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What is your build schedule?

SkyFlorida

Active Member
I've spent a few months preparing the shop and now I'm in the early stages of building the empennage.

Just curious to hear about some of your build schedules. Do you have a goal of # hours a week? One day every weekend plus # nights? Other?

I find that I'm obsessed about getting into the shop every free moment... and feeling guilty when I'm not.

No small kids are harmed in the building of this plane. They're all grown and their mother is as crazy about building as I am. We're like two junkies.
 
whatever you plan will be laughed at later, just do as much as you can, as often as you can, and quit when you start making mistakes, you can always resume tomorrow
 
Whenever someone asks me when I plan to have it finished I just laugh. Their next question usually is: "Really when do you think you'll finish it?" I usually tell them a couple of years, but I have no idea.

I try to look at it as a project that needs to get finished. I find that whenever I set those types of goals that it becomes more like one of my work projects. I'm happier and I enjoy the build process more if I just plug away doing what I can.
 
Don't even try to set a schedule - you won't keep it. Just get out to the shop and try to do as much as you can every chance you can. Try your best to get out there every day, even if it's only 30 minutes or just to lay eyeballs on it to plan the next step. You won't make it everyday but it helps to keep you engaged.

I started what I thought would be a 3-year build in January of 2008, and I'm finishing up the panel and wiring the engine instrumentation now, so I'm realistically (at my pace) a year from first flight.

Slow is better than stop. Don't ever stop.
 
Try your best to get out there every day

Trying to do something everyday is the best advice I've heard. Some days that's 2 minutes putting away tools and others it's 12 hours going hard. When family time calls or when it's not fun or you're making mistakes is a good time to stop. The yard can wait, though:eek:.
 
I started out working nearly every spare minute I had. Life happened, I stopped for a while. I then picked away at it now and then. Once things appeared to be clear on the horizon, I dug in and got serious. I knew I had it on the ropes when I found myself working in an unheated hangar with an OAT of 4 degrees. It's been said here a hundred times, keep working and don't give up and one day you'll have a finished airplane. It takes what it takes. :)
 
I had no schedule to completion in mind when I started, I am old and don't work fast any more. I have been at it far longer than most on my RV12, building in my air conditioned attached garage sure helps the comfort level. I have done all the "honey do" jobs, taken vacations and trips, and have enjoyed every minute of building, and have made many, many changes as I build. When I am asked about completion, I always quickly reply, it will be done on Tuesday, then in response to the quizzical looks add that I just don't know exactly which Tuesday. I am getting close enough to completion, I just now have began thinking about actually getting it done. That will be a fun time, because then I can start on another one!
 
We like building... but we have a life too.

Just to give you a range:

My brother-in-law and I work one day a week at the hanger. We do miss some days (life happens) and we occasionally get an extra day. I do reading at home (we have three sets of the book plans.)

After 5.5 years, we have Wings, tail, most of the fuse done. We have a bunch of wiring in, the engine mount drilled, and I've sat in the plane and made engine noises.

My belief is that consistent work is more important than bursts of work with long quiet periods.

JMHO....

CC
 
I personally shoot for 15 hrs/week. Try to work on it most days, long breaks are not beneficial to the build process. Also, try and maintain some "life balance" to keep yourself sane. Its a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck, I remember how excited I was when I started...its a heckuva journey.
 
I figured on a 5 year slow build. I'm creeping up on 4 years in August and I'm beginning to think I may finish this project sooner than later. Actually, I hope to be moving to the airport at the end of summer.

I put in lots of hours some weeks, other weeks nothing. Work, travel and family have a big impact, and so does the cash flow. You can lose momentum really quick, so like others have said, try to do something every day. I never count the hours. It gets done as I have time.

I always try to have a list of things to do (more important as you get beyond the basic kits) so I don't waste a lot of time staring a stuff in the garage wondering what I should try to work on. Usually the list gets ignored and I end up doing whatever I feel like working on. Sometimes I end up just deciding to clean up the garage, and no real work on the project gets done.
 
I have found that I often need to alternate weeks... one week is airplane building, the next is "everything else". Sideline business, house maintenance, vehicle maintenance, family obligations, that sort of thing. Once in a while it stretches out to 2 weeks at a time, in either direction. Right now I haven't touched the plane in 2 weeks, and it's eating at me!

