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Thanks Mike H. Built benches this weekend with 2 inch lips all around. Space in garage kept me to 5 footers. If I move some work to KCOI I will make a set of 6 footers. Avery toolkit came Tuesday. Tail and Wing tomorrow. What have I bit off!!!?? Next newbie question.

How long can I expect to spend inventorying a wing kit and a tail kit. I plan to do wing first and close up for storage and then open tail,inventory and build. I will have another engineer helping.
 
Thanks Mike H. Built benches this weekend with 2 inch lips all around. Space in garage kept me to 5 footers. If I move some work to KCOI I will make a set of 6 footers. Avery toolkit came Tuesday. Tail and Wing tomorrow. What have I bit off!!!?? Next newbie question.

How long can I expect to spend inventorying a wing kit and a tail kit. I plan to do wing first and close up for storage and then open tail,inventory and build. I will have another engineer helping.

Inventorying the wing kit doesn't take that long, few hours.
 
Inventory

Thanks Mike H. Built benches this weekend with 2 inch lips all around. Space in garage kept me to 5 footers. If I move some work to KCOI I will make a set of 6 footers. Avery toolkit came Tuesday. Tail and Wing tomorrow. What have I bit off!!!?? Next newbie question.

How long can I expect to spend inventorying a wing kit and a tail kit. I plan to do wing first and close up for storage and then open tail,inventory and build. I will have another engineer helping.

Only disadvantage to waiting to inventory the tail is Van's has a 30 day policy to let them know of damaged or missing parts. (Pretty sure that is correct) However, they have been really great to work with and very few complaints from other builders about anything missing. I think, like you, I would take the risk and leave the tail boxed up because they pack it so good, unless there is any visible damage to the outside of the crates. Unless of course to have the room to unpack and store everything in your shop.
 
Newbie here. I just ordered my first kit :):). The RV-14A Empennage/Tailcone Kit. My S/N is 140175. Shipped Out today 8-01-14.
Everyone get ready for me to start asking a bunch of questions. I already have a ton of questions but I will wait to ask until I get my kit in and study on the drawings.
 
Its great to finally be here. A dream come true at less for now. I just hope it doesn't turn into a nightmare.
 
Inventory

No worries on that. Since I was told that inventory is a few hours I hope to inventory wing and close and store this weekend and then hop all over tail to start build with first rivet ( shall we have a ceremony and champagne) sometime next week, all well within the 30 days. I was happy to see the 30 when I read it.

Excited to see the plans etc on CD for $10. I'll be ordering that as soon as I am done here at the VAF.
 
Serial 140174

Got the empenage last night, first time builder, waiting on tools and practice kit, girlfriend said she will help me build it. It will be fun !!
 
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Serial Number 140182

Flew the prototype at Van's last Thursday with Ken Scott. Placed the order for the tail kit for 140182 while at the factory. I'm looking forward to lots of great advice from all those here with more experience than me!
 
Flew the prototype at Van's last Thursday with Ken Scott. Placed the order for the tail kit for 140182 while at the factory. I'm looking forward to lots of great advice from all those here with more experience than me!

Welcome Lee! You're going to love it!
 
140173 Officially started

For what it's worth after going gang busters on the inventory and then piddling for a while on the practice tool box with handle bending and riveting left to do and complaining about the heat in Florida in the summer I did it today.

I dove in and an did page 6-02 up to the riveting. Next payday I'll order my AKZO 463--12-8 and get my priming set up going and then it will be squirt and rivet. I may put some other sections in Cleco while I wait for the primer.

I just wanted to celebrate starting. My wife is actually excited.
 
For what it's worth after going gang busters on the inventory and then piddling for a while on the practice tool box with handle bending and riveting left to do and complaining about the heat in Florida in the summer I did it today.

I dove in and an did page 6-02 up to the riveting. Next payday I'll order my AKZO 463--12-8 and get my priming set up going and then it will be squirt and rivet. I may put some other sections in Cleco while I wait for the primer.

I just wanted to celebrate starting. My wife is actually excited.

I have taken a couple of weeks off due to the heat as well. Got out there today and put the leading edges on.

If you work on it two to three hours each evening a few days a week you will be surprised how fast it starts taking shape!
 
Mike, Terrell.

