish each section.

I also received my order from Van's for the leading edge kits.  I have decided to move forward and go with the FlyLED's lighting kits.  I am going to use the Original kit which is only Nav/Position and Strobe lights in the wingtips.  Then I will cut a hole in the leading edge in order to mount the FlyLED 7 star lights as my taxi and landing lights.  I have seen really great feedback on their products, the cost is significantly lower than ZipTips, and it can all be done myself without too much fuss or waiting for shipment.  I plan to order all of the lights when I get to the leading edge section so I can put them in with the skins off and not kill myself doing it after the fact.  The only thing I have to decide is whether I want to do the soldering and if I want to add the Cowl light designed specifically for the RV-10.  I plan to hold off on the Cowl light until the very end, but I will see how Guil from BuildFlyGo likes his setup.  He will be done well before me and I can get his thoughts on midline lighting as he isn't adding it for now.

Until next time...

Finishing Up The DRDT Table and A Van's Update

 I lost track of progress on the DRDT setup because I wasn't in a rush.  Now that I have the wing kit sitting on my garage floor, I had no reason to stall anymore.  After finishing up inventory, I got to work on getting this table put together.  I utilized the plans within the box and made the table. It went together pretty simply using a few nails and some wood glue to hold everything together.  I finished the frame and will be planning to head out to Lowes for some cheap carpet to line it tomorrow.  Once that is done, I can finish up organizing the tools, receive the primer I ordered, and get started.

In other news, I received notice from Van's that they are preparing to crate my empennage kit.  This was estimated to be ready for shipment in mid May.  This is only a month away, so I am debating waiting for the tail kit and starting that first like normal people would.  This would give me a bit of time to finish organizing and also not be in over my head at first.  However, I do need to organize the kits better if I am going to have room to work on the kits together.  I also decided to cancel my practice kit order.  They are backordered through at least May or June and it seems a bit pointless to now wait two months to do those when I will have two kits sitting in the garage.  So once I finish up the organizing of my tools, I think I am going to just get started.  Let's hope this doesn't backfire on me.

Crating Date Received!

 We have been anxiously waiting for the details about crating for the wing kit.  It took about three weeks since we made the balance payment, but the crating schedule has been published.  Now to anxiously wait for confirmation that it was shipped.  

In other news, we have been grabbing parts and items to finish up organizing the garage.  I got some lag bolts yesterday so we can hang the air reel, and am going to order some air piping from Rapid Air Products so I don’t need to move my compressor around all the time.  The last big thing remaining is the support tables for the DRDT, I have been procrastinating as the garage has been in the 20 and 30 degree mark the last two months, and since I had no kit there wasn’t any rush. I guess it is time to get in gear and finish this up. I have to admit, I am getting excited!

Black Friday Shopping

 So I waited around for this weekend to take advantage of the Black Friday deals at Harbor Freight.  Combining the sales and my 10% off my purchase I was able to save over $120 on my 1,000 tool purchase.  I got some safety gear, my compressor, other air tools, and some other odds and ends.  My DRDT2 also arrived and I have to finish setting up the tables for it. That’s where my workshop stands for now, until my Synergy class next week.  After class I will setup the tool box and organize things, I honestly have no clue what some of these items do, so this class should be enlightening.

In other news, my flight training continues. I had my oral exam for my instrument rating this morning.  It went quite well and I was successful in completing that. Unfortunately for my, I had to take a discontinuance due to high winds and low ceilings.  Trying to fly a checkride in 32 knot gusts is not my idea of a fun time.  We will reconvene for the flight portion after I get back from Atlanta, hopefully with some nicer weather and calmer winds.  

Workbenches Are 95% Done!

 So the last few nights I’ve been out in the garage working into the wee hours of night.  It’s great because the kids and wife are sleeping and I can work uninterrupted. It took about three sessions of working but I’m 95% done with the EAA tables.  I need to finish up the trip on one table, get wheels from Harbor Freight, and sand them a bit to clean them up.  I am quite pleased with the outcome and getting excited.  I got an email also that my Cleaveland tool kit will be here tomorrow!  Looking forward to the first “shipment” concerning my RV-10 Build.  Time to fill up the toolboxes now.  

Workbench or Bust.....

 So things from summer have finally settled down now that school is back in session.  With my son being at school all day I find a little more time to get things done around the house.  My three year old is quite a good helper as she just loves to help Daddy.  We finally found a nice day out and we cleaned out the garage.  A little bit or organization and some serious vacuuming was done over the afternoon and the garage was looking amazing.  

Last week we took a "Daddy and Maddy" outing to Lowes.  She was super excited to go shopping with Daddy and didn't care it was for me.  We made our way around the lumber and hardware sections to locate everything we needed to build the EAA workbenches.  We used the shopping list off of the online planes from EAA 1000's website.

After purchasing the wood and supplies I finally got some free time and began to construct the table.  I broke out my chalk line and marked off the plywood and got to cutting.  One recommendation to others, have Lowes or Home Depot rip the plywood in half for you. It is very difficult to cut across a 4 o 8 foot section of plywood without a little bit of drift.

After getting all of the plywood pieces cut down, it was time to break out the mitre saw and start cutting the 2x4" pieces to the appropriate lengths.  It was not too bad and I decided to cut sections in an order which I needed them.  It made it simpler to manage as I could assemble sections as I went.  After the kids were in bed, I finally got to assemble the first tabletop and see some results.  

