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RV-7A JCarne

Jereme,
Seeing your strong progress is a constant motivator for getting me out to the hangar, and for that I thank you. As others have mentioned, your work looks great and your progress is impressive.

Thanks Taylor! I'm really truly glad that my build log is doing what others have done for me. Looking forward to some more -6 posts!
 
Thanks Taylor! I'm really truly glad that my build log is doing what others have done for me. Looking forward to some more -6 posts!

Well not to rain on the parade but it has become a reminder of how little I am doing! Hahaha

Nice work Carne!

MACHINE!
 
Well I have been putzing around a little, but now that my primer is finally here get ready for the train to start rolling again before winter!

Started fabricating the mount for the ADAHRS unit.

20181008_194240 (1) by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Riveted nutplates to the fuel valve and finally got the right screws shipped in, I didn't want the look of AN3 bolts here.

20181010_182448 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Well I have been kind of all over the place just having fun. I'm gearing up to start focusing on the front deck as you can see in the last pic.

Test fitting all the fuel lines I ordered from Tom S. Great guy to deal with!

20181021_141157 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Fuel pass through on the firewall, went with the steel fitting here.

20181021_154454 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finished rigging the flap motor and installed it in the fuselage. Van's only calls for an AN365 here but these guys give me the warm and fuzzies. I'm using them on my control linkages too. For only a little bit of money and what I think is added safety it is worth it.

20181022_163738 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181021_165010 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Trimmed up some rudder cable fairings and drilled them to the fuselage.

20181021_173825 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Installed the controls after spending quite some hours getting the fit of things just right with the brass bushings. It was time well spent, these things feel like they glide on air.

20181025_181520 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Started yesterday on the front deck, crazy to think that this section is the last of the major metal work.

20181026_162955 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Well I have been kind of all over the place just having fun. I'm gearing up to start focusing on the front deck as you can see in the last pic.

Test fitting all the fuel lines I ordered from Tom S. Great guy to deal with!

20181021_141157 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Fuel pass through on the firewall, went with the steel fitting here.

20181021_154454 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finished rigging the flap motor and installed it in the fuselage. Van's only calls for an AN365 here but these guys give me the warm and fuzzies. I'm using them on my control linkages too. For only a little bit of money and what I think is added safety it is worth it.

20181022_163738 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181021_165010 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Trimmed up some rudder cable fairings and drilled them to the fuselage.

20181021_173825 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Installed the controls after spending quite some hours getting the fit of things just right with the brass bushings. It was time well spent, these things feel like they glide on air.

20181025_181520 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Started yesterday on the front deck, crazy to think that this section is the last of the major metal work.

20181026_162955 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
Just a suggestion Jereme, you can mount the rudder cable fairing on the inside of the fuselage.... You only see the part the cable comes through. Just have to massage that hole a little bit. Doing a nice job.
 
Haha and I was actually thinking I'm not in the garage enough.

I have been forced to work for a living, I don't think I have been out in a month...I find that if I just can get a week off work I can get a lot done.
 
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I do not post here often, or at all :), but I have to tell you how much I enjoy following your build. Keep up the good work.

Aitor
 
I have been forced to work for a living, I don't think I have been out in a month...I find that if I just can get a week off work I can get a lot done.

Ya I hear ya, my progress has definitely slowed down a bit.

I do not post here often, or at all :), but I have to tell you how much I enjoy following your build. Keep up the good work.

Aitor

Thank you for the kind words. Really glad my log is enjoyable!
 
Time for some more odds and ends.

Decided to drill the air vent intakes to the fuse. I will proseal but I wanted a few rivets to hold them as well.

20181027_135821 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181027_135826 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Elevator bellcrank installed, torqued and cottered. I used an MS17825 here.

20181027_145512 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I riveted the canopy decks on as well, boy did these take some time. Some of the rivets are hard to get to. Had to make a custom bucking bar for two rivets!

20181028_150718 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181028_171105 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I may regret this but I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't have installed this yet. The top deck won't get riveted for quite some time anyhow so access shouldn't be a problem.

20181028_172540 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I may or may not have stolen this idea from another builder. I think it looks a little more professional than the safety wire approach and it is easy to adjust.

20181102_162050 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finally you can see the work on the rudder pedals that I did this week. Learned how do some lacing. I'm still trying to figure out how to address a couple of rub spots on the pilot side.

