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RV-10 vs RV-14 build times?

Roy25101

Active Member
Vans talks of the -14 being easier and faster to build than other models. Do you think this applies to the -10 also. Thinking of downsizing. I Appreciate the resources here......
 
-14 compared to -10: Smaller airframe, more prefabrication of parts, less fiberglass, and an integrated electrical system. Hard to believe it could be anything but significantly less construction time. There are a few -10 builders out there that are working on a -14, perhaps they will weigh in.
 
-14 compared to -10: Smaller airframe, more prefabrication of parts, less fiberglass, and an integrated electrical system. Hard to believe it could be anything but significantly less construction time. There are a few -10 builders out there that are working on a -14, perhaps they will weigh in.

I guess it would be somewhat subjective as far as what time line constitutes "significantly less construction time" for each individual builder. Does finishing three or even six months sooner qualify as a significant construction?

I am building a -14A, have helped build a -7 and the wings of a -10. The build time difference for the wings and empennage of the -10 vs a -14 will be negilible. The only parts of the -10 build that I think will add "significant" constuction time would be the fuselage top fibergalss work, wiring and avionics installation. I think it really comes down to the builders skill set and experiance. Fiberglass work and avionics/wiring work come pretty easy for me so it would not make a big difference, maybe a few months.
 
Pretty much completed all kits available at this time (RV-14A). Build an RV-10 slow build. I agree smaller airframe and no fiberglass canopy and doors but we have not built our RV-14 canopies yet (we are being told much simpler). The electrical will be plug and play as long as Van's supplies what you want (in my case I think they will). A lot of time went into the electrical systems in our RV-10.
As far as the alum. work other than less of it (smaller airframe) and finish sized holes I myself did not see that much difference in build time. Both went together very well. Now perhaps different from the other models I did not build any of them.
 
Keep in mind that there will be some fiberglass work to do on the -14. you will have to glass in the canopy Plexiglass, you will have to grind, sand and glass the wing tips and tip caps to transition smoothly, there will also be minor glass work to do on the cowling, gear fairings and wheel pants.

To me the worst part of a fiberglass job is getting motivated and getting started. Once I get going it does not make a big difference if I have to fair in two small parts or several large parts.
 
Yeah, I agree with Ron. There really is almost no difference in build time for what I've done so far, other than a small amount of time saved for a smaller fuselage probably. The kits are almost identical timelines for my amount of work I put in. The wiring kit will save you some time, but if you don't keep things stock, it could actually COST you time. My entire wiring on my RV-10 was 100% self designed and wired and I took about 250 hours to wire the entire plane and panel. In the scheme of 1500-2000 hours, that's not really what I'd consider a large amount of time for any custom panel. You will probably save some in the doors/windows/cabin top time that the RV-10 has. I haven't built a bubble canopy though, and maybe there are some challenging aspects there as well. At any rate, if I were to venture a guess, I'd say the RV-10 would take a person maybe 300-400 hours more than an RV-14, which in the scheme of the build I don't think is significant. It took me 1700 to get mine flying. A couple hundred more to have the wheel fairings and everything else 100% done maybe.

Tim
 
I'm sure someone asked this in another thread, but is there any chance that Vans supplies plug n' play wiring kits for other model RV's? I'm a student pilot who will be finishing by the summer, defining a mission and building the RV that matches it and keeps me company for the remainder of my flying days (I'm 32 so hopefully there will be plenty).

I'm leaning towards an RV-9 (plan on flying a lot of cross country and don't plan to fly upside down), but get the impression that the 14 will be much easier to build with more complete instructions, less wiring (in most cases) and other refinements. It may be more plane than I need but being a first time builder, it seems much easier to put together than some of the older kits. Thus the question about the wiring kits.
 
thanks for the AFS link....the more I read, the more I think I need to wait a year and see what the actual build costs and times end up being for the early RV-14ers
 
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