I'm driving to Halifax to pick up my tail kit next week. You two Southerners should come up to Nova Scotia to help me with the inventory. I can gaurantee that you WILL NOT be bothered by the heat!!:)
 
Mike, Terrell.

I'm driving to Halifax to pick up my tail kit next week. You two Southerners should come up to Nova Scotia to help me with the inventory. I can gaurantee that you WILL NOT be bothered by the heat!!:)

I would love to take you up on that offer if I wasn't so busy between now and the end of the year! I wouldn't be able to stay too long or else my arse might freeze off!
 
I would love to take you up on that offer if I wasn't so busy between now and the end of the year! I wouldn't be able to stay too long or else my arse might freeze off!

Ha ha ha. Mike you and I share a common dialect. Got a call from a teacher a while back telling me that one of the kids told her she nearly froze her arse off at recess. I told the teacher that I would ask the wife to stop saying that in front of the kids!:D

Any advice on unpacking the kit? Betting it will never go back in the box. My shop gets used for lots of other things, so I would like to build shelves that will hold first the tail parts, then when that is done the wing kit parts. Any comments on dimensions, #shelves, or other options?

Thanks.
 
Ha ha ha. Mike you and I share a common dialect. Got a call from a teacher a while back telling me that one of the kids told her she nearly froze her arse off at recess. I told the teacher that I would ask the wife to stop saying that in front of the kids!:D

Any advice on unpacking the kit? Betting it will never go back in the box. My shop gets used for lots of other things, so I would like to build shelves that will hold first the tail parts, then when that is done the wing kit parts. Any comments on dimensions, #shelves, or other options?

Thanks.

Absolutely some good shelves for the large parts. Up high and out of the way till needed.

I built two of the EAA benches and then above two shelves 8'[2438mm] X24 [609.6mm] suspended by threaded rod through a joist in the ceiling. Still short on space a bit but most of tail went up there. Some pieces still on my working surfaces. I may regret that later than sooner.

Some fellows build pegboards with wooden dowels for ribs etc. I did layout some cardboard and mark areas where different subkits went. Unsure how closely to plans sections the correlate. I just posted a question about small bags and that issue on Plan Gotchas.

I have found the EAA benches to be really good. If you don't have to store all the junk you had in that space before the shelves underneath are also good space for large parts. The RV Builder basics DVD also had some good shop setup info on it as far as a A frame for small parts jars and a place to hang the plans not on the bench.
 
Where to put all the parts

Ha ha ha. Mike you and I share a common dialect. Got a call from a teacher a while back telling me that one of the kids told her she nearly froze her arse off at recess. I told the teacher that I would ask the wife to stop saying that in front of the kids!:D

Any advice on unpacking the kit? Betting it will never go back in the box. My shop gets used for lots of other things, so I would like to build shelves that will hold first the tail parts, then when that is done the wing kit parts. Any comments on dimensions, #shelves, or other options?

Thanks.

Advice on unpacking - the duct tape will bend your parts if you try and pull it off. I kept my box from the tail section on top of my two cabinets where the completed section now sits on a base I built with carpeting. Once all the parts where gone, I disassembled it and saved what I could and pitched the rest.

ycexh.jpg


Then I put the horizontal stabilizer on a bike rack on the wall. Yes, it is screwed into a stud.

50fk82.jpg


I recommend the wire shelving, the one I used is 16" wide and will hold all of your parts out of the way once they are finished, if you have the ceiling height. I have the flaps, ailerons, elevators, vertical stab, wing tips and rudder up there.

fx55lj.jpg


Once you get the wings done, best thing for them is a wing cradle.

10qfhpi.jpg
 
Ha ha ha. Mike you and I share a common dialect. Got a call from a teacher a while back telling me that one of the kids told her she nearly froze her arse off at recess. I told the teacher that I would ask the wife to stop saying that in front of the kids!:D Thanks.

Blame it on the wife eh:D

Yes, please be careful not to bend stuff when removing the duct tape that secures the parts during shipping. Some of the blue protective film will come off with the duct tape but it isn't a big deal. Not sure why you ask if the parts will fit back into the crate...you are supposed to assemble them;)
I inventoried my empennage kit and repacked it in the crate for storage while I finish the wings and it fit just fine.
 
S/N 140184

Emp kit arrived yesterday. Planning to use the duct tape instead of rivets to hold the plane together. That stuff is crazy strong!!
 
