jumping ahead

I have ordered the Auto pilot servos etc..my question is: installing the servo's later is difficult, does anyone see problem with jumping ahead and installing them while doing fuse construction?? I like to follow instructions to the letter, which has worked perfectly so far...but have seen difficulty in installing servo's on others web pictures....Dick

Dick, if you're looking at my pictures remember I built my plane before the autopilot was available and had to retrofit the brackets. Your fuselage kit will come with the brackets. The servos can be installed afterward, best done probably when you are putting the flight controls in as the plans will probably say.

Tony; Thanks for heads up, and yes it was in reference to your photo's..which I review daily...everyday something comes up.. like the fact when I ordered the Auto pilot kit it comes with AP74 control not the SV-AP control with auto level built in, had I known ahead of time probably could have saved myself some money?? thanks again for help..Dick

OK to bounce around in the plans

Dick,

I installed the pitch and roll servos after installing the wiring but prior to mating the tail cone and installing the flight controls. The roll servo will be more of a challenge if the tail cone is installed, so you may want to consider installing the roll servo prior to mating the tail cone. It is far easier to install the servo and make up the wiring connector while sitting on a stool behind the fuselage as opposed to crawling through the baggage bulkhead.

Nothing wrong with bouncing around in the plans ... especially if you have seen it successfully documented in other builder's blogs. Some things are just easier that way as well documented here in the forums.

Happy building,

It is POSSIBLE to build the RV12 in the exact ORDER specified in the plans. It is not necessarily OPTIMUM to do that! Read posts and builders blogs and decide for yourself.

Bill_H said:

It is POSSIBLE to build the RV12 in the exact ORDER specified in the plans. It is not necessarily OPTIMUM to do that! Read posts and builders blogs and decide for yourself.

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Indeed. It was my own fault for not reading far enough ahead, but it sure would have been nice if the thru-bulkhead fuel line fitting had been ahead of putting on the belly skin in the per-the-book progression.

Dgamble said:

Indeed. It was my own fault for not reading far enough ahead, but it sure would have been nice if the thru-bulkhead fuel line fitting had been ahead of putting on the belly skin in the per-the-book progression.

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Yes, this is the fitting Dave is talking about. Hard to put in after the belly skins are on. I think I was clued in about this by J. Bender but that was about 7 years ago now...the plans have never been changed, although the thru bulkhead fitting parts come in the fuselage kit. See page 28-06 where the plans show the install.

saving time and trouble

Tony and all others, you are saving me time and trouble..only way I can return favor is to do same for others in future..thanks so much for help..Dick

I put my servos in while building the fuselage. I think it saved a lot of frustration.

Hold the cone!

Personally, I plan to install the tailcone about a week before scheduling the DAR!

"two weeks"

gossend said:

Personally, I plan to install the tailcone about a week before scheduling the DAR!

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I would give yourself "two" weeks. I used the same route due to space limitations in my garage, but I was amazed at how many little details there were that took more than double their expected time. (In my case, debugging an improperly positioned roll bar, Pro-Sealing the rear window, a very long time with control cables that were just a touch too short and sanding the canopy to mate the rear window.) As it was, I forgot about needing to sand the canopy when I scheduled my FSDO inspection and was only able to close the canopy the day before he arrived! In the end, I did end up with a Pink Slip