You can also see the spring setup on the brake cylinders, the spring force stock just wasn't doing it for me so I added these at quite a low cost.

20181102_180554 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Well the work continues. I'm ordering all of the stuff for fireproofing the fire wall, I'm going with .010" titanium because a sheet of it is still cheaper than the 0.005" foil from Titanium Goat that some have used. I also don't like the look of the 0.002" stainless that a lot of people use. I know I know, no one will ever see it; but that's not true, I will see it... I guess this also means I have a somewhat large order to place with Van's for things like cables and battery box.

First up was the two inch hole for the vent. What a bis-natch (haha take that auto filter!) it was to cut this guy. I have seen others use a flycutter with success so I tried; ummmm flycutter bit definitely needs replaced now. :) Finally I ended up using a unibit to make a bunch of holes. Then I went to Ace and found this $25 guy. Holy smokes it is awesome, cuts through the stainless almost like butter!

20181103_143607 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Here is the final result, nice and deburred.

20181103_144103 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Next I started working on the deck. When drilling the five holes for the center rib the bit walked, so I up sized them and will be installing AN470AD5 rivets instead.

20181103_164936 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Had to bust out the 12incher for this one.

20181103_164942 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Let me tell you... getting that skin clecoed on was quite a bear. It is 0.032" and does not like the bend by the longeron, I'm going to try and pre bend it a tad next time.

20181103_172344 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Man this looks cool, a blank canvas. The wife said "It keeps getting smaller", to which I responded "I think you mean it keeps getting closer to done." :D

20181103_174616 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

This last picture probably has you wondering. Well my wife had her baby shower yesterday and my mom made some clothes as a gift. It you look closely you will notice an RV-7A slider complete with my tailnumber! I wondered why she was asking me about the tail number. I also traced this image back to an image on VAF, it's actually a -6A, thanks Doug!

20181103_175623 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Just a suggestion Jereme, you can mount the rudder cable fairing on the inside of the fuselage.... You only see the part the cable comes through. Just have to massage that hole a little bit. Doing a nice job.

Whoops sorry I missed this post back then good sir. I never thought of putting them guys inside the fuselage. Thanks for pointing this out, I will have to take a look.
 
Yep this will be a slider. For some reason the tipper just doesn't do it for me. (the manual sure makes the tipper look like a lot more work too)

Slider is easy! Bing, Bang, Bomb it's done. For a pro like you, long weekend.
 
Now that is what I want to hear! haha unfortunately I can't get to this job until summer. :mad:

That is a good idea. The extra heat of the day helped me. My frame was the hard part the gluing wasn't too bad at all. I haven't done the windscreen yet, I need a little room to finish the panel...
 
Well I have changed gears a bit but I'm still getting things done. I decided it was time to do some things in the garage pertaining to the flaps and ailerons since winter is approaching and I can work on those in the house. But first...

My first RV grin! I had to drill some holes on the front deck so I thought why not.

20181104_131705 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181104_131152 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I also quickly learned that these vents supplied in the kit are a joke. I'll be going with some Stein vents now. Unfortunataly they aren't cheap!

20181104_145221 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

What are these you ask? They are aileron stiffeners but I don't see them that way... I see them as 2 hours of deburring. :D

20181110_154840 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Fun!

What are these you ask? They are aileron stiffeners but I don't see them that way... I see them as 2 hours of deburring. :D

Uhhh.. Did those a few month ago. So much fun! But the flaps are nice part to build that do go together really quickly.
 
Firewall environment

I would like to make some comments based on the front view of your fuselage.

1. You may find it very difficult to rivet the F-7107-L, F-7107-R and F-7108A ribs to the firewall with the engine mount installed. The top two rivets on each rib are OK but the remainder lower rivets are the problem getting a rivet gun into those locations. Ask me how I know.

2. Before installing the front top skin I would suggest you complete fitting all your instruments and components to your instrument panel and back panel. Having the top skin off makes it much easier to complete the wiring as you have better access.

3. Following on from item 2 work out where you want them and then make the the holes you are going to put in the firewall for the engine wiring harnesses (e.g. EGT/CHT, oil pressure and temperature, fuel pressure, magneto leads, etc). I used the Aircraft Spruce 3/4 inch kit P/N: 09-00978 (they also come in 1/2 inch and 1 inch sizes) as they are made of steel and utilise Fire sleeve. Ease of access again is the benefit.

