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QuickBuild Fuselage or Wings

Another related question. How much time can I expect to save with either of the QuickBuild kits?
 
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If I could I would do BOTH quickbuild. Fuse took me almost a year to build. Based on my experience (quick wings, slow fuse), I would say the QB wings and fuse would have saved me a total of about 14-16 months. I am very close to being "done" and I'm projecting to a total of 2.5 years, probably 2200 hours or so in shop time (that doesn't count hours spent on this forum and reading plans ahead of time, etc.)

I agree that fuse is more interesting - every section is different and it's fun to watch it come together. And when you build wings, you do everything twice!
 
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If you dont like building as much I would suggest QB fuselage. Definitely takes longer to get the Fuselage up to the QB level compared to the wings in my opinion. The fuselage is a lot more mentally interesting to build though !
 
If you dont like building as much I would suggest QB fuselage. Definitely takes longer to get the Fuselage up to the QB level compared to the wings in my opinion. The fuselage is a lot more mentally interesting to build though !

I don't mind building, I'm just trying to determine if the QuickBuild options are worth the extra money to get the bird flying sooner.
 
Save the money. The standard -14 kits are so quick and easy to build that the QBs are simply not as tempting as they were for earlier kits.

I’m not quite eight weeks into my fuselage kit, about halfway through section 35, and will be ready when my finish kit arrives at the end of the month.

I’m hoping to fly by the end of the year with about 18 months into my entirely slowbuild -14A.
 
Wings .. that way you can do 100% in your garage and then just move everything to the hangar for final assembly.
 
Save the money. The standard -14 kits are so quick and easy to build that the QBs are simply not as tempting as they were for earlier kits.

I?m not quite eight weeks into my fuselage kit, about halfway through section 35, and will be ready when my finish kit arrives at the end of the month.

I?m hoping to fly by the end of the year with about 18 months into my entirely slowbuild -14A.

How much time are you putting in per day?
 
Do the QB wings: They take less than a month to complete, then tuck away fairly easily. Then have more fun with the fuse.
 
If you don't mind building and have some help, do both slow build and put the savings towards the avionics. If you want a quick build choice, I would do wings as they are mind numbingly repetitive.
 
Are you solo or do you have ready help?

I went SB wings, and they were mind numbingly repetitive, and QB fuse. I judged the wings easier to build solo vs the fuse, and I was very solo. It worked for me and my -9a.
 
No Fuel Tanks

I often get asked what the worst part of the build is, other builders often say canopy however with the 14/14A thats not the case, for me its definately fuel tanks they were problematic, messy and the proseal was an expensive add on, with the quickbuild they come completed, so for me it would be wings.
 
QB?

I would do QB wings. The fuel tanks are done, tested, the ailerons and flaps are done. You have wiring, control rods, wing tips landing lights and lower skin. I started on my left wing January 25 and by today am about ready to rivet lower wing skin. So both can be comple Ted in less than a month.

Allan Stern
RV 6A QB sold
RV 8A QB sold
RV 12 flying
RV 14A empennage tail done
Working on wings
 
My project came to a screeching halt when I got to the step where you begin riveting the lower wing skins (slow build wings). Up to that point it had taken me about a year to build the wings working only on weekends. In fact I'm still stuck at that point because as far as I can tell, riveting the inboard wing skins near the rear spar is about a nanometer short of being impossible. If you are going to buy a quick-build kit I'd do it with the wings for this and the other reasons folks have mentioned here.
 
The other thing to throw into the equation I wish I had thought about before starting is the quick build items are clear alodined. Saves a lot on priming and weight.
 
I am currently at chapter 10 of 11 of my empennage kit and am waiting for the slow build wings to arrive.

I have decided to do slow build wings because for me emotionally the wings are the stuff that makes the plane fly. If I build something myself it's the wings.
Maybe after I have finished the wings and prosealed the tanks I think different about this - we will see :D

I haven't decided yet about the fuselage.
Probably I'll also slow build them to save some money and get the GTN 750 instead of the GTN 650 in the end. I don't know. I like the time in the shop and I am quite happy that I still have to build a lot of stuff before bringing the plane to the airfield. Is that strange?

Malte
 
This thread reminds me of an Old Saying:

"If you want to build an airplane, build an airplane. If you want an airplane buy an airplane."
 
I like the time in the shop and I am quite happy that I still have to build a lot of stuff before bringing the plane to the airfield. Is that strange?

Not to me. While I?d be glad to have less to do before being ready to fly, I wouldn?t want that convenience to come as a result of having bought a quickbuild kit. For me, it?s neither a price-based nor value-based decision, but one resulting from a desire to touch as many parts as practical of everything I build. Quickbuild kits are the exact antithesis of that philosophy and not in the spirit of homebuilding.
 
Quickbuild kits are the exact antithesis of that philosophy and not in the spirit of homebuilding.

I definitely built mine at home, just in 14 months and not 3 years.

I don't think I missed any particular skill or experience, I could certainly build any of the quickbuild assemblies myself but it sure was nice shaving a year or more off the process.

Second time around I would likely build the fuselage myself but would still opt for the quickbuild wings.
 
I definitely built mine at home, just in 14 months and not 3 years.

I built my -8 from an early standard kit in only 28 months. I should have my ?slowbuild? -14A flying in ~18 months. Time to finish need not be factor. Obviously, this is a YMMV-type situation. :)
 
For me, it’s neither a price-based nor value-based decision, but one resulting from a desire to touch as many parts as practical of everything I build. Quickbuild kits are the exact antithesis of that philosophy and not in the spirit of homebuilding.

I wouldn't say quickbuild is an antithesis of home build philosophy. I have seen the sparkle in the eyes of quickbuild builders when they talk about their planes. I think it's just a choice you do while building. Same as to prime or not to prime, Garmin or Dynon or tailwheel or tricycle gear.
 
I would think the second time would go a lot faster ... I'm seriously considering building another 14 in a few years (or a 16 :)).
 
I would do QB fuselage so I would have control over the fuel tanks. As a QB Wing owner that leaking fuel destroyed my paint after only a few hours of flight and had to re-do sealant and paint on the entire wing (painted fuel tank and wing as a unit so when tanks got removed it destroyed both), I would in no way trust another human being to do my fuel tanks. Also had to pull 2 friends QB tanks to re-seal and re paint their wings also. I will never paint tanks and wing together again. Search forums for "tank blisters", as you can see I'm still sour from this. I had a several award winning airplane that had to be dis-mantled and re painted with less than a hundred hours on it.
 
Check availability

As you can tell, there are pros and cons either way.


BUT


Whichever way you go, make absolutely sure they have the kit available.


Ten years ago I waited for over FOUR MONTHS during the winter. Just sitting, watching bad tv and doing a very slow burn.
 
Ten years ago I waited for over FOUR MONTHS during the winter. Just sitting, watching bad tv and doing a very slow burn.

I have ordered the empennage and the slow build(!) wings kit on Oct 1st 2018. The empennage has arrived after three weeks. The wings kit will arrive end of this month (Feb 2019). So it took 5 months. The wings have left Van's at Jan 7th. Since then it's on the way to Germany via truck, train and ship. Due to the cold weather (polar vortex) it has missed the first ship which resulted in a delay of two weeks.
 
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