Thoughts after first Condition Inspection

157 hours after first flight and I've just about completed my first RV8 condition inspection.

First Impressions: Fairly easy to maintain and inspect compared to other planes I've built and owned.

Things I'd do different if still building knowing what I know now:

1. Add an inspection cover to the aft baggage shelf to avoid having to remove all those screws to inspect the elevator linkages and tail cone (especially un-fun in the Florida August heat)

2. Add 1/4" u-channel rubber along the rear seat back edge to prevent scratching the paint along the bulkhead and the canopy handle - I just added this today.

3. Add inspection covers to the center section of the fwd baggage compartment for quick and easy access to the rudder pedals and brake assembly. Removing all the screws in the far aft corner area wasn't fun - I did this already.

4. Make the landing gear tower mod for easier access to the landing gear bolts. I still haven't done this and want to punch myself in the stomach over it.

5. Don't forget to run the fuel lines dry after you shut-off the fuel valve when preparing to remove and inspect the fuel filter - DOH! Have plenty of rags and paper towels in the cockpit if you do.

6. Use the shortest screws possible when securing access panels (1 or 2 threads showing is good). For some reason I had screws in most of my panels which were about 1/4 too long. All this does is make for a ton of extra work.

I spent the entire month of August going through the inspection focussing on one section at a time and never taking the plane out of service. I continued flying between inspections. I was able to still have fun and never had trouble seeing the trees through the forest (or something like that).

The only issue I found was a little wear on the both the inboard and outboard wheel spacers which I'm a little perplexed about to be honest.


my .02

RV8R999 said:

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1. Add an inspection cover to the aft baggage shelf to avoid having to remove all those screws to inspect the elevator linkages and tail cone (especially un-fun in the Florida August heat)
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Click to expand...

You don't have to wait 12 months for the next inspection.

Change the cycle and do the next one earlier in the cooler weather....

RV8R999 said:

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3. Add inspection covers to the center section of the fwd baggage compartment for quick and easy access to the rudder pedals and brake assembly. Removing all the screws in the far aft corner area wasn't fun - I did this already...

Click to expand...

Would you mind posting photos of this mod. I'm getting to old to reach for those far aft screws.

sure I'll get some pics up for you, but really nothing to it. Just cut a hole in the baggage floor material between the two stringers running longitudinally and fab a cover plate. Secure with nut plates or sheet metal screws along the perimeter of the cover plate.

break break

I thought about moving my condition inspection to Jan and might just do it but since I had all August off so it was the right time to do it this year.

az_gila said:

You don't have to wait 12 months for the next inspection.

Change the cycle and do the next one earlier in the cooler weather....

Click to expand...

This was going to be my contribution to this thread also (shift the inspection to a cooler time of the year). I just finished my 1st condition inspection the third weekend in July. We are experiencing the hottest summer on record with July in Oklahoma being the hottest, on average, any state in the union has ever recorded and I am out in it doing an annual condition inspection.

I plan to do another inspection come December so that I can shift the 12 month schedule to a cooler time of the year. If it gets cold I have heat in my hangar.

I am absolutely fed up with this heat. OKC, OK is now on 57 days of 100+ degree temperatures. It looks like 3-4 of the next 5 days will exceed 100 degrees so I suppose we will breach the 60th day this summer of 100+ days. There are other places in SW Oklahoma that have exceeded 90 days of 100+ degrees. And, yes I know it has been the same in Texas too. We need rain, and we need it soon!

just wondering

Hi, Im currently building my rv8 and do a lot of research here on the web.Working on my fuse right now and I was wondering, after your first condition inspection if you have experienced any of the problems that I have read about. First, how is your oil cooler mount on the baffle holding up? second, How is the cooling ramp holding up? I read about these being a potential problem so I'm still trying to decide if I really want to make any changes in those areas, your input would be much appreciated. Thanks and happy flying.

bird

We're doing the Condition Inspection on our -9 right now as well. It usually takes us 10-15 days (two weekends, plus a few days). This being the hottest week of the year has me a little annoyed. We sneak it into the "next" month each year. (Sign it off on the first, good until the end of the month.) I know for sure that next year it will be at least a little cooler in September!

I'm doing the same thing, Scott. Sign-off was in July '09, first condition inspection was in August of last year, and now I'm finishing this year's next weekend to push it into September next year. Like a dolt, I allowed my medical, BFR and condition inspection to fall at the same time. Duh.

I employed a couple of local A&Ps' eyeballs on my FWF this year, and quite surprisingly, they found several squawks that I had missed, including a very loose oil cooler! Because I had mounted the Van's shutter assembly between the baffle mount and the oil cooler, I couldn't tighten the bolts completely without causing binding of the shutter. Well, that wasn't very bright, apparently. So, off came the shutter and tight went the bolts!

Ken mentioned a couple of GREAT ideas that I wish I had incorporated into my plane, but nobody had thought of them 'way back then.

1) Access panels in the gear towers! Yeah, you can get your arm in there before the space gets jammed with fuel vent lines, wires, tubing, cables, etc. Afterward, not so much. Having an access panel in there would be wonderful!

2) Ditto an access panel in the rear baggage compartment. Many have made a hinged door that allows easy access to the battery and visual inspection of the moving hardware back there, but I was too lazy to cut that and repaint after I had built the interior. I have a feeling that I'll change my mind one of these days and just forget repainting. Seriously, who really looks back there anyway?

3) Not sure I agree with the necessity of an access hole in the forward baggage floor. I had to change out my electric fuel pump recently and that necessitated removal of the baggage floor. Not something that I'd want to do very often, but it worked OK. For annual inspection purposes, it would be just as easy to stick your head under the panel and take a look-see with a mirror and light, IMO. However, I did replace the Philips head screws with hex head cap screws, which made it a bit easier to insert/remove.

4) Given the PITA that it is to remove the front seat pan to inspect the stick attachments, I'd have given some serious thought about devising a way to make an inspection hole there.

I'm sure my list will grow with each condition inspection. Conditional inspection. Annual inspection. Annual conditional inspectional. THAT'S it ... I like it.