Enjoy the building process and post some more threads showing your progress.

Cheers,
 
I would like to make some comments based on the front view of your fuselage.

1. You may find it very difficult to rivet the F-7107-L, F-7107-R and F-7108A ribs to the firewall with the engine mount installed. The top two rivets on each rib are OK but the remainder lower rivets are the problem getting a rivet gun into those locations. Ask me how I know.

2. Before installing the front top skin I would suggest you complete fitting all your instruments and components to your instrument panel and back panel. Having the top skin off makes it much easier to complete the wiring as you have better access.

3. Following on from item 2 work out where you want them and then make the the holes you are going to put in the firewall for the engine wiring harnesses (e.g. EGT/CHT, oil pressure and temperature, fuel pressure, magneto leads, etc). I used the Aircraft Spruce 3/4 inch kit P/N: 09-00978 (they also come in 1/2 inch and 1 inch sizes) as they are made of steel and utilise Fire sleeve. Ease of access again is the benefit.

Enjoy the building process and post some more threads showing your progress.

Cheers,

Thanks for the comments Gordon! I am on the same page on 1-3. Top skin is slated to be one of the last things done so that I can do all the wiring in peace. :D I'm in the process now of gathering all of the stuff that needs to be placed on the firewall as I am going to fibrax it and attach what I can before I put the mount and engine on. The mount right now is only loosely held on so I can attach all of this stuff. I'm trying to get them ribs to a point where I can rivet them to the firewall. After all of this stuff goes on the firewall I can put the mount on for good. It's mainly there right now as I'm running out of room in my house to store it all. :D
 
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Wow this has been a really interesting thread to read. I keep thinking I'd like to build a Vans RV someday (probably a 14). That said, I have zero building/fabrication skills, so it's always been fairly intimidating to me. I'm a mechanical engineer by trade and I've done my fair share of wrenching on motocross bikes (grew up racing), some basic auto work, and plenty of RC airplane building! That said, this is definitely a whole different league! Looks like a lot of fun. I own a Cherokee 140 with my dad and our hangar neighbor is building an RV-14. He showed me some basic riveting work last weekend (riveting, back riveting, nut plates, etc). I can see how you could get hooked on building.

What have been your "must have" shop tools (not aircraft specific tools that you would get in the Cleaveland RV Tool Kit, but stuff like bench grinder, drill press, band saw, etc)?
 
Wow this has been a really interesting thread to read. I keep thinking I'd like to build a Vans RV someday (probably a 14). That said, I have zero building/fabrication skills, so it's always been fairly intimidating to me. I'm a mechanical engineer by trade and I've done my fair share of wrenching on motocross bikes (grew up racing), some basic auto work, and plenty of RC airplane building! That said, this is definitely a whole different league! Looks like a lot of fun. I own a Cherokee 140 with my dad and our hangar neighbor is building an RV-14. He showed me some basic riveting work last weekend (riveting, back riveting, nut plates, etc). I can see how you could get hooked on building.

What have been your "must have" shop tools (not aircraft specific tools that you would get in the Cleaveland RV Tool Kit, but stuff like bench grinder, drill press, band saw, etc)?

Glad to answer! First and foremost, building seems like a daunting task when you look at the whole. Really it's learning a bit here, a bit there and before you know it you are cruising along. As far as tools go I don't see how people enjoy building without access to a drill press, band saw, and 1" belt sander. I use them tools a lot when fabricating parts, they are not necessary but dang it would suck without them in my mind. I also have access to a metal shear and brake which is mega nice but not required. A bench grinder is a must as well. If I could have a bigger compressor I sure would like it too, I have a 21 gallon and really wish I had a 60. Other than that most tools come from the aircraft suppliers, I'm a big fan of having a pneumatic squeezer. Any other q's don't hesitate to ask!
 
Glad to answer! First and foremost, building seems like a daunting task when you look at the whole. Really it's learning a bit here, a bit there and before you know it you are cruising along. As far as tools go I don't see how people enjoy building without access to a drill press, band saw, and 1" belt sander. I use them tools a lot when fabricating parts, they are not necessary but dang it would suck without them in my mind. I also have access to a metal shear and brake which is mega nice but not required. A bench grinder is a must as well. If I could have a bigger compressor I sure would like it too, I have a 21 gallon and really wish I had a 60. Other than that most tools come from the aircraft suppliers, I'm a big fan of having a pneumatic squeezer. Any other q's don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks for the feedback! Out of curiosity, what drill press and band saw do you own?
 
