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...and here is the other picture...

The panel pic (second attempt to load it)

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wing skinning to begin...when I get a bucker

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in the mean time I have started and nearly completed the ailerons..
 
1500 hours

Today, I reached the 1500 hours mark.
I'm working on the fiberglass parts taking advantage of the summer heat as my worshop is only ligthly heated during winter.

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The coral color of some of the parts is a tribute to the webmaster of Vansairforce.
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(What red dye can do !!!
It allows to see the epoxy resin much better. But black is even better to see how the pinholes get filled)
 
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Red Dye

Are your wheel pants the "pink" color? Or did you add that dye to show the pin holes? Mine were the tyical green. My first look at the small pictures I thought you were gutting a pig or some other animal :) all that red.
 
Red dye

All was the usual green.
I added some red dye to the resin to better see the pinholes and the bigger runs.

I swear no animal gets mishandled in my workshop.
 
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Plug in the wings for the first time. It went pretty well with a lot of help. Preliminary checks for sweep and incidence are pretty close to final.
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Josh Pemberton, Pat Stewart, Lyn Blair, and Bo Hudson

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Here you go. Assuming you're using Internet Explorer, open your picture in Picasa, right click on the image and click "Properties". Copy that URL, go back to VAF, click the little "Insert Image" icon, and paste the URL into that dialog.

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Another "Canoe" gets flipped! Video, too.

Well, at long last, I finally rolled the fuselage over for my RV-7A. This isn't a Hollywood quality production, but I'm fortunate to have a 26-second video of the milestone. Thanks to my son Daniel for the helping hand, and my daughter-in-law Andria for running the camera. And thanks to all my sons, Luke, Paul, and Daniel and Jamie's son Jesse for help with riveting over the last few weeks. The riveting sessions were often short and sporadic (everyone is so busy around here!) but we got 'er done!

Here's the YouTube video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp1mi9BAJac

More pictures and comments on my website here:

August 12, 2009 entry

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Paid overtime is over, so now it's in the shop overtime if I'm ever going to fly this thing.

I made the big cut a year ago, then stowed the pieces until yesterday. Did some trimming last night, so today I managed to sand the edges and final fit before drilling to the frame. I then started rear window install, but the shish kabobs weren't grilling themselves, so that seemed like a good stopping point for tonight.

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Good to be back in the shop.
 
Typical Driveway

on a Peachtree City, Georgia Sunday afternoon.
Neal's RV-7 on the gear :)
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Typical Driveway

Neal,

That is the best looking lawn ornament I have seen in town. Did you need to get a display permit? ;)
 
Nice

I hope you got it back in the garage before the law sprinklers came on.... I hope to see one like that on my lawn soon. I hope the home owner association police didn't see it. you could be getting a letter in the mail any day now LOL
 
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wings

Last Sunday my wife helped to finish riveting the other wing. While waiting for my helper I managed to complete both the flaps and ailerons....not a whole lot for the wings to be completed...umm, hope my fuse gets here soon.:D

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Well as long as we're posting pics of our helpers...this is my wife Beth doing some cleaning on the fuse after we were drilling for the roll over structure. (Isn't this fun Honey?!?) She has bucked and shot rivets, finished edges and dimpled skins but she still says she would rather help with parts of the plane that "don't have anything to do with it staying in the air".

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I don't know how you feel but good support at home has been, and will be, one of the biggest contributing factors to my plane staying in the air.

- Peter
 
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And I hope that you.....

Well as long as we're posting pics of our helpers...this is my wife Beth doing some cleaning on the fuse after we were drilling for the roll over structure. (Isn't this fun Honey?!?) She has bucked and shot rivets, finished edges and dimpled skins but she still says she would rather help with parts of the plane that "don't have anything to do with it staying in the air".

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I don't know how you feel but good support at home has been, and will be, one of the biggest contributing factors to my plane staying in the air.

- Peter

...realize what a lucky guy you are.

Join the club :)

Jim & Wendy Sharkey
RV6 - Phase 1
 
N277PM Status

Currently working the left wing at the tank stage. (uck). This is a picture of my helper.

Paul
LAF
N277PM

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Milestone to me Brantel....Prop is here!

Getting the prop is one of those milestones in my opinion where a builder thinks to himself that he might actually pull this off and be able to fly his creation some day......Prop is here and it is beautiful in my eyes!

Would have love to have a nice HZ BA CS but the wallet said you must live with a FP or else!

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Yep that is more airplane parts on the kitchen island!:eek:

And since we are posting pics of wives helping:

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That pic was dated 08/30/2000 :eek:

9 years in the making! The wife does not smile so much anymore when it comes to the plane. She is however looking forward to using it for scooting around on mini vacations!:D
 
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Hung The Engine

Wow, What a huge step. We got the engine hung today. 2 hours flat. The #3 bolt was our hardest because we didn't know what we were doing. Once we figured out #3 bolt, #4 bolt wasn't bad. When you see that bolt hole line up and know you've got this thing hung what a great feeling. The engine hanging instructions on VAF were a big help, thanks Doug.

