Well, it’s been a steady, but slow few months since finishing the horizontal stabilizer in early September. Lot’s going on (all good!) and so I’ve been eking out hours to work through a component that is certainly more complex than those previous. A common theme of the build so far. I’ve begun working on the Elevator, which will attach to…
It took about 7 weeks and 70 hours to finish the Horizontal Stabilizer. Van’s (the kit manufacturer) is quiet clever in ensuring the builder develops the skills needed to tackle more complex sub assemblies as the work progresses. But as the complexity and parts count goes up, so does the time needed to finish each part. This is the third…
After about 48 hours of labor spanning 7 weeks, the Rudder is now completed! Well, not entirely. The fiberglass tips are missing, but they get installed later in the build. It was a really challenging sub-assembly requiring some unique techniques. Though I was able to practice those techniques, it’s still takes a ton of nerve when doing it for “real”. …
Well, I may be more than half-way done with the rudder. Won’t know until it’s all finished. But the grunt work of separating, deburring, assembling, drilling, dimpling, and riveting the core pieces are all complete. It has been about 29 hours so far and it’s been a fulfilling process interrupted by moments of extreme frustration. I’m reaching out to an…
After about 8 days and 21 hours of labor, the Vertical Stabilizer is complete. It’s unlikely that I’ll sustain this pace, just happened to be able to get a lot done over two weekends. It came out pretty good, but definitely some room for improvement. I didn’t like the primer so will switch brands going forward, When riveting some of…
Previously, I shared some thinking about how I plane to build a kit airplane in the future (after The Barn is complete), and which three models I narrowed my selection to. This post gives more insights into how I begin framing the selection decision and the nuances of each design. The Mission In comparing these three kitplanes, there is no…
Even before I earned my Private Pilot Certificate in 2013, the idea of building a kit plane had taken root. But even since thinking about this for some years, I am still undecided on which model to build. Though, this decision is not required for a year or two while I finish building the barn. In the interim, I continue to…