QB Wings delayed again - Should I just SB?

Just checked in with the mothership. My QB wings were originally supposed to be delivered in July/ Aug. Delay ensued and they were pushed to mid-October. Today I found out that parts needed to build the QB Wings are hung up in Philippines customs and they've been delayed another 2 months.

I'm almost completely done with the Empennage minus the fiberglass work. In the process of rigging the elevator & trim. Will hang the rudder this week and get everything else squared away. Static lines already plumbed. Basically done.

I'm trying to decide whether to just bite the bullet and start SB wings or twiddle my thumbs for 2 months...

The empennage took me about a year but I haven't really been pushing very hard for the past 2-3 months because I knew I'd just be twiddling my thumbs until mid-October.

Arrrgghhh.... Frustrated.

Note that my QB Fuse is scheduled for October/ November but they couldn't give me a more accurate delivery so I'm a little skeptical...

Guess I could rebuild the rudder and add electric trim and hope the QB Fuse delivery is accurate. Been thinking about that because I'm not completely thrilled about my rudder.

Thanks for listening to me vent. Are the SB Wings arduous??

Monotonous, not arduous. 6 months to build them probably at best. Start dreaming up the panel.

There was set for sale in the classifieds not long ago....

Dbro172 said:

Monotonous, not arduous. 6 months to build them probably at best. Start dreaming up the panel.

There was set for sale in the classifieds not long ago....

Click to expand...

This is absolutely the truth, nothing too extremely difficult. So the time is a wash, right? Your time delay will be spent working on SB vs. waiting and receiving QB (assuming you can receive SB quickly and the 2 month push doesn't get pushed again). So would you rather save $$ and stay busy, or spend $$ and do other things for the time being? I am pay as I go (and can't afford do that on my schedule with QB) plus I wanted to prime, so the decision was easy. All things considered equal, I'm not sure if going SB to fill the next two months will gain you much.

If this is not your first kit and you did a standard build before, then you know what to expect.

While people sweat the tanks, the flaps and ailerons where more challenging for me as the construction technique was different. You need to make sure you have a real flat surface and a way to hold these down while the trailing edge adhesive sets so you don't end up with a twist.

You will need a rivet buddy for some of the riveting. A couple of days of two people riveting is all that is really needed.

Carl
RV-8A (slow build)
RV-10 (slow build and right wing done twice - thanks to the Rhode Island Air National Guard)

Jon,

QBs wings and fuselages arrive from the Philippines primed. It is a Sherwin-Williams self-etching primer. The quality of the work is high.

ER,

I have built three sets of wings on other projects and for me they are the most boring part of a build. I happily went QB wings and fuselage for my -10. Wait out the QB wings delay. You will have lots to do once the fuselage arrives.

bruceflys said:

Jon,

QBs wings and fuselages arrive from the Philippines primed. It is a Sherwin-Williams self-etching primer.

Click to expand...

Yup, tracking. I wanted to 2-part in and out.

Wait you have to rebuild the rudder to add electric trim!? Oh and wait for the QB... I should probably order mine this month.

I don't necessarily have to redo the rudder to add electric trim. But I wasn't happy with how it turned out.

But... I just hung it and it seems to work OK. And exactly what everybody told me was true. The part that I hated (the leading edge bend) - You don't even see...

Think I'm just going to start on the fiberglass, maybe make an avionics shelf & ADAHRS shelf. And catch up on my build log blog which I haven't touched since I started writing it!

If my QB Fuse gets pushed out...

BTW - Anybody expecting QB wings in the next couple weeks and aren't ready for them??

If I had to do it again, I would do the same. Wait for the QB wings. Excellent craftsmanship. There is pleeeeenty of other things to work on while waiting for them. Just plan ahead with panel/engine/epoxy/windows/etc.

Could go either way..

I took a long time to build my SB wings, but I wanted extended fuel range. Like others have said, the wings are not difficult, just tedious. If you go with the SB wings, here's the breakdown.

Pros:
-You will get reeeeeally good at riveting with all that extra practice.
-You can prime (if you like) instead of dealing with the gummy wash the QBs have on them
-You'll save a bunch of money
-You can honestly say, "I built those!"

Cons:
-May take you longer, in the long run
-If you have leaky tanks, you have no one to blame but yourself (unless you hire them out). However, I've heard reports of the QB wings having leaks too.

Your choice.

Nothing in the wings that you haven't already done. Just takes less money and a little extra time. Oh, wait, you have that.

What was the question again?

For what it's worth, I know someone who has a set of wings he needs to sell. They are past the QB stage and I'm guessing he'll sell them for less than the QB price. He's not active on this site anymore, but I just happened to email with him yesterday. The wings are in NM and we have the center spar in MO. (Although he did say he was going to come get it anytime now). If you want to PM me I could facilitate putting you guys in touch...
Just a thought.....

Thanks John!

After much flip-flopping, I'm going to proceed with wrapping a few things up and getting started on the QB Fuse when it gets here, hopefully soon. I'll wait for my QB wings and hope they don't slip again.

BTW - I'm looking forward to hearing more about the EFII setup and performance! Keep us in the loop, please!