wcalvert
Well Known Member
Hello all
I've in the middle of the wings on my first -7 build and have been struggling with how to "think" about the rather clumsy (IMO) instructions published by Vans.
Don't get me wrong, they work, eventually, but leave a lot to be desired!
As you'll likely know, the emp kit is a step by step walk on the path to completion, easing up a little as the process finished. The wing instructions are much less directive, leaving more to your own ingenuity during the build. There is a mix of "Do this exactly" and "Do what you've done before in a similar manner".
I'm OK with all that, but it can be difficult to parse out the "Must do" from the "We recommend this" methods described. And without a good summary of the work to be accomplished (thought process), it can take many rereads of each section to determine where the next step is going.
In the end, I've decided that what I'm seeing is a haphazard mixture of "Procedure" and "Technique".
For example, while making the Z brackets on the front spar, the instructions clearly state to mark the centerline of each Z flange and drill your holes on these lines. Then later to use the same lines to "ensure" that the holes in the spare line up with these lines before match drilling.
This all sounds great until one of your holes miss the line! At this point the hole on the other side of the Z is already drilled, and now you're in a spot where edge distance is at risk, especially near the root (more than one poster has run into this problem). And since the holes in the spar and ribs are pre-punched, your only only option is to...
search the forum for advice, only to find that there is a helpful soul saying that they had the same thing happen, and to offset that particular Z over 1/16" to fix the problem... ! Argh
I think the instructions would do well to instruct you regarding the end result desired, and then the recommended "Technique" to attain the result!
My conclusion: It's up to the builder to look through the instructions and drawings to determine what is Technique and what is Procedure, and decide where following an instruction blindly (or without a well developed big picture) will result in an error.
Having an experienced buddy nearby who is willing to walk you through all the gotchas (and has nothing else to do!) would likely prevent the errors, but to me would detract a bit from the satisfaction of building a plane yourself!
So assuming that I don't have the dedicated onsite advisor, and don't want to look up every step in the forum before proceeding, what do you all recommend?
Any advice (I know there is!) to share?
Wb
I've in the middle of the wings on my first -7 build and have been struggling with how to "think" about the rather clumsy (IMO) instructions published by Vans.
Don't get me wrong, they work, eventually, but leave a lot to be desired!
As you'll likely know, the emp kit is a step by step walk on the path to completion, easing up a little as the process finished. The wing instructions are much less directive, leaving more to your own ingenuity during the build. There is a mix of "Do this exactly" and "Do what you've done before in a similar manner".
I'm OK with all that, but it can be difficult to parse out the "Must do" from the "We recommend this" methods described. And without a good summary of the work to be accomplished (thought process), it can take many rereads of each section to determine where the next step is going.
In the end, I've decided that what I'm seeing is a haphazard mixture of "Procedure" and "Technique".
For example, while making the Z brackets on the front spar, the instructions clearly state to mark the centerline of each Z flange and drill your holes on these lines. Then later to use the same lines to "ensure" that the holes in the spare line up with these lines before match drilling.
This all sounds great until one of your holes miss the line! At this point the hole on the other side of the Z is already drilled, and now you're in a spot where edge distance is at risk, especially near the root (more than one poster has run into this problem). And since the holes in the spar and ribs are pre-punched, your only only option is to...
search the forum for advice, only to find that there is a helpful soul saying that they had the same thing happen, and to offset that particular Z over 1/16" to fix the problem... ! Argh
I think the instructions would do well to instruct you regarding the end result desired, and then the recommended "Technique" to attain the result!
My conclusion: It's up to the builder to look through the instructions and drawings to determine what is Technique and what is Procedure, and decide where following an instruction blindly (or without a well developed big picture) will result in an error.
Having an experienced buddy nearby who is willing to walk you through all the gotchas (and has nothing else to do!) would likely prevent the errors, but to me would detract a bit from the satisfaction of building a plane yourself!
So assuming that I don't have the dedicated onsite advisor, and don't want to look up every step in the forum before proceeding, what do you all recommend?
Any advice (I know there is!) to share?
Wb