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Finally starting

Indytim

Active Member
Ok. I'm finally, finally pulling the trigger. I've been lurking for years, and have settled on an RV-8 build. My chief delay, or concern, has been my availability at home - I spend about 70% of my time on business travel. But during the 3-4 years I've been thinking about this, and I know this might be shocking: I haven't gotten any younger.

I'd welcome any comments on my plan. Are there any significant gotchas in this sequence?

1) launch the empennage build working with Jay Pratt. I'd like to get off on the right foot and learn some good techniques.
2) get the fuselage in and start building. To me this will be the most challenging and time-consuming by far. I plan to do a showplanes fastback kit, and a few other things in the interior. I want to complete fuse/interior/panel/canopy, aside from any wing-related connections and setup, before finishing with wings and fwf.
3) QB wings with HW extended tanks.
4) Finish kit and fwf.

Head over to the hangar and finish up. This should be, what? About 2025?
 
I?d do both quick build, or slow build wings and QB fuse. There is about as much time in a QB fuse, fastback, etc. as a SB wing. Could probably make 2022

Or, if you really dont have the time to build, sell the 252 and buy a flying RV-8. Couple nice ones for sale right now.
 
I would luv an RV8 to tinker/build but I am of the age where flying is more important than losing several years flying time, each to their own I guess.
Good luck with the 'challenge':)
 
Plan well ahead if ordering QB RV-8 wings and fuselage. Van's recommends that both be ordered together so they can be matched. I ordered mine in June 2016 and was told 5-6 months. It took considerably longer than that; received both February 2017. If I had had the money in place, I would have ordered empennage, fuselage and wings together and the timing would have been just right. My finishing kit is being prepared; two months lead time currently. Aerotronics built my panel; 6 months lead time. Barrett is building my engine; 3 months lead time; Whirlwind prop ordered; 6 weeks. Highly recommend Tony Partain for shipping. Jay Pratt and the Texas gang is a great building resource; Synergy Air in Oregon is another. Most important thing to ask: do you really like building? I mean REALLY like building... because it's a pretty huge job. No doubt it can be done successfully. But if you don't love the thought of doing all that work, really think it over. This is NOT cheap, and it would not be good to make the investment and then get too frustrated by the process.
 
QB is GOOD!!!

Starting off at Jay's workshop is a great way to get started, especially if this is a first time build for you.
In my opinion, the way to go is definitely with a QB kit for both wings and fuselage. It is an unbelievable bang for the buck. Just estimate how many hours it will save you and divide that into the additional cost for the QB and it is cheap labor!
Ask Vans if you can get the fuse QB made without the top rear skin installed and delete the parts you won't need if you go with a fastback kit. Even if you have to drill off the top skin on a QB kit, to get to the fuselage bulkheads for fastback modifications, it still saves you a ton of work!
If you can order all of the kits at one time, that's the way to go. That way you have everything when you need it and you save on shipping, too.
Advice is worth what you paid for it!!!
 
Congratulations on the decision Tim! I see nothing wrong with your basic plan, although as has been pointed out, you must generally order the wings before or with the fuselage since the wing kit includes the spar carry through which is matched to the spars. What vans may require is that you order your QB wings at the same time as the fuse kit. Don't take my word for it though, Vans are the final source.

Regarding your time away, I have a similar lifestyle. I have found that being forced to down tools regularly can actually help. I use the time away to read ahead and research the next move here on VAF. When I get home I hit the ground running, and have been saved from countless mistakes through all the research, courtesy of all the fine folks who post their trials and tribulations here and on various build logs. Also get the PDF plans and 27 years of the RVator to read on the road.

Good luck!
 
Indy, you're reading my mind! I'm in the exact same position and had the exact same plan...Until reading this.

It IS a mammoth project and if you look at the various builder logs, just look at the time between posts and what the builder accomplished in that time. The guys that pull it off in two years have a sheet load of help, experience, money and time. I've got a half finished mahogany kayak that has been suspended from my workshop ceiling for 15 years - the mission changed. That in itself should be a big signpost for me...

