TOP TIPS

Deconstructing an RV airplane It turns out that the biggest mistake I made when mating the wings on my RV-7A wasn't a hole that wasn't drilled straight in the rear spar attach point (although that didn't help). It was in the assembly of the rear spar doubler in the first place. But there's good news for those who violate the critical edge distance of wing mating. All is not lost. Find out the steps you can take, or just learn more about the joys of drilling out rivets. (More)

Whelen tail light strobe modification
Here's one of those situations that seems to crop up all the time: how to mount the Whelen System tail strobe. I found a new blog -- Kit Airplane modifications -- that has an answer, especially for RV10s. (More)
Related posting
RV-10 wheel pant fairing spacer

Two RVs in a month
It's probably a sign of the times. RVs are rolling off the "assembly line" so fast they're practically bumping into each other. Example? EAA chapter 983 had two first flights in a month: an RV-8 and an RV8A (More)

$10.5 million jury award in death of RV pilot
The estate and widow of a man who died a "horrible death" after he crashed in an experimental airplane at the Arlington Airport in 1999 has been awarded about $10.5 million because there was inadequate fire protection stationed at the Arlington Fly-In. (Everett Herald)

"We lost a son"
"Bob, along with a good friend, father of four were killed on October 10, 1998 in my dad’s pride and joy. I can tell you, such a fatality changes families forever. The S51 was placed back in a box and sold. My dad lost all interest in aviation. I never flew the B24 or B17 again. Debra lost her son. Four kids grew up without a dad. Dark clouds just will not go away. Here was a kid on his way to the Blue Angeles or Thunderbirds as he fit the mold to a tee. Gone forever at age 21." (Read VAF post from Ned Bowers - Part 1 | Part 2)

Van's France fly-in announced
The Van's France contingent has announced plans for its 4th fly-in, June 1-3 this year at aerodrome Nuits-St-Georges. According to Van's Club France, "it is necessary to ask for authorization to land at the airfield from the local DGAC. This request can be made by filling out a form which will soon be displayed on the Van's Club de France web site.
Related links:
Flyer on the fly-in
Sign-up sheet
Van's Club de France Web site
Le Baule 2006 fly-in images
Golden West fly-in rescheduled

Upgrade to RV search engine
I'm slowly adding RV or experimental-centric companies to the RV search engine. This will allow you to search for an item and see all the various vendors who might offer it, allowing you to comparison shop where necessary. The search engine can easily be added to any Web site. (More)

RV-12 flight tests
This December and January, we have been squeezing flight tests of the RV-12 in between Pacific Northwest weather systems. The information we are gathering will be used to refine the current "proof-of-concept" RV-12 into the "kit-built" RV-12. (Ken Scott on Van's Web site)

Fuel valve safety stops
"This is not my own idea (I think it came from a VAF poster) but here is my implementation of it. The first pic is a blurry photo of the plunger and spring thing from the top, the second is the same stuff from underneath, and the third is what it looks like in the plane. The idea is that swinging the lever to the left stop feeds left tank, swinging it to the right stop feeds right tank. To shut things off, you push down on either spring-loaded stop and turn the valve past it. Obviously they'll be labeled at some point." Steve Zircee on VAF. (More)

Deburring rib flange slots
It doesn't matter what kind of RV you're building, sooner or later you're going to be have those little slots in rib flanges to deal with. On the RV-10 List this week, a builder asked how they should be deburred. Me? I just folded up a little 400 grit sandpaper and "filed" it away. But other builders had other suggestions, ranging from little Dremel bits to emery boards (or Popsicle sticks, I suppose, would work) with silicone carbide.


Oil filter change
Like most things in life, It's just a matter of having the right tool for the job. I found a ratcheting torque wrench that works very well in tight installations. The tool ratchets in one direction, so you have to flip the wrench 180 degrees for removal and installation. The wrench has a short handle for tight locations, and the torque setting is preset based on handle length to the oil filter manufacturers specification of 17 ft/lbs. No more guessing about the tightness of the oil filter. (EAA 732)

ARCHIVES See a list of previous RV Builder Hotlines organized by date and subject. (Go)

PICTURE OF THE WEEK John Sannizzaro sent this to me a few weeks ago. It's Ken Richards' RV-7 in Maine. "He just painted it this summer and keeps it at KSFM. It is O-320 powered and flies well," John says. I'd like to do more pieces with RV builders similar to what I did with Mark Chamberlain a few weeks ago. If you're interested in fielding some questions, drop me a line.