Now that I have the first top done, I plan to finish up the second one and construct the rest of the table tonight.  In other news, I've also placed my order from Cleaveland Tool for my RV-10 kit.  I have to give them credit as the Rivet Gun was out of stock so I signed up for notifications for when it came back in stock.  The next day, I received an email saying it was back in stock.  I emailed Cleaveland and Annette almost instantly responded and said she could add it to the order and sent me the revised invoice.  I have been super happy with her answering my silly questions and promptly helping with the updated order.  I look forward to any future dealings with them based off the interactions so far.  They really seem to be a stellar company to deal with.

So What Now?

 Prep work has begun and is going into overdrive.  I touched base with my local tech counselor who is also a past RV-10 builder.  He gave me some good suggestions to get started and I will start there.

I signed up for Synergy Air’s Fundamentals class this coming December.  This class will show me how to rivet, countersink, dimple, and other essential skills to do the majority of aluminum work on this build.  This is a good basis of knowledge to get started.  I plan to do a fiberglass and Electronics/avionics class down the road when those times come.

I’ve spoken to Cleaveland Aircraft Tool and will order the tool kit soon.  I am going to finish cleaning up the garage and get the workbench done before diving into that setup.  I don’t want to wait too long as the DRDT2 has been in and out of backorder.  That is essential to get started, so I don’t want to wait until the last minute. 

Time to finish cleaning and getting ready.  December will be here before I know it…….

Airventure 2021

 Well after a year off, Airventure has returned for 2021.  I unfortunately cannot attend with my work schedule this year, but I am definitely going next year.  My best friend and I have agreed that we will head out commercially and stay 3 days to explore.  I already am mentally building my list of the have to sees in the exhibition area.  I definitely want to stroll around the homebuilt areas and get to meet and pick the brains of the builders.  It would be really great to meet and talk with a few of the builders I followed that had inspired this project.  

I'll be honest, I've had Live ATC going the last three days monitoring the Fisk arrival and watching it on Foreflight's internet traffic.  I am disappointed I couldn't go, but glad that I have a plan for next year.  Any tips for finding a reasonable hotel would be appreciated, it appears most hotels only book a year out, so next summer hasn't quite opened yet.  

I also am looking to possibly find an RV-10 demo flight.  Van's has restarted their demo flights and I think its wise to reach out to Zach, the east coast rep, to try and setup something.  I can use it as another excuse for a cross country and it will help me wrap up this instrument rating as well.

Update on my Project Prep

I have been working on reorganizing the garage and getting ready for this.  I finally got the overhead storage and all of the shelving put up so I can get the floor cleared out.  This also made room for me to buy a brand new tool chest from Harbor Freight.  The US General tool bench is great and I bought an add on end cabinet to increase my storage.  As I get more of the garage cleaned out, I plan to get started on building the project table and the air piping.  I am hoping the lumber cost drops a bit before I start that build, but sometimes you need to just bite the bullet.  Until my next update... I'll try to remember and snap some pictures of the new shelving and workbenches.

Storage and Lighting

 Well the first prep task has been completed.  I bought some overhead shelving to mount over the garage doors.  I need to clear up the floor space so I can have enough room to build in the garage when I am ready.  The two racks were a bit interesting to put up, especially since the bars that support it are a bit flexible.  But with some persistence and hard work I finally got them up.  I expect this push through work ethic is going to be needed at many points through the project.  Now it's time to clean up the floor and get things up on the rack.

In other news, I have been debating my idea of a 10 and have also looked at the RV-14.  Part of my thinking is it would be easier to do a 2 seater aircraft and move upwards later, but part of me says why bother and just build the plane I want now.  Thoughts?

 Photo of RV-14 Demo plane by Flying Magazine.

On To The Planning Stage.....

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?

Step 1 : Convince the Family

 So the process has begun.  There is no way to embark on this type of long term project without involving the boss, AKA my lovely wife.  My wife has always supported my ideas including running two businesses, taking lots of trips, and doing things at home.  However, building an airplane is a bit of a different project.  The first time I brought it up, I got the deer in headlights look.  Then I got the, “What the hell do you know about building airplanes?”.  So it was a tough start for sure.

 I let the idea sit in the back of her kind and would sporadically bring it up.  She had started to show interest and had a few questions, I mean who wouldn’t?  She asked about how to do it, what’s involved, and even if there’s help for it.  She queried about the required inspections and we discussed the EAA technical advisor and DAA responsibilities. She was happy these things are available and required to check the work.  

The one item we still disagree on, which I can live with, is she prefers I hire someone experienced to do the maiden flight hours.  If this was the stipulation to allow be to build, I think I can handle it.  I mean let’s be honest, this is a long term project, she might have a new viewpoint by then.  

So what did she bargain for you ask?  My wife is now guaranteed the convertible she always wanted once we retire.  I guess that’s a fair trade.  😎

So what now?

So my next plan of attack is to start collecting the tools and setup workshop.  My workshop for this will be our two car garage.  Right now we have a lot of stuff there so I need to get creative to make space.  My goal is to reorganize this space in the spring once it’s a tad bit warmer outside.  Then in the summer I hope to tackle the electric extension, air hoses, and workbenches.  This should set me up for my birthday in June and Christmas to start collecting tools.  

My goal is to buy a tool kit from Isham or Cleaveland Tool.  They both seem to have good reviews and I’ll compare the items a bit more soon.  I have to upgrade to a real tool cheat to make space as well for all of the tools.  It should be an interesting year trying to setup and prepped.  

After I have everything in place, I plan to take part in Synergy Air’s fundamentals at minimum.  A few people have done the empennage build with them as well, but I’m not 100% sold yet.  If I can save 6k and do that slowly myself, that’s money for all the other expensive stuff I’ll need later.  

So for now I will continue to plan and research various elements, then I’ll prep the workshop once the winter ends.