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Just curious....

D

David Paule

Well Known Member
Looking through the builder sites for the RV-3, it sure looks like the RV-3B folks are buying the quick-build wings. Is anyone standard-building the wings?

And another thing - with the RV-3 being a different quality of kit than the pre-punched planes, are there any different or additional tools that you'd recommend?

Thanks,
Dave
 
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Rivet fan will be necessary for a non prepunched kit.

stylespilotshop_2194_38025567


Good center punch.

Sure there are others, folks will chime in more than likely.
 
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I'm not sure that I can think of any significant tool purchases that I made BECAUSE this was a non-pre-punched kit rather than my earlier QB -8. (Yes, a rivet fan is very useful!)

If you don't already have the tools necessary to build a fuselage jig, you'll need those of course.

Of course, simply building another kit was a good excuse to flesh out the tool inventory....
 
A ruler.
I was amazed when I first looked at an RV-7A plans set that there were hardley any dimensions/distances set out.
Bill Brooks
Ottawa, Canada
RV-6A finishing
 
Hi Dave...

Is anyone standard-building the wings?
Click to expand...
Yes - largely done ;)

are there any different or additional tools that you'd recommend?
Click to expand...
Extra Clecos. Rivet Fan mentioned. Use the opportunity to review your tools, and expand on "options" e.g. squeezer yokes.
 
Standard wings

Yo David, I'm building the standard wings for the 3B. I'm about 25 % done with 99 % of the wings to go. If your in no rush this is the way to go. I enjoy building and the wings make you think about how things go together.
Andy
 
Hi David,

I did slow build because of extra cost of freight and our GST, but they are just like the others except they are smaller and have no holes. The lighting holes in the leading edge are nearly to small, the flaps need to be longer as per posts here, the fuel tank attach z brackets need to be set out because there are no holes in the spar, even though the manual thinks there is, the aileron skins are one piece skin instead of two, but in the end they are RV wings. Accept the challenge.

Peter
 
Why is a rivet fan necessary?

I never had one - I just measured marked and drilled excepr for the wing skins where I traced all of the substructure (ribs, spars, etc) on stable drafting paped so I knew where all of the flutes and gaps were and transfered that to the skin on my bench and drilled the holes right into the bench. The fuselage skins marked where I wanted them and drilled with a long drill through the former flanges and the skins from the inside. I still don't have such a tool. Did you really find it helped you some way? Sure it will give equal spacing but it could cause you to drill where there is no underlying structure.

Bob Axsom
 
It is not necessary. It is just a cheap tool that helps in many places. With a spring loaded punch, you can center punch right through the fan. You can layout and center punch 20 rivet holes between f-605 to f-606 in about a minute.

And you always need to look behind your rivet layout.
 
I admire you-all for the patience and time to do it.

I was thinking about the process this week while assembling the 8 HS...what a breeze compared to what you are doing slow build.

The advance Vans made with CNC (I think it means computer numerical control) machining is incredible, I saw the device a work when visiting Vans last month. It's accuracy is amazing. The HS went together without a jig and the elevator attach bracket holes line perfectly from one end to another.
 
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