Thanks Guy for the verbal support and Emilio for the EAA pre inspection.

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Plane or almost

This is the usual view from our bedroom in our garden.
And that was the view on Sunday morning, and today Wednesday evening.

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But Wednesday morning it looked more like that :

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In between it went like that.
Sunday : wings, ailerons, flaps, wingtips taken out of storage. Both wing mounted during the afternoon. At the end of the day, no sweep, incidence both at 1° on both wings, pilot hole drilled in rear spar.
Monday : Rear spar drilled to final size (smallest edge distance 21/32, minimum being 5/8). Tank attach bracket bent and drilled. Tank plumbing finished. Wing fairings installed and drilled. Wing to fuselage skins drilled.
Tuesday : Flaps push-rods holes opened in fuselage. Flaps installed. Ailerons installed. Everything rigged and adjusted. Only small problem, right flap hangs 1/4" lower than the fuselage, but can be due to small play in linkage. Installed the canopy as some small work was required to adjust the gap between canopy and window.
Wednesday : disassembled everything, put everything back into storage, sanded all the edges on canopy and window.
Some happy campers on this side of the pond.
 
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Ouch

I thought nobody would notice that, the right wing is shorter because the garden won't allow a longer wing to be installed.
As for the cowl, it was only chosen because I've read somewhere that the new cowls were that color. Or was that the color of a Vespa :D
 
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Cheating ?

Pascal,

You are cheating, aren't you? That first picture was taken after you removed the "Lawn ornament", right?

Regards, Tonny.
 
Half-cheated

Mark:
Great for your RV-8, I'll be in Sunnyvale at the end of October.

Pilottonny :
Picture was taken after all was disassembled, but the text said :

And that was the view on Sunday morning, and today Wednesday evening.
So it was only half cheating, or I would have had to post two pictures with the empty garden
 
Working on VS/HS fairing. After a couple trim cuts the Vans fairing wasn't too bad.
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someday I might even call this an airplane

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Update

I've been spending a ton of time lately on the little "details".

Emp fairings, rudder cable fairings, wingtip ribs, and old school aileron stops
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Lots of work on the wheelpants
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What it looks like today
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First engine start

After wrapping up the panel work, I decided it was time to start the engine for the first time. I pulled the plugs and turned over the engine to clear the cylinders, cleaned the plugs and reinstalled. Everything worked perfectly. All of the engine instruments worked, the electrical system maintained 14.4 volts, no leaks, prop cycled just fine. All in all, it was a great day.

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That's great!

Ryan,
I miss getting those crates :(
Slow build, that's the way to do it! Know your airplane!

Your going to have a blast with the fuselage. It's WAY more fun than the wings. It starts off sort of slow and boring but then it gets fun.
Don't get all worked up (like I did) when it comes time to bend the longerons.
They're not that hard to do.

Mark
 
VROOM

Ryan, you will be sitting in it making VROOM noises in no time. The way the newer kits go together that should be in about a week.:p
 
Milestone! Aircraft has a new home!

Took the week off to make the move and get some work done ...

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In the hangar with the wings on for good...

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Got the prop on and the spinner started...

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Drilled on the wingtips and installed about 80 nutplates :eek:

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I spent most of the days from 09/25 thru 10/3 moving the airplane factory to KMOR which is 30 minutes from home. That was a ton of work moving everything and I mean everything over there. My garage is now a parking lot again for the wife's minivan and I definately have empty nest syndrom!
I was able to get the cowl finished down to the last coat of primer surfacer, the airplane moved, the wings installed for good, the flaps and ailerons mounted again, the rigging re-attached, the wingtips drilled on and all 80 nutplates installed, hung the prop and got started on installing the spinner.
 
bet you can smell victory...

Advice: Work like crazy before the weather turns!

I can still remember trying to work on mine in February, here in mild Georgia. The damp, cold air got down to the bone in many a session in the final weeks before first flight. I really missed my basement! There's no getting a hangar warm, and hangar rules prohibit heaters for the most part. I also had a problem that I couldn't run my compressor in the hangar without popping a breaker and waiting 5 days in the dark for them to reset it. I had to learn to make do with a small 10gal compressor with less draw.

Oh - and big congrats on the progress. Won't be long before you have her flying on the end of that 25nm string.
 
Something I have been waiting for a long time turned up today. :D







I had Craig put on prop-guard for me. He cut out the spinner and back plate also. You have to pay extra for this, but its done properly and I saved some time.



I got stung on port charges and GST, it came to just under $1k, man that sh*ts me !!! :mad:
 
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