Introduction

After lurking here for what seems like forever and getting close to finishing my shop , I thought I'd finally make first post. I must say that the civility and support on this board is something that is most impressive to find on the Internet. Even those who don't always agree seem to find common ground.

With that in mind, I thought I'd make a first post with three goals in mind:

1) To join the ranks of what appears to be a group of people who are a credit to experimental aircraft
2) To see if my post actually comes though
3) To try and post a picture of proper size.

The specs on me are:

Male
Business Owner
Medium time instrument rated pilot (SEL)
In process of finishing a work area to begin an RV-7
Reside in NE Kansas

Pictures of new shop are below:

Looking forward to the journey,

Reflex

That's not a shop..it's a basketball court!

Nice.

Nice shop Fred welcome aboard! Looking forward to your RV7 first flight on Memorial Day of 2020 if not sooner.

Welcome

Welcome Fred.
I agree. That's not a workshop. That's a concert hall. I am officially green with envy.

With a Kubota and a bush hog, you're already "family"

Let the construction begin!

Awesome shop, Fred. Good luck, looking forward to future post about your progress.

Welcome

Welcome to the fun!!

That's a really nice shop. What kind of lights? How do you like them? With the white celling and all those lights it should be easy to see your work.

Gentlemen,

Thank you all so much for the kind words. I've received a large number of PM's asking about the building. If it's OK, I thought I'd answer them all here.

Built by Morton
42 x 12 x 56
Fully insulated (Manual J = 37, 512 BTU/h heat loss at 65 delta)
5" slab
26 gauge steel walls and roof
32' door (yes it has an opener )
Pitch is 5/12
200 amp service
3 50 amp 220v outlets
120v outlets every 10'
32 4' lights (81 candles per sq ft)
Inside upper is perforated acoustical steel
Inside lower is wood siding.
Insulation is R-19 walls, R-50 ceiling, R-10 under slab
Radiant flooring
Plumbed for hoses and kennel wash down (26' 4 dog kennel on side)
Floor drains = 2 @ 4' each
A/C to be installed after epoxy floor is complete

Purpose: Aircraft assembly

FYI - I couldn't be happier with Morton.....although the shop is new, ask me again in 10 years

One of the main questions was regarding cost vs. buying an airplane. The short version is that it would have been significantly less expensive to just go by an RV than build the shop AND the RV. But that's not what I wanted to do. I enjoy working with my hands an accomplishing "things". To me, folks have have built and flown their own aircraft are in a class by themselves. The respect and admiration I have for those of you who have accomplished this is significant.

In the end, I'm looking forward to being able to say "I built this". Perhaps I'll feel differently and wonder what I've gotten myself into at the 1500 or 2000 hour mark; but for now, it's my dream.

Again, thanks for the kind words.

Fred

Might you be interested in adoption?

Welcome Fred, That is a fine looking shop for sure! Save that picture, if you are like me it will not look like that for long. Get the net off that table and put a big piece of carpet on it and you will be ready to start building.

It is all about dreams Fred!

Remember, rivets don't pound themselves and it is not a big deal when you make a mistake. The challenge will be fixing the mistake and moving forward. Trust me, there isn't one flying RV that the builder didn't make a mistake (or more) and kept moving forward.

With a shop like that, you don't have an excuse. Get to work!