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Where to build?

enigmakv

I'm New Here
Hello everyone from a total newbie.

A pilot I flew with recently was a multi-RV builder and really talked me in to pursuing it. After spending 2.5 decades away from general aviation, picking up some helicopter ratings put the smell of Avgas back in my blood.

From his suggestions and my research, it sounds like the RV-14 would be fantastically perfect for me (even though I have never been in or near an RV).

Here's my dilemma...where would I build it?

I live in a high-rise condo in Phoenix, AZ and don't have a garage. Hangar rentals are hard to come by and a hangar would need air conditioning due to the temperatures here 7 months of the year.

What have you all done or heard of others doing for the initial build process?
Is there such a thing as a business that rents out floor space in a hangar and/or tools for home builders?

As I said, I'm brand new to this whole thing. Hope to get a ride in a -14 soon.

Thanks.

KV
 
There are such things as build assist centers, where one has access to tools and technical expertise, and space is rented. Phoenix is large enough to have such a place. A quick web search turned one up in Mesa (not Vans specific). Maybe there is also one close to you?

I would suggest that a consensus exists (someone will now prove me wrong..) that it is best to build all of the small parts of the aircraft at home, where it is easy to spend smaller chunks of time working on things. The logic being, that one would not drive 20+ minutes to the airport/shop and 20+ minutes back in order to work for 15 minutes at the shop.

It is my experience that momentum is really a huge part of a successful build. Doing at least a little bit every day is more important than doing a large amount of work less frequently.

If you decide that an RV-14 is what you want to build, it would be totally feasible to set up a work area at home (doesn't need to be in a garage - any room will do), and begin the empennage section. Vertical stabilizer, rudder, and elevators could easily make it out down an elevator and live in a storage unit for a while. Possibly the horizontal stabalizer too.

You would not truly need a larger space until it came time for the tail cone. Someone a litter farther along than me could comment on which sections of the wings could be built going smallest to biggest, but I think the tanks, flaps, and ailerons could be built first also?

Once all the small parts are done, then you do need space. If you get on a hangar list now, maybe it will be ready when you are.....

Best of luck,

Dan
 
Keep the condo and buy a house with a 3 car garage. Rent the house with the caveat that the tenants don?t get to use the garage!

Give them a break on the rent to compensate for the noise you make while building.
 
Are you involved with your local EAA?

I know our local club has a lot of activity, and its very common for people to share or lend out a portion of their hangar for other builds. You might even find some new friends, have tools available and more help.
 
I am about 1/2 way through my RV-14 empennage kit and I couldn't imagine doing most of the work I have done to date in a condo. There is a lot of deburring required which is very dirty & dusty. Dirt will get everywhere. Riveting is noisy if you have neighbours close by. I would look for a small size area that you could rent. A single car garage would do, a 2 car garage would be ideal.
 
I got lucky and found a large space to rent where I built most of my RV-10. It was the end unit of a small "self storage" facility which had the breaker box and a bathroom. This allowed me to add a couple of circuits to power the compressor and lots of lights, and the small bathroom came in handy for cleaning up after painting, etc. It was about a 20 min drive from my house, but this has been my retirement project so I was able to drive there in the morning, work on the plane for 6 - 8 hrs. and then drive home in the evening. I did this following a normal 5 day work week, so the commute to my "workshop" wasn't unreasonable.

Good luck with the RV-14 build.
 
It needs to be a space that can get dusty/dirty and that you can sweep clean. You need work benches and tool boxes. You need an air compressor. I moved 2 of the 3 cars out of my garage (wife's car gets to stay), and set up the tables and tools.

The empennage kit shows up in a box about 8 feet long and 3 feet wide, I created a bunch of saw dust tearing it down / cutting it up. You also need a way to get the 300 pound crates into your work area.

You need storage boxes to keep everything sorted. There's like 15 different kinds of rivets.

IMO a storage facility could work, but for me it's nice to just walk into my garage and start working, and stop whenever I want.
 
Awesome! You'll have a blast ...

Try to get a space close by, add entertainment (Netflix, Tunes, Audiobooks, etc) and a small fridge ...

The benefit to basement/garage builders is getting a couple hours done here and there .. that really ads up and keeps things moving .. so the closer the better .. if you have to drive 20 minutes you'll talk yourself out of it often ... no excuse if it's 3 minutes away :eek:
 
Thank you all for your input.

I will look into the EAA on my next days off and hopefully find some local Phoenix builders. Anyone?, Anyone?

I agree with the space needing to be close as being in the center of Phoenix, EVERYTHING is a minimum 30 minute drive away. I plan to look at nearby storage facilities or homes with big garages for sale. I can't give up my condo in the sky, though.

The term "build assist center" was the idea I was looking for, I just couldn't come up with the search term for Google. Thanks!

Kevin
 
Thank you all for your input.

I will look into the EAA on my next days off and hopefully find some local Phoenix builders. Anyone?, Anyone?

I agree with the space needing to be close as being in the center of Phoenix, EVERYTHING is a minimum 30 minute drive away. I plan to look at nearby storage facilities or homes with big garages for sale. I can't give up my condo in the sky, though.

The term "build assist center" was the idea I was looking for, I just couldn't come up with the search term for Google. Thanks!

Kevin

Contact Jay Pratt at RV Central.

http://www.vansairforce.net/rvcentral.htm
 
Keep the condo and buy a house with a 3 car garage. Rent the house with the caveat that the tenants don?t get to use the garage!

Give them a break on the rent to compensate for the noise you make while building.

No, no, no. It'll be harder to rent the house out and you'd still have to commute. Rent the condo out, live in the house, build the plane, and then move back to the condo if you want to afterwards, renting the house then.

You end up with investment property and a plane. Sweet.

Dave
 
You could look for a garage unit near your condo.

While living in an apartment for a little while I was able to rent a 2 car garage (2 1-car garages with the wall between them knocked out) within a couple minutes walk from the apartment. A one car garage would be enough to get you started.

I was actually quite lucky, as the previous tenant of the garage was finishing a -9a and was moving out within 3 months of me moving to the area. The connections on VAF is what made it happen.
 
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