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RV-14 Fuselage Kit

Gordon Cerrudo

I'm New Here
Rv-140021, wings/empennage kits completed.Need help from existing builders, to wait for fuselage and finishing kits (who knows when they will ship), or sell finished kits. My problem, I am 80-years old, have over 4000+ hrs. Just sold my Glasair 3, at the suggestion of my insurance broker (they don't like old farts flying 300mph airplanes).Not your average 80 yr. old, snow ski 40 to 60 days/yr. play golf 4-times/wk. do 30 mile Mt. bike rides, so age is not a issue to give up flying or building. Have RV builders helping me build, finished wings in 5-wks. empennage in 6-wks. My plan was to build and fly the 14, in 1-year.
Well thats not going to happen. Now it could be 3+ years, do I hang in there,or sell.? ( not getting any younger)

When I put down my deposit, I was told (like everyone) kits are ready to ship. I have sent an e-mail to Scott Risan, President, GM of Van's, asking him one question. " what are your plans of not living up to your inability to deliver finished kits as per your advertising and false info by your employees" ??

Answer back from Scott, please execpt our appologies, we are doing our best
progress as quickly as possible. Every RV builder I have talked to, can't understand, why they are having problems with the remaining kits. They did have some of the same issues on the RV-12, but nothing like whats going on now. Also talked to Van at Oshkosh,about the inability to ship RV-14 kits. his answer " don't know a thing about that, you have to talk to Scott" Maybe this the problem, Van is really not running the company anymore.

Gordon Cerrudo
e-mail [email protected]
 
Gordon, I can see your frustration, but look at the other side. Van's is engineering a kit that is far more integrated, complete and easy to build than prior kits, especially with respect to wiring, avionics, and firewall forward. This takes time. Advancing kit technology has the potential to expand experimental aviation, bring new builders into the market, and produce a better and more uniform quality airplane. I understand that we all look at this from different perspectives, but from my perspective I am hoping that Van's takes their good old time and gets it right. I may build one someday with my boys, and I want the best kit possible. I guess that if I wanted something to build right now and finish on a short timeline, I would select a QB -7 or a -12.
 
" what are your plans of not living up to your inability to deliver finished kits as per your advertising and false info by your employees" ??

Gordon,
Since I believe I may be the very first Van's employee you talked with when you began getting serious about the RV-14 (Larry introduced us at the 2012? Copper State Fly-in), I think it is only fair that I be allowed to point out that you were warned that estimates are just that, estimates. I don't remember details, but I do remember it sounded like you were anxious, but I don't remember you ever mentioning the hope to finish in a year. If you had, I would have told you that was highly unlikely.
I am not aware of any advertising that was ever done regarding a promised ship date for finish kits, but I might have missed it.

As for RV builders you talk to that can't understand why there is a problem getting out the remaining kits? I personally know many of the people you are probably talking about. In fact some of them have talked with me on your behalf, asking for progress updates. To put it bluntly, none of them know anything about what is involved in designing, producing and documenting a kit to the level that the RV-14 is. The only thing worth saying about that is that the RV-14 has been a no compromises project. Customers will not be getting a good enough airplane kit. That has resulted in some unforeseen delays. I think the majority of RV-14 customers are probably more than willing to wait for the best product they can get.
You are probably in the minority with the pace that you (and your experienced help) has completed the first two kits. If all kits were currently available, I could see that you could have probably completed the project in a year, so I do understand your frustration and I told you that personally when we spoke at the Copper State Fly-in this passed October. Though I can't remember details of when we met the first time, I do know for certain that I wouldn't have given you any information that should have caused you to think that you would be able to do it in a year.

I am sorry that this has developed into a frustrating project (we are supposed to have fun doing this). With the understanding that you are concerned about the # of years you may have left to qualify to fly an airplane like the RV-14, and since your reason for the post was to ask for advice... I would offer the suggestion that at this point you consider looking at completed and flying RV-7A's that are for sale. It is very similar to the RV-14, and a guy your size would fit just fine.
Please don't take this comment as a snarky remark. I love flying, and love flying RV's, and I love helping others get the same experience. This hobby is about having fun, not raising our blood pressure.
Buying a similar airplane and being able to get back to flying right away, might be just the thing for for you to get back to the fun of flying.

With all sincerity

Scott Mc
 
Also in wait for fus alga kit

We have been ready for the fuselage kit since The middle of January. So Gordon is not an isolated case who planned to progress in the time frame Vans represented. The October Vans 14 news brief indicated the kits would be timely, then the Dec 13 post indicated the fuselage kit would not be out until April-May. So we are waiting. for our project, I am building my own IO360 235hp so that is something I can do. I am also educating myself on the glass panel choices and selling my current plane. Choosing seat upolstery vendors, paint skeem etc. etc. Those kinds of things can be productive ways to take up the slack waiting that do cost time later on. van's direct post shared that there is a general frustration with the difference between their voiced time lines and actual results. You can read their history posts on their web page. Take heart Gordon, you are not alone and the most frustrating things in our seasoned lives are the things we have little or no control over. It will be a great plane when it's done and it will be done perhaps the first !
 