Thanks for the feedback! Out of curiosity, what drill press and band saw do you own?

I have old delta stuff. I have also owned some WEN tools as of recent and would really like to buy some more of it. Not industrial grade but great reviews on amazon, I have a planer and bench grinder from them.
 
I have old delta stuff. I have also owned some WEN tools as of recent and would really like to buy some more of it. Not industrial grade but great reviews on amazon, I have a planer and bench grinder from them.

Thank you sir! Yea you can spend a fortune on just a drill press and band saw. I imagine for building an RV any of the Wen/Ryobi/maybe even HF stuff would suffice.
 
What's in the box?!?!?!

20181129_171049 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Yep, you guessed it. My Hartzell constant speed 74" prop arrived! :D

20181129_172323 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Oh this you ask? No big deal, it's just an engine! Haha My IO-360-M1B arrived as well. The sealing bag was compromised so I said, mind as well open it up and take a look. I resealed it with some new desiccant. My wife is pretty awesome too, she let it go in the corner of our dining room since the humidity inside the house is only 25%. :)

20181207_140045 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181207_140527 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finally, I'm trying to make this winter a productive one with some inside work. I saved the flaps and ailerons so I could work on our dining room table like I did with the empennage. I started with the ailerons yesterday. I have had a hiatus recently due to remodeling our baby room, now that that task is done back to building!

20181215_105901 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20181215_110424 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Got some priming done today. I had some extra primer so a tip for those coming into building, there seems to always be little things that need primed, since I had some extra today I primed the parts for the ADAHARS shelf and a couple of covers.

20181216_163039 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Look... Santa came early! HOW COOL IS THAT!

just wondering why you are building ailerons now when you have the fuselage all done. Why did you leave this out till so late?
 
Looking at that pretty new propeller, just a friendly reminder to all to NOT store the propeller directly on your garage or hanger floor!!! My RV-200 prop suffered significant corrosion within the hub assembly, which I attribute to setting the shipping box (with the propeller wrapped inside, in plastic) for a couple of years while I finished building the airplane. I believe it pulled moisture out of the concrete floor as it "breathed" during the daily rise and fall in temperatures. I live in the Central Valley of California, a "desert" climate, but internal corrosion still occurred.
 
WOW!

A motor and a CS Prop! LUCKY! I want your checkbook for Christmas!

HAHA

Haha just paid off my car last year with no intent of buying anything soon so that sure helped!

Look... Santa came early! HOW COOL IS THAT!

just wondering why you are building ailerons now when you have the fuselage all done. Why did you leave this out till so late?

Good question sir, my garage is not heated and the temps here where I live can and do often drop into the -20 to -30 range making it not only impossible to work in the garage but probably dangerous haha. Therefore, I kept these tasks for the winter since I can work on them inside other than priming (which I transport to a shop). Last year I took 3 months off of building due to winter, I don't want that to happen again. Also I really need to do the canopy next but it has to be quite warm for that so I'm at a stand still on the fuse.

Looking at that pretty new propeller, just a friendly reminder to all to NOT store the propeller directly on your garage or hanger floor!!! My RV-200 prop suffered significant corrosion within the hub assembly, which I attribute to setting the shipping box (with the propeller wrapped inside, in plastic) for a couple of years while I finished building the airplane. I believe it pulled moisture out of the concrete floor as it "breathed" during the daily rise and fall in temperatures. I live in the Central Valley of California, a "desert" climate, but internal corrosion still occurred.

Great tip for everyone! Mine is stored out in the open so she can breath for sure. The engine is sealed in a bag but I also have a humidity sensor inside with dessicant to monitor, right now it is showing 20%, nice and dry. :D
 
Good question sir, my garage is not heated and the temps here where I live can and do often drop into the -20 to -30 range making it not only impossible to work in the garage but probably dangerous haha. Therefore, I kept these tasks for the winter since I can work on them inside other than priming (which I transport to a shop). Last year I took 3 months off of building due to winter, I don't want that to happen again. Also I really need to do the canopy next but it has to be quite warm for that so I'm at a stand still on the fuse. :D

Oh I see. That makes sense. Smart man!
 
