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Width of rear fuselage/tailcone

mcjon77

Well Known Member
Hi guys,

I think that I will be stopping my Sonex project and switching to an RV-14 build. The one question I have is what is the width of the rear fuselage/tailcone for the RV-14. I will be building it inside of my house (no garage) and am trying to figure out if I can get it through one of the doors or windows.

I realize that the horizontal stabilizer is about 9 feet long, but if I understand from photos I don't have to permanently attach the vertical and horizontal stabilizers before moving the completed tailcone to my hangar.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jon
 
Thanks for the info.

Since I will be building in my living room, my gameplan is to either build the Horizontal Stabilizer and Vertical Stabilizer, then build the wings and wait until I get to my hangar (about a year later) to take the parts there and start on my tailcone.

OR just keep building everything in house and remove my living room window when the time comes.:D I guess people have done crazier and the cost to reinstall the window will probably still be cheaper than the cost of an additional several months renting a hangar. If I am willing to take out my living room window , I could probably build the whole fuselage, less putting it on its gear.
 
Jon,

I'm building in half a two car garage and I'm taking a similar approach. I do the empennage first, but for the tailcone I do everything (e.g. deburring, fluting, priming, etc.) up to but not including final assembly. I just don't have the room to let that big piece sit taking up my limited space.

After the wings are done I'll start on the fuselage and do the tailcone at that time.
 
Hi Jon,

Having built a Sonex, I should point out one difference. If you can get a Sonex tailcone out your window or door, you can get the whole fuselage out that same opening. That may be more of a problem with the 14 as the tailcone width alone is much narrower than the complete fuselage and spar center carry through.

You may be able to get a joined 14 fuselage out but it will probably have to go out on it's side and without the Canopy and roll bar. Like most of these projects they can be completed in smaller spaces but you do need to measure well and sequence the build just right.

I have my 14 and my Sonex in one hanger down at C56 in Monee and the 14 dwarfs the Sonex.

Just curious how come you are giving up on the Sonex? Have we spoken before by the way, I think I may have met you.
 
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I have my 14 and my Sonex in one hanger down at C56 in Monee and the 14 dwarfs the Sonex.

Just curious how come you are giving up on the Sonex? Have we spoken before by the way, I think I may have met you.

I am actually just putting my Sonex on the back burner. Once I get the 14 built, I would like to continue scratch building my Sonex at a leisurely pace.

Unless you were at the Great Lakes Sonex Fly-In last year, we probably haven't met, although I do think we exchanged messages on the old Sonex Yahoo Group. Or perhaps you have psychically sensed me following your Sonex build. Your site was one I went back to repeatedly, especially since you lived in Chicago, too.

There are several reasons I switched, but most of it comes down to realizing that the RV-14 is a better fit for me. Initially, I started with a Sonex because it was the best choice, given 2 constraints, financial and sport pilot. At the time, I was a new state employee and was making a new state employee?s salary. I had seen other people build a plane that they could not afford to keep and were forced to sell it.

The Sonex appealed to me because it EASILY fit within my budget. In addition, I was concerned about one day not being able to get a medical and again was scared off by stories of guys who built aircraft that they could no longer fly because they couldn?t get a medical. A Sport Pilot eligible aircraft seemed perfect.

The problem was that I kept thinking about mods to shoehorn the plane into fiting my wants/needs better. I was planning on using a Rotax instead of an Aerovee or Jabiru for weight and reliability reasons. I was also thinking about auxiliary fuel for longer trips. I wanted to see how I could bleed as much speed out of the plane as possible. I also was looking at seat/canopy mods to give me more space (I am a big guy). The new B model solved many of those problems, but not all.

Two things changed. First, as my career shifted to the private sector, I am able to afford more of a plane than I previously could. Second, BasicMed solves the medical issue. When I realized that I could do a somewhat budget build for an RV-14 (used angle valve IO-360 and a basic VFR panel) I did the numbers and the plane fit comfortably into my budget. Like I said, I am a big guy and the RV-14 seems like it was made for me. There is zero chance that I could have a comfortable cross country in a Sonex with another person. Normal size folks are tight in that plane, let alone someone built like a football player.

At the end of the day, every time I thought about the Sonex I thought about needing to buy second plane (larger, more conducive for cross-countries) to meet my needs. With the RV, it seems like my ?One Plane?. It isn?t perfect, but if I only owned an RV-14 virtually all of my needs would be met.
 
Jon,

I was at the fly in last summer. I had my RV-14 first flight just a couple of days prior. I don't remember meeting you but if you happen to go this summer I'll be there, but without the Sonex. I will probably have it down for maintenance getting ready to sell it. I still love it but no more need for it.

Basicmed is the reason I can let it go. When I started on the 14 I was going to hold on to the Sonex as a sport pilot eligible aircraft. Don't need to now.

Sounds like the 14 will turn out to fit your mission better. Best of luck and hope we run into each other soon.
 
Thanks Bob,

If you remember a gigantic black guy at the fly in last year, that was me.:D

By any chance, do you have any photos of your Sonex and 14 next to each other? I have always wondered about the size comparison.

Also, regarding C56, that will most likely be the airport I will be based out of. It is actually one of the closest to me and a gentleman at the flyin (the guy who did a presentation on building a Sonex B model with the Viking Engine) told me that they have spots available.

I'll definitely still show up to the fly in this summer. I hope to talk to you in person then.

Thanks for all of the info.

Jon
 
House build

Thanks for the info.

Since I will be building in my living room, my gameplan is to either build the Horizontal Stabilizer and Vertical Stabilizer, then build the wings and wait until I get to my hangar (about a year later) to take the parts there and start on my tailcone.

OR just keep building everything in house and remove my living room window when the time comes.:D I guess people have done crazier and the cost to reinstall the window will probably still be cheaper than the cost of an additional several months renting a hangar. If I am willing to take out my living room window , I could probably build the whole fuselage, less putting it on its gear.

If you are building inside your house might want to keep it off of the net along with letting anyone know about it. A friend years back somehow caught the eye of a local newspaper who published the fact along with pictures. Next thing that happened was a call from his insurance telling him that it had been canceled due to that fact. Just an FYI thing. Boyd
 
If you are building inside your house might want to keep it off of the net along with letting anyone know about it. A friend years back somehow caught the eye of a local newspaper who published the fact along with pictures. Next thing that happened was a call from his insurance telling him that it had been canceled due to that fact. Just an FYI thing. Boyd

Thanks for the heads up!
 
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