I've been spending a fair amount of time fairing the fiberglass tips. Hopefully when it comes to painting, I'll be ready for primer on the parts I have.
 
Wait on fuselage engineering ties to dual use with tail drag

I called Vans this week regarding a number of questions, but while doing so I asked how the fuselage was coming as I'm ready for it. I noted that Vans had changed their empennage order form to NOW include the tail wheel/dragger model (RV14) along with the one first available, the 14A.

A light came on, which was; that is the primary reason for the engineering and delay, may be because they must completely test the strength factors on a tail wheel version along with fuselage stress and engineering changes. As the tech rep put it, "we have never flown or tested the tail wheel version". So in that the airframe is being developed for both types, thus this may be the huge time delay.

???
 
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Fuselage Kit Delay...

I was told last June during factory visit that the tailwheel version WAS being built at that time and that tailwheel version re-engineering was one of the reasons for the then delayed empennage kit. It would be logical to assume that the rest of the fuselage required some rework as well (e.g. main gear position is slightly different, so loads have to be properly distributed). I'm also pretty sure that it's safe to assume that Ken Krueger's departure a while back had some impact to the momentum of the -14 finalization. I'm also pretty confident that when the kits do start shipping it is simply going to be a better product than we expected.
 
I see Van's has just posted an update but all I see is a few photos so far. Good to see what our fuselage will look like.
 
Van's Interior

Greetings,

Does anyone happen to know if that grey cockpit interior, on the Van's demo aircraft, is paint or just primer?

Thanks,

Greg
 
Painted or Primed

Interior of cockpit (See second photo) looks identical to the photos I took of the RV-14A prototype last year at the factory, there's some sheen to the finish and reflections of various parts of the interior. Believe it's been painted in the standard Van's "demonstrator" gray interior palette.
 
This Gordon is happy to wait.

The tailwheel kits were released at the same time as the "A"s....I know, I got one.
 
Latest info

Got an email from vans with a kind of update: said they will have pricing and order form update for Oshkosh for fuselage. We'll see!
 
Hate to say I told you so!;) Think finish kit at Sun&fun 2015. Then Avionics kit OSH 2015. Then firewall forward Spring 2016. First flight of customer built RV14 late summer or early fall 2016!:p
 
Hate to say I told you so!;) Think finish kit at Sun&fun 2015. Then Avionics kit OSH 2015. Then firewall forward Spring 2016. First flight of customer built RV14 late summer or early fall 2016!:p

I fully understand the pessimism...

The best I can say is full effort is being put out to get things back on track, with a goal of releasing the finish kit well before S&F.
A lot of work has already been completed finalizing a large portion of the kit (canopy structure, canopy transparency, cowling and other composite parts, etc.) so things are looking good at this point. The one sensitive point is that it is the most outside vendor dependent kit ( as it is for all the RV models), but the best effort possible is being done to avoid any issues related to that.
 
My prediction was meant to sooth the possible impatients of some in jest, see the smilies. I do have a bit of a dark humor. The time lines in the experimental world are different from other time lines;). Sometimes my lack of patiences comes out, my dark humor also. But I do understand the delays as I was on the leading edge of the build on the RV12 and it's time line.:rolleyes: In the end the RV12 turned out a magnificent airplane as I'm sure the RV14 will to.:D So sometimes we will make an adjustment then continue our adventure to another magnificent airplane!:)
 
"The best I can say is full effort is being put out to get things back on track"

As someone who is considering an RV-14 project ... Something went "off-track"?

I gotta admit the many unknowns of heading into a first build with a kit that's not complete and just 1 specimen flying presents one with some very difficult decisions ... so when I hear things went "off-track", I worry ...

John's schedule didn't seem that crazy to me anyways ... but of course, I haven't even started :)
 
"The best I can say is full effort is being put out to get things back on track"

As someone who is considering an RV-14 project ... Something went "off-track"?

I gotta admit the many unknowns of heading into a first build with a kit that's not complete and just 1 specimen flying presents one with some very difficult decisions ... so when I hear things went "off-track", I worry ...

John's schedule didn't seem that crazy to me anyways ... but of course, I haven't even started :)

The only thing that went off track was meeting the planned goals of the kit delivery schedule for many different reasons. None that have an impact on the final product (some actually made it even better).
 
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