After some dimpling and riveting it was time to for the ever stressful bending of the aileron skins. Seemed to go off without a hitch, they came out great. I still have some tweaking to do to make sure a straight edge will sit flat but I will wait until they are done for that.

20181219_204836 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Then it was time to put things together and start drilling! Some things can be a real beotch to cleco together and I thought the ailerons would be another one of them tasks, turned out to be easy as ever to put together!

20181222_104154 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Figured it's been awhile since I took one of these. It's a whoping 24 degrees in my garage right now and the wife is baking cookies so I guess I have no choice. haha

20181222_104206 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
I love the holidays, so much more time to airplane! :D

First on the list, rivet the ADHARS mount that I fabricated.

20181223_153146 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

After riveting the ADHARS mount it was time for a mega primer session.

20181224_170826 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

As you can see I also painted some parts for the fuselage. I probably didn't need to paint some of the parts in their entirety but I wanted to make sure I am not going to stare at one spot of primer while flying, an OCD thing I guess.

20181224_170832 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Carne,
I need to fab an ADHRS mount, where did you decide to mount yours? Like exactly, haha.

How many inches back from what etc. I don't want to reinvent the wheel and you are a math guy so I am going with your expertise!
 
Carne,
I need to fab an ADHRS mount, where did you decide to mount yours? Like exactly, haha.

How many inches back from what etc. I don't want to reinvent the wheel and you are a math guy so I am going with your expertise!

Mine will sit just about an inch or so fwd of the F-707 bulkhead (aft fuse) and gets attached to the two J-stringers. If you look at Larry Larson's build log (thanks Larry) at 3/2/2016 you can see dimensions for starting this. I modified mine a bit from Larry's in how it mounts (I'm not use the F-707 bulkhead) and I also modified how mine is constructed as you can see in the pic. As far as exact location fwd of the bulkhead I won't know that until I rivet/bolt it. I might just rivet the thing the stiffeners and install the ADHARS with non ferrous bolts. Some people go to great lengths to find non-ferrous nutplates and all kinds of stuff here.
 
Mine will sit just about an inch or so fwd of the F-707 bulkhead (aft fuse) and gets attached to the two J-stringers. If you look at Larry Larson's build log (thanks Larry) at 3/2/2016 you can see dimensions for starting this. I modified mine a bit from Larry's in how it mounts (I'm not use the F-707 bulkhead) and I also modified how mine is constructed as you can see in the pic. As far as exact location fwd of the bulkhead I won't know that until I rivet/bolt it. I might just rivet the thing the stiffeners and install the ADHARS with non ferrous bolts. Some people go to great lengths to find non-ferrous nutplates and all kinds of stuff here.

Roger that. Thanks for the link! Always looking for good intel on construction. (Edit: Wire jock, know his log well!) I will be getting in the garage after the first of the year to finish the brake lines and get the ADHRS deal constructed. I think that I can bang a bunch out before I start working for a living again! Your work looks great!
 
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Well after clecoeing parts back together it was time to start riveting.

20181228_135000 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I started by putting the aileron on a couple of blocks that the spars get screwed down to.

20181229_121502 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Your hand comes in from underneath so I recommend putting something between the skin and spar to keep the two peeled apart, I didn't think to do this until after my wrist was all sore and scratched up.

20181229_121525 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finally after the top is riveted to the spar you rivet the tops of the ribs and then weigh it down on a flat surface. (I also checked for twist to make sure there wasn't any, first checking the table then the aileron) From here it is quite easy since riveting is mostly blind rivets. My Harbor Freight pneumatic rivet puller made it not only easy but fun too.

20181228_173256 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Repeat for the other aileron and wham you got some rolling devices! :D

20181229_151000 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

As you can see from the end I still need to tweak the trailing edge just a bit to get a straight edge flat but that's no big deal to do. The other end matches exactly up with each other so either these things are perfectly straight or both twisted the same amount haha. Checking for twist while riveting was worth it.

20181229_151018 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

All I have left to do is bolt the brackets on and I'll be on my way to working on flaps next.
 
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Great work!

Looking good and glad you are building in the house and not freezing to death in the garage :) Happy New years!
 
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