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woops,

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nice work on the cowl, i love your shop.;) looks like the shop of an uncluttered mind. :D .....just like mine.:cool:
 
I find it amazing that I can clean this up real nice and once I start working on something it looks real bad again real quick. This is just the end stall, there are 4 more to the right.
 
Status Brantel

Nothing earth shattering here but since I was on vac and getting transitioned over the past couple weeks, nothing has happened with the build.

This weekend, I pulled it out so it could see the sky for the first time! Cleaned and reorganized a bit to get ready to hang that engine tonight!

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Milestone! Engine Hung!

Followed the guide to engine hanging off of the VAF site and in less than an hour start to finish, I had an engine hanging on my plane!

Thanks to my uncle, Al Swan and a local RV7A builder named Paul Bennett for their help! (Paul did not know what he was in for when he emailed me yesturday morning asking if he could drop in!)

Could not have done it without them! Also thanks to Tim McGinnis and Bob Dougherty for the phone support prior to the event!

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Moving day

Major milestone yesterday. My fuselage is out of the garage and in it's hanger in Georgetown.

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Then one day...

In June of 06, the wife put up with me while I humored myself with a Van's factory tour and demo ride while we were on vacation in Oregon to see her Dad. We sat in the RV-7, 8 & 10 and tried them on. She picked the 10 as her favorite, but the "budget" picked the 7, or 8" and the wife liked the side by side better than the tandem. I wanted to think about it for awhile and after much soul searching I decided it was now or never. The next month we made a trip to Oshkosh via our Cherokee 140 and ordered a tail kit and tools.

Many months went by (26) and then one day... Yesterday, 10/8/08, my RV-7 project magically became an airplane. Three gentlemen from the FAA drove 2 1/2 hours from OKC to come get her airworthy. I was almost as nervous as the day each of my two daughters were born.

Two of the men were in training to become DAR's. One was an ASI and another was with the FAA safety programs office. The fourth was a friend, and my flight instructor who recently received a prestigious award for 50 years of aviation maintenance as an A&P IA. He had applied for DAR status and was invited along. I was honored to say the least, as this would be his initial DAR training so to speak.

The inspection went very well and I was given many compliments on the airplane. They showed a genuine interest in the public's safety, as well as my own and they just seemed to be all around good guys trying to do their job. I think they made an effort to put me at ease, and I thank them for that. I had paperwork, S.B.s, A.D.'s, logbooks, builders logs, calendars, maintenance manuals all laid out on a table made from saw horses and plywood. After the paperwork and the handshakes, my friend told me that at one point while I was talking to another one of the gentlemen, he was pulled aside and the ASI told him that he had rarely seen such a well prepared presentation in the field. What a compliment! Other than a comment about the smaller than optimum lettering on some of my switches, it was all good!

I have transition training scheduled for the end of the month so I have some time to get back into flying and build some tailwheel hours before my first flight.

I just wanted to thank everyone on Doug's site who answered or even asked questions. Believe it or not there isn't an RV based within 90 miles of me that I know of... so without your help, this would never have happened.

p.s. I received my repairman's certificate and a 100 mile phase one area due to no close avionics shops to do my transponder check. (It pays to live in the boonies I guess).;)

Oh yeah, about the signature... I still have some danged cosmetic fiberglass stuff to finish up!
 
Wandered by the paint shop

Had to check out the progress yesterday. Here are a few pics I snapped of some smaller parts that went away with me today.

Tomorrow afternoon, everything but the fuselage, verticle stab, and rudder go to the hanger. Fuselage goes sometime next week.

Everything looks like it is still wet!! The gray and maroon parts don't photograph well with a flash inside because of reflections from the flash. The dummy with the camera (me) was so excited I forgot to take a picture of the wings. I'll get that one tomorrow.

It looks like I should have posted the pictures a bit larger because the smaller ones don't do them justice. I have to compliment the painter. He's been shooting paint for long long time and this was done in a commercial paint booth.

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I know exactly (almost) what I missed

looks great webb.

you dont know what you missed, and lucky you for missin it ;)

Thanks William. I'll just have to live through you're painting experience.

Perhaps ignorance is a bliss here. Most of the time, it's a curse and seems like I've heard once or twice it's no excuse from the law (just ask ATC!!).
 