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SN 140187

Just got my invoice for S/N 140187 Tail Kit! Waiting for ABF to deliver & building some EAA 1000 benches. First Timer. (They need to change the registration form to allow selection of the 14 as an interest.) :)

Henry
 
welcome to the 14 world

Just got my invoice for S/N 140187 Tail Kit! Waiting for ABF to deliver & building some EAA 1000 benches. First Timer. (They need to change the registration form to allow selection of the 14 as an interest.) :)

Henry

Mike must be off this weekend. He's usually first to welcome new builders.
The EAA benches are awesome and it takes both.

First timer. Me too. Order a tool box and build it. I took the EAA workshop last October but the tool box brougt a lot into focus and knocked some rust off the skill set.

And make the VAF one of your homepages. There is a lot on here from a lot of good guys and most of our questions have been asked and answered in many ways.
 
Mike must be off this weekend. He's usually first to welcome new builders.
The EAA benches are awesome and it takes both.

First timer. Me too. Order a tool box and build it. I took the EAA workshop last October but the tool box brougt a lot into focus and knocked some rust off the skill set.

And make the VAF one of your homepages. There is a lot on here from a lot of good guys and most of our questions have been asked and answered in many ways.
Actually I have ordered a second tool box because I learned so much "the hard way" on the first one!
 
New guy

Hello All,
I've been lurking on VAF for about a month now. I just registered and thought that I would come out of the shadows and say hi. I've really enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your pics. I've wanted to build an airplane since I was a teenager in the late 1970's when I asked my Dad if I could use the one car garage for "about a year" to build an airplane. (HA!) He liked the idea and actually said yes. I was interested in the KR2 at the time. Over the years I've subscribed to various magazines and gotten info packets on several different kit planes but never pulled the trigger. I've been interested in RV's for quite a while now. The traditional metal construction is very appealing. After reading most of the posts on VAF I think that the RV-14 may be the plane for me. I live in Delaware near ILG and would be very interested to find out if an RV is going together near me. Due to a pending move I figure that I am maybe a year or so away from ordering a tail kit and really want to educate myself in the meantime.
 
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Hello All,
I've been lurking on VAF for about a month now. I just registered and thought that I would come out of the shadows and say hi. I've really enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your pics. I've wanted to build an airplane since I was a teenager in the late 1970's when I asked my Dad if I could use the one car garage for "about a year" to build an airplane. (HA!) He liked the idea and actually said yes. I was interested in the KR2 at the time. Over the years I've subscribed to various magazines and gotten info packets on several different kit planes but never pulled the trigger. The kids are out of college now and it seems like a good time to finally get the ball rolling. I've been interested in RV's for quite a while now. The traditional metal construction is very appealing. After reading most of the posts on VAF I think that the RV-14 may be the plane for me. I live in Delaware near ILG and would be very interested to find out if an RV is going together near me. I have a long dormant A&P but at one time long ago had pretty decent sheet metal skills. Due to a pending move I figure that I am maybe a year or so away from ordering a tail kit and really want to educate myself in the meantime.

Welcome. Do you have a mission in mind for a build?
 
Welcome. Do you have a mission in mind for a build?

Hi Tom, I am following your build through your link. I envision taking the wife and dog mostly up and down the east coast. Probably from Delaware to Virginia and maybe to Florida and the Caribbean a few times a year.
 
Hi Tom, I am following your build through your link. I envision taking the wife and dog mostly up and down the east coast. Probably from Delaware to Virginia and maybe to Florida and the Caribbean a few times a year.

Sounds great. The RV14 is a really nice airplane, although I have never flown it. It's going to be a good cross country machine to fit your mission. You should also have a look at the RV9 as well.
 
Sounds great. The RV14 is a really nice airplane, although I have never flown it. It's going to be a good cross country machine to fit your mission. You should also have a look at the RV9 as well.

I focused on the RV 9 at first. I don't plan on aerobatics but having the ability to do it occasionally in a 14 is appealing. I also always focused on a tricycle gear airplane but now I feel more open to the idea of a taildragger although I have no experience in them.
 
I focused on the RV 9 at first. I don't plan on aerobatics but having the ability to do it occasionally in a 14 is appealing. I also always focused on a tricycle gear airplane but now I feel more open to the idea of a taildragger although I have no experience in them.

