DAZED and CONFUSED - ROCKET Forum

medic311 said:

Some questions for the rocketeers -

My scenario - young (relatively), patient (to a degree), not willing to put down 40K up front for F1 kit - rather would buy wing kit from Van's/Harmon and piece meal over the next 4 or so years (and hope for 10% NYSE returns) - plus I am cash only type person.

Question 1. RV8 tail on Harmon Kit - I've decided to go with Harmon vs F1 based on upfront costs mainly - more time than money type situation. The numbers equal $19k for Harmon/RV $39K for F, roughly. Can I put my 8 tail on the Harmon without major mods - heard of this as an option.

Question 2. I've seen the plans for Harmon (ugh) and F1 (ahh)- does anyone regret choosing one or the other based on building difficulties (i.e. is it worth the extra bling to save on frustration). I know of a couple of very frustrated harmons builders who wished they had bought the F1 but not the other way around.

Many thanks -

Joe


Joe,
Depends on your level of experience, the Harmon method would be a struggle for a first time builder, but well worth the effort.
The RV-8 tail will fit on there just fine, if you shorten the VS a little and make the elevators and trim tab a little bigger you pretty much have an F-1 tail.
If you can find an older non prepunched RV-4 kit, that would be a good place to start. Or, just looking real close at a set of RV-4 plans might give you some insight about the difficulty level.
Whatever you do, its all fun though!
Kevin

Click to expand...

Kahuna said:

This sounds familiar.
Have you considered a Super 8?
Best,

Click to expand...