But on the flip side, I owned an RV-4 for 13 years that I didn't build. I was never really comfortable with not knowing how to fix it and was constantly frustrated by arrangements that I never would've done during the build...

Also, when considering it will take years to build, what are the chances that your circumstances (financial or otherwise) will change, or your mission might not be what you thought it would be?

But being in Canada, there simply aren't any used ones for sale and with the US exchange rate, dropping $100k USD pushes it well out of my range when you add everything up to get it here. At least by building you can spread it out over time (but of course pay more in the long run).

But the tail kit is so relatively cheap it's like a gateway drug. Maybe that's the answer - enjoy a little snort with the tail kit and then you may be better informed on whether the build is something you want to take on. Then if you buy used at least you'll have some skills from the tail that may make you better informed.

I'm basically talking to myself here lol.

Mike
 
Time

I began building my RV8 in October of 2010, slow build on everything. Wife helped drive rivets...completed in September 2013, 1,350 hours start to finish. Worked only winter months...figure the next one should take between 1,000 and 1,100 hours....just saying...:)
 
I began building my RV8 in October of 2010, slow build on everything. Wife helped drive rivets...completed in September 2013, 1,350 hours start to finish. Worked only winter months...figure the next one should take between 1,000 and 1,100 hours....just saying...:)

That seems fast. It's encouraging, especially if I go ahead with QBW + QBF.

What's your secret, have you built one before?
 
All - I appreciate the comments from above, particularly about matching the holes for QBW and QBF. I had not considered that, and somehow missed it in my readings. I've gone back and forth on the QB kits all along. I love building, but I'm very concerned about the constraints on my time, and it sure would be nice to be flying before I'm retired.

So, my revised plan is now this:

- Empennage build with Jay. I don't plan to get it all done at his shop - I'll bring whatever isn't done home and finish.
- Order QBW + QBF + Fastback kit. It looks like the turtledeck is not installed on the QB from Vans, so there is little to undo, to install the fastback kit. Brian over at Showplanes sent me a list of the component deletes on my QB order. Brian says it's roughly $800 in savings, although I have not gotten the actual credit amounts from Vans yet.
- And then I wait for the QB kits to show up. I have some R&D I need to do, for the interior - there are some things I want to do that are beyond my current know-how. So it will be a good time to figure all that out, while I wait for the QB kits to show up.
 
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Finally thinking of starting rv8

Hi,
Just joined this forum today because of my long held interest in an rv8 build. As a "newby" I can only add that I believe the qbf and the qbw is the way to go along with the empennage build course to get off on the right foot. I have been watching for a completed rv8 but sor far, no luck. If I don't find one soon, I'll be ordering my quick build kit very soon. Best of luck from Central Wisconsin!!!
Sheldon
 
Welcome aboard Sheldon!

Welcome Sheldon. This is a great site for inspiration, motivation and RV help.

IndyTim.... I'm excited for you. Jay is a really cool guy that has a great aviation spirit. You will learn a lot from him. I can't say enough good things about Jay.

That said, the build time is highly variable. It took amanda and myself about 2200 man hours to get our QB project flying. We did have help from a local IA and amanda was with me the entire time. It is a tremendous help with everything from inventory(ing), to reading and interpreting the build manual to physically working on the plane... by having a second person helping in a full time way. Vans aircraft is amazing. When you mess up a part (you will) they ship replacement parts out really fast and they are very reasonably priced for replacement parts.

If you aren't in a big hurry... you can get it all done by yourself will a little bit of help when it comes down to rivets, putting on the wings and hanging the engine.

Regardless of your timeline... try to enjoy the build and make a few friends along the way. :)
 
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Sure Thing.

The only thing we have to fear is ----------------. Step off the curb and start taking steps. You are in good company and we have all gone through it.
Welcome to the fun and frustration of such fun. Yours, R.E.A. III # 80888
 
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