Seek out some pilots in your local area from this forum and go get a ride in some of them. It's the only way to really know.
 
S/N 140188

Hello from Minnesota. I am new to the site. Happy to have received my empennage crate via Old Dominion unharmed. Upgrading the lighting in my shop and have the Van's airfoil practice project to work on before trying the real thing. Not quite sure about priming in the winter here?
 
Hey Rick, hello too from Nova Scotia.

You and I will have about the same challenges regarding priming. I think I'll build a shelf near a window, put a fan on it, enclose an area including the fan out of 1/4 plywood to make a temporary spray booth, and just open and close the window as required. For over half the year, I'll just have to accept the extra heating bill! I'm pretty sure I'm going to use AKZO so there are some health hazards to consider. I hear a lot about explosion proof fans too but I'm no expert there.

Oh, and what Ron B. said above.
 
Hi Al, a paint booth sounds like the way to go, maybe with hinged corners to be able to stow it away when not in use. I bought a gallon of P60G2 self-etching primer and intend to spray some test pieces outside this week to see if I like it. Since priming seems the least enjoyable part, I bought a 3M Accuspray to try to minimize cleanup and solvent use. Will be interesting to see how it works. There are certainly plenty of dangerous chemicals in all of these primers.
 
Kit number 140192

Just heard from Old Dominion Freight and my 14A empennage kit is scheduled to be delivered on October 20th.

I'm excited to get started. Does anyone have any suggestions on priming..... JUST KIDDING! :)
 
Hey Greg.

Good for you buddy.

When you first open that box, it won't seem like there is that much in there... after you remove those first two skins on top, that'll change! Vans gets one pile of stuff in there.

Exciting, eh?:)
 
Welcome to the VAF Greg. You'll enjoy this.

I am up to prime if desired step on both vertical stab and rudder chapters so this weekend is play with the paint rig to get it dialed in and then see how to make the HobbyAir hood quit hiking up so far I can't see out and mix some AKZO!!!!

The regs say you can register an EAB if you build it for education and entertainment. I had no idea of how much of both I would experience.
 
Baby steps

I'm taking my baby steps toward the building of a 14. I ordered the CD plans. Still looking to hook up with a RV for a visit and maybe a ride near ILG or N57. I'm happy to trade a little labor or gas money.
 
Delaware is around the conrner from DelMarVa. Why not a ride with Mike from the East Coast sales. Check the Van's site for info.

I actually emailed Mitch a few weeks ago to ask if the 14 might be available for demo flights on the east coast. He replied to my email in about 20 minutes at 11pm. He said that he is building one that will be flying in about a year. He has a 10 and I think a 12 available for demos right now. I have heard that several RVs are right in my backyard so I was hoping to avoid the two hour drive and find one closer.
 
New RV14A Empannage Kit started for Ser# 1400195

Attended Oshkosh this past August and got the RV bug virus. Received empannage kit a few weeks ago and have started work on it. Still trying to accomplish other getting-started tasks such as work space arranging, getting rid of stuff I can't live without that I have hoarded for years because I know I will need that 12"x16-1/2" piece of 3/4" plywood, and stocking up on everything I know or think I will need in the building years ahead of me. I know I need to focus on the near future and eat the elephant one bite at a time.

Vans Airforce appears to be a wonderful forum and I believe it will be a great resource as long as I can separate the wheat from the chaff.
 
Welcome aboard. VAF is a rocking resource and you never know when a post will appear or reappear that has the tip or technique you need to get a task done. If you are still organizing bite the bullet and to the EAA 1000 benches. Best thing I did so far. Then the Sears Band Saw and the HF Aircraft Tool Supply combo belt and disk sander. And an R2D2 C frame.

There are some pretty good threshers on here so the chaff gets taken out pretty quick. There is indeed lots of good stuff. Hook up with your local EAA group too. There is good experience and encouragement there.
 
Welcome aboard. It already looks as if you have discovered the value of the VAF. Best tool I paid for so far. Headed online for EAA webinar. Cheers and keep us up to date on progress.
 
No typo. I got a DRDT-2 also but I have found the VAF to be an excellent place to pick up clarifications and tips. There are some really sharp serial builders on here who can answer questions and offer pointers.
 
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