I don't want to know

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looks great webb.

you dont know what you missed, and lucky you for missin it ;)

William, I don't want to find out!!!

The wings went to the airport today and fuselage will go next week. Here are some of the reasons I don't want to find out!!!

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oooooh yeah, put that baby together and get to flyin.....looks sweeeeet...
 
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The fuselage is at the airport

I made the big move. Now I need to wrap up the wings and get them there as well.
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Another one goes.

I decided it was time to make the two mile journey to the hanger, so using the preferred method of transport I got er done.

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:D <jealous grin>

Congrats to each of the last posts in getting to the airport and first engine start.

Also, it's cool to see some new planes coming out in the southeast. I'm hopefully not too far behind.
 
Congrats, Mark!

Way to go!!!! Keep plugging away and you will be flying to SC to show it off to us soon!
 
very nice Mark....really motivates me to get on the ball. i took my wings to the airport monday...now to finish up some small stuff on the fuse and get it out there as well. man it seems you need a mile wide trailer :rolleyes: for these things.

congrats i should follow suit here shortly....;)
 
First tank is done. Leak testing to come later this week or weekend. What's the big deal? The tank wasn't bad at all!

***EDIT***

LEAK FREE!

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Thanks. The interior is http://classicaerodesigns.com
No blog or web site. The build is very average and I didn't have much to offer in the way of tips or tricks. I wouldn't even have posted this pic but I was so happy with the results I wanted to share my experience and also to say if anyone is on the fence about trying to paint, try it. It was very rewarding so far. If the weather holds out this weekend I want to paint the exterior. My opinion on painting my change after that.:rolleyes:
 
Thanks. The interior is http://classicaerodesigns.com
No blog or web site. The build is very average and I didn't have much to offer in the way of tips or tricks. I wouldn't even have posted this pic but I was so happy with the results I wanted to share my experience and also to say if anyone is on the fence about trying to paint, try it. It was very rewarding so far. If the weather holds out this weekend I want to paint the exterior. My opinion on painting my change after that.:rolleyes:


what was your process? what type of paint,etc.?

i still really like that interior! the colour of it, etc. woooo


keep up the great work! you definitely should post here as progress happens.... for guys like me that know NOTHING and just starting out!
 
What followed me to hanger.....

Hey Mom, look what followed me home from the paint shop to the hanger......Can I keep it, can I, can I, huh, huh?

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nice n numbers:D i like the ww part.;)
beautiful paint webb.. i was hoping for 166ww but its taken :(i'll have to come up with something else...but i guess i should get to it.


Hey Mom, look what followed me home from the paint shop to the hanger......Can I keep it, can I, can I, huh, huh?

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Same comments from me, Glenn... Nice job on your interior. I LOVE those side panels!!
 
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Status Brantel

Been working on baffles. I have the new latest and greatest redesigned baffle kit from Vans... It has been some work trimming it to fit my narrow deck engine. There are more fillets, bosses and areas of reinforcement on the narrow deck which interfere with the cutouts for the engine.

Anyway, I have most of it on there at this point and the lower cowl fitting up to the intake areas. Lots more work to do before these are finished. I am just taking my time and making small trims here and there to get it to fit.

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well i couldnt let all these planes go to the airport without taking mine so i took it today. let me tell ya the roll-back method wins hands down. a no brainer. money well spent..i would tell ya how much but they told me to come by tommorrow and pay. probally means more than i want to pay.
(it was 80 bucks..)

anywho it went without a hitch..now to get the wings on this
baby and fire it up.


never mind the date. i put in the date i wished i would have finished... :rolleyes:



and in the nest....sweeeeet and now my shop is airplaneless. this probally makes me happier than most.

 
William, where are you?

cytoxin,

Nice plane, but I couln't help but notice the highway 34 sign, the cotton stubble and the hat's reflection in the windshield. Where exactly in the state are you? I bet my people know your people!
 
cytoxin,

Nice plane, but I couln't help but notice the highway 34 sign, the cotton stubble and the hat's reflection in the windshield. Where exactly in the state are you? I bet my people know your people!

sent you a PM............. go tigers?????
 
well i couldnt let all these planes go to the airport without taking mine so i took it today. let me tell ya the roll-back method wins hands down. a no brainer. money well spent..i would tell ya how much but they told me to come by tommorrow and pay. probally means more than i want to pay.
(it was 80 bucks..)

anywho it went without a hitch..now to get the wings on this
baby and fire it up.


