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Option purchase timing questions...

kbalch

Well Known Member
Hi All,

I?ve just ordered the -14A empennage and wing kits and have a few questions about whether I should order some of the optional subkits now or wait until later. Mostly thinking about tailcone and wing accessibility issues for these items:

- Autopilot servo install kits (pitch and roll)
- Yaw damper servo install kit
- Magnetometer mounting kit
- Aileron trim kit

Anything else I should be considering at this point? This ought to keep me busy for a few months!

I?m really glad to be rejoining the RV community as an active builder. I loved building and flying my RV-8, have missed it (and hated being a tire-kicker) since the sale some years ago, and can?t wait to start work on my new RV-14A.
 
Ken:

See PM. Give me a call - I'm pretty far along in my project and not too far from you. Happy to host you and walk you through how I've approached these sorts of questions and share what I've learned along the way as well as review my many mistakes....

Turner B
 
Hi All,

I?ve just ordered the -14A empennage and wing kits and have a few questions about whether I should order some of the optional subkits now or wait until later. Mostly thinking about tailcone and wing accessibility issues for these items:

- Autopilot servo install kits (pitch and roll)
- Yaw damper servo install kit
- Magnetometer mounting kit
- Aileron trim kit

Anything else I should be considering at this point? This ought to keep me busy for a few months!

I?m really glad to be rejoining the RV community as an active builder. I loved building and flying my RV-8, have missed it (and hated being a tire-kicker) since the sale some years ago, and can?t wait to start work on my new RV-14A.

Personally, I would hold off on those decisions. They are going to be tightly coupled to your EFIS decision. I thought I knew which EFIS I was going to buy 80% through my build. Technology and opportunities changed and I made a decision to switch vendors. You don't need those items until the end of your build. Also, you don't want to install the previous technology offering in your favorite vendor comes out with something new during your build.
 
Personally, I would hold off on those decisions. They are going to be tightly coupled to your EFIS decision. I thought I knew which EFIS I was going to buy 80% through my build. Technology and opportunities changed and I made a decision to switch vendors. You don't need those items until the end of your build. Also, you don't want to install the previous technology offering in your favorite vendor comes out with something new during your build.

I definitely hear what you're saying. My intent right now is go with the Garmin G3X system and I've already been in touch with SteinAir for an initial quote. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on avionics developments, though I intend to move right along with the project and am planning to order the panel in November (given the 7-month lead time on delivery).
 
Wow. That's truly ambitious regarding your expected timeline. I started on my wings in April last year after finishing the empennage in about 5 months. Based on that first kit I thought it would be no problem to finish the wings by Christmas. Boy, was that wishful thinking! I'm now into my 13th month on the wings and figure I'm about 2 weeks out from closing up the fuel tanks. Still have ailerons, flaps, wiring, pitot, magnetometer mount, servo mounts, control linkages, etc. left to go before the wings are done. Now I'm hoping to have the wings done in less than 18 months!
 
Kbalch, I would slow down a bit. It does take longer than one anticipates. There are times during the build that you will "take time off". Sometimes months long to take care of life around you.
 
I may be overestimating the build speed, but I built an early RV-8 from a standard kit in 29 months. Allowing for the substantial kit improvements, I'm hoping for 18 months with the RV-14A.

We'll see how it goes... :)
 
I may be overestimating the build speed, but I built an early RV-8 from a standard kit in 29 months. Allowing for the substantial kit improvements, I'm hoping for 18 months with the RV-14A.

Ken, I built an RV-8A slow build in the pre matched hole days (outer skins prepunched but substructure was not so I had to build jigs for everything). Having now built the empennage and wings and started on the fuselage of the 14A, it is actually taking more build hours for each part than the 8A did. Yes the 14 kit is more advanced with no jigs required, but it is also a larger more complicated airframe with significantly higher parts count than the -8. Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder what Vans was thinking...the trailing edges for example are WAY more work than the simple bent edges on the -8. Lots more ribs and J-channel stiffeners in both wings and fuselage. Two spars in each elevator plus you've got to bond in foam ribs. The vertical stab is about the only part that is really comparable to the -8, but the fit of the fiberglass on the stab and rudder are worse than the -8.

I do expect the canopy to go more quickly, and if you use all the stock FWF stuff and premade wire harnesses the are some areas that will offset the more time-consuming airframe, but overall I don't think you'll find the build time to be any faster than the -8, and probably a bit longer.
 
Ken, I built an RV-8A slow build in the pre matched hole days (outer skins prepunched but substructure was not so I had to build jigs for everything). Having now built the empennage and wings and started on the fuselage of the 14A, it is actually taking more build hours for each part than the 8A did. Yes the 14 kit is more advanced with no jigs required, but it is also a larger more complicated airframe with significantly higher parts count than the -8. Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder what Vans was thinking...the trailing edges for example are WAY more work than the simple bent edges on the -8. Lots more ribs and J-channel stiffeners in both wings and fuselage. Two spars in each elevator plus you've got to bond in foam ribs. The vertical stab is about the only part that is really comparable to the -8, but the fit of the fiberglass on the stab and rudder are worse than the -8.

I do expect the canopy to go more quickly, and if you use all the stock FWF stuff and premade wire harnesses the are some areas that will offset the more time-consuming airframe, but overall I don't think you'll find the build time to be any faster than the -8, and probably a bit longer.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the detailed reply. Sounds as though we built the same generation -8/-8A kit. Mine was #81125 - I started 12/99 and made the first flight 5/02. I seem to recall that I was the 203rd -8 to fly and something like the 2900th RV overall.

I had exactly the same thought re: trailing edges. The bent ones were easy to do and performed perfectly. I've no idea why Van's went to the current version. I'm planning to utilize some (not all) of the stock FWF components and many of the premade harnesses (I'll order my main fuselage harness directly from Stein to include necessary customizations). I hear you on the larger airframe, higher parts count, etc.

Ultimately, of course, it'll be done when it's done, though I'm planning to hold onto my foolish optimism for awhile yet... :D
 
The trailing edges take quite a bit more time to make then the prior bent skin surfaces. I suspect that this was done as it likely works better for stamping parts and more importantly that the finished trailing edges will be more consistent.
Getting the bent edge right made the difference between a nice flying plane and one that was just ok. Also the rigid trailing edge is likely stronger and will be less likely to have the cracks that start on some of the rivets in the elevators and rudders, as just an example.

The 14 is also a bigger airplane, with a higher parts count. The parts are all very accurate and fit well. My only complaint would be the glass tips on the VS and Rudder. They appear to be from another kit and hopefully better parts will evolve with time. This is just a pet peeve as I spent quite a bit of time rebuilding them to get the proper profile and on many of the completed 14s, built as supplied, the "line" between the VS tip and the Rudder tip just does not look right.

I question the need for yaw control based on my flight experience. This could be added later if you feel the need. I did like the aileron trim as provided.
 
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