My overall goal is to be flying in 2 years; maybe not unrealistic since the kit was partially complete when I bought it. Right now I'd gladly swap my slow-build fuse for a QB if someone offered.

I have started setting small, intermediate goals. For instance -- I really, REALLY want to get the wings done this month, get them to the storage unit and have the fuse kit brought home before the start of July. I may miss that, but I'll be close. It helps to give myself a small sense of urgency so I can keep things prioritized.

Inertia can be your friend or your enemy... most often it's not your friend.
 
If you do find that life happens and you take long breaks, it makes you realize that a great builder's log is a handy tool, because you can look back on your old photos and say "Oh yeah... THAT's how I did that!" :p

Some of the best advice above is to know when to quit for the day-- when you are tired or get really frustrated. There is no shame in starting again after some rest. You will wreck less metal that way.
 
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My build is dictated by my chief financial officer(wife). I do something on it every day. Even while waiting on the next parts there is something to do or plan.
My CFO is also dang good at bucking rivets.

Bird
 
I've found I average 10 hours per week. Been building 2 years and 8 months so far. My initial guesstimate was 2-2 1/2 years, but it looks like it will be closer to 3-3 1/2. No big deal, and the end is in sight now.
 
I haven't built an RV, bought one. But, I did build a Sonex. I completely agree with trying to do something on the project as often as possible, even if it is just cleaning the shop (garage) and putting away tools.

I had a four month break in the build where I was out of town. The project was covered up in my half of the two car garage. When I got home there seemed to be sooooo many more important things to take care of. It languished for another two months. Finally my wife said either finish it or sell it, and that was the motivation I needed. It took a lot of focus to get started again but once I got back in the routine I really enjoyed it.

So, do what you can as often as you can, and someday you'll be making the first flight in a plane you built!!
 
Another vote for a good detailed builders log - I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up my builders log and photos to verify that was done (or note) and how it was done.
 
We planned for first flight in spring.
She flew ... the last day of spring...
a year later that we had first planned...
But we were on schedule ... we flew in spring :D

Always tried to do at least something every day.
 
what is your build schedule?

I have to agree the most important thing is to plan on doing something every chance you get...Most important keep family time available...I also answer when will it be finished with Friday, just don't say what year...I am also older and don't work as fast as used to.....must be fun, not another job
RV4 slow build.....vertical, rudder, horizontal, elevators, flaps, ailerons done.
wing spar reinforcements riveted ,fuselage just turned over last month, working on inner stuff...Tom Hankamp........(Tomcatrv4)
 
don't loose momentum...

I set a planned schedule for hands on work Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday... with documentation, research, planning, ordering, and normal life in-between ;)

This worked pretty well up to the very end where I seemed to be working on the plane almost every day...

Standard build - first flight in 21 months with around 2,050 hours of construction time with each work session averaging over 5 hours.
 
a rivet a day keeps...

Like others have already said. Do something every day if possible.

I don't know if my schedule is at all typical, but I work about two hours each evening during the work week, Mon-Thur, and then I try to get 4 hours a day on the weekends. I'm a year and a half in at this point and working on the center section of the fuselage. I don't have any set schedule for completion, but I suspect that I am at least 2 years out. It's true that I get frustrated at times and may momentarily forget that I'm having fun. The feeling doesn't last long and I'm right back at it.

Here's the most important point: Keep in mind that it is very likely that you will spend a lot more time building it than flying it. Try to find a way to enjoy every minute of the build and you will walk away with the ever elusive win-win situation.
 
Keepin on Keepin on...

When I started I promised myself to work on it 10 hrs per week (on average)
That proved to be about right, as I put in about 2,200 hrs in 4.5 years to completion.

By the way, I am also working full time....

another help was to keep a detailed and ongoing (daily) builders log. This also helps when it comes time to show it to the FAA!

I look at it in the same light as getting a PhD. How long would it take? How much would it cost? and what is its value?

Now my goal is to fly as many hours as I spent building.....

Jim
RV-9A 350 hrs.
 
It's easy to talk about what you're going to do or what you could have done, but today is the only day you can do anything about. Do something every day if possible!
 
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