]

Way to go William! I know just how you feel!
You're going to be surprised at how quickly things come together now.

Mark
 
Geez, I'm not supposed to be back on this thread

Couldn't resist. As you can see, she is taking on a little color these days...albeit, it's black but it's color. Most of the drilling out, re-riveting completed, working with glass now. I can see light at the end of the tunnel.....again:eek::)

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Lookin great Dana!

I dare you to fly that thing with that top cowl pink :D!

Are you charging your Odyssey with a regular car charger? I thought that was a no no with those batteries?????:confused:
 
I dare you to fly that thing with that top cowl pink :D!

Are you charging your Odyssey with a regular car charger? I thought that was a no no with those batteries?????:confused:

Don't dare me too much, I'm itching to get back flying!! You 'aught to see the passenger side!! The battery doesn't seem to know I've been committing a no-no:eek: it's worked flawlessly.
 
I think they say that you will shorten the life of that battery when you use that type of a charger?? :confused:

Don't dare me too much, I'm itching to get back flying!! You 'aught to see the passenger side!! The battery doesn't seem to know I've been committing a no-no:eek: it's worked flawlessly.
 
building again!

I've gotten pretty much setup for building again...

Edit: Hopefully, this thumbnail and link will work...

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http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yGv6Vbra_lWs18rsSfHXlg

I'm currently building in my shed which seems to have originally been a chicken coup. It is not continuously heated and only sort of insulated so it takes an hour or 2 to warm up with a kerosene space heater before I can start working in there.

Unfortunately, my setup effectively rules out going out and building for short periods of time. And I'm going to have to come up with some way of getting some ventilation and turning off the space heater when I start priming and using solvents while building the 2nd tank.

The situation far from ideal but it is good to be making some progress again. I fit/drilled the strip that joins the tank and the leading edge along with the one un-punched leading edge rib on Sunday.
 
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Hi Mark,
I see you have fixed the link, looks good. I can tell you will be getting out that pro-seal soon !
 
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Building in small places

A little off topic, but, I love it when people successfully build in small places or less than ideal conditions. I think it shows a type of perseverance that is inspiring. Decked out workshops (with every tool known to man), builder assistance and pre-made solutions are certainly enviable but just not the same interesting story. We should have a thread showing small building spaces, clearly non-ideal workshops, pictures of the tiny holes that fuselages have emerged from after completion; a contest for the smallest or most challenging conditions.

Bryan

Ps. If this exists, point me to it.
 
Here are the time eating details that I have been working on the past few weeks.

I finished up the baffles less the seal at the top:

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Built this little pain in the rear, those that have not made this yet and are using a vertical induction, just go ahead and order you some stock to make the carb mount plate out of because you will need to shift the airbox over to the co-pilot side to prevent the box from hitting the cowl scoop when it shakes.....:

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Finished epoxying and riveting the hinges to the top cowl and made this little extension to the inlet. This does not look like much but it is a ton of work!

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I haven't posted an update in awhile because I've been working on tons of little things that really aren't that exciting.

This week it's been the switch panel. I had a fab shop bend me a piece of .050 that's the same size and angle of the Van's control quadrant bracket with the only difference being the width.

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I've kicked around a lot of fuse block locations but decided like others that a flip down panel would be nice. I ended up riveting a hinge to the bottom of the old control quadrant bracket and used that for the back. I used small pieces of angle and nutplates on the switch panel for the front.

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The nice part is the panel slides right off the front with the switch panel left behind.

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Here is the old throttle quadrant bracket with grommeted openings for the wiring to the fuseblocks.

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I believe it's time for some wiring!:D
 
SB wings finally done after 312 hours!

Tonight I've riveted the last flap hinge on the wing and mounted the flaps next to the ailerons on the wings with newly bended flap hinge pins (I removed some center hinge eyes). That means except for the wingtips my wings are done!

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More details on my wiki at: http://rv7a.tauker.net/

Next: the fuselage :) (I already clecod the firewall together)

Cheers
Andre

Note: I don't know why the image doesn't show up in the post. When looked at the url directly it is there: http://rv7a.tauker.net/uploads/PmWiki/wings-all-done.jpg
 
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