The Jedi Guide to RV Airplane Construction

(Original photo by Doug Reeves)

Building an RV is a mystery, right up until the time you inventory the empennage kit. It doesn't take the mind of Yoda to realize that, indeed, anyone can build an RV but only if you're of the right frame of mind, are willing to learn (and occasionally fail), and, of course, have enough cash.

Building an RV airplane is easier now than a decade ago. We have prepunched parts yes, but most important, the Internet has given us sources of help that our building-pioneer colleagues could never have imagined. This week we have called upon these RV masters to share their secrets.

But plenty of folks have been there before and these Jedi RV warriors are here to provide their wisdom.

Keep it simple.
-- Gerry Humphreys

I guess the best bit of philosophy I got was to keep it simple and treat the project like eating an elephant - one little bit at the time and when it's done on to the next bit. As you can see My RV is now painted as a a friesian cow so I guess that should have been about beef rather than elephant!

The single best thing though was the Internet, thanks to you and others that take the time to share your knowledge I finished what could never have even considered starting...

"The tools are strong with the force."
-- Stu McCurdy, RV-8 builder

The infamous phrase that I came away with after my building experience, and which echoes in my head even now, seven years later is: A little history first. Seth Hancock helped me build my RV-8, then I helped with his. For the first several weeks, at the end of the day, we had tools scattered everywhere. When Seth left, I would go around and put all the tools back where they came from so we could find them the next day. I finally gave up that end-of-day process since it took awhile to do and the tool would most likely be where we last used it. But I remember many, many, many times when I would say "Where's the xxxx tool?", and Seth after looking for it, would come back with, "It's around here somewhere, it'll show up."

Don't build by yourself
Tom Muller, RV-9A, Maine

"The most important thing I learned is that you cannot do this alone! You can only study the manuals or the Tony Bingelis books so long before you have to ask someone who has done it before.I am no genius on electricity or ignition systems or engine sensors, even after completing an airplane. Were it not for the help I received, my airplane would have been done wrong. I have to admit that for a large portion of the firewall forward, I was a spectator / wrench passer. Now I probably know enough to get the next one right and even to help someone else on some parts, but back then it went over my head.We build these things for education and entertainment. For the education part we are all part of a chain of people who teach by doing, a chain that stretches back unbroken more than 100 years to the Wright Brothers."

You're building an airplane, not a watch
-- Jeff Orear, Peshtigo, Wisc., RV-6A

"I guess the thing that stuck with me during the duration of my project was the phrase, 'You're not building a watch' that the folks at Vans would use to advise builders who were too concerned about the quality of their work. I continue to hear builders getting all torqued up when they put an extra dimple here or have to drill out some rivets there. Not everyone builds an award winning airplane. What we should all do, however, is strive to build the safest airplane we can and not get so worked up over aesthetics that we stagnate our projects over small details that have no bearing on how safe the airplane will be or how well it will fly. I kept that philosophy in the back of my mind the duration of my project. One other tidbit of philosophy I used to even start my project came from an ad campaign for Lancair several years ago. It consisted of a picture of a kid holding up a paper airplane with the quote, 'Sometimes in life you just have to say, 'Im doing this'' underneath it. It helped me realize that if I was going to ever build an airplane, I should do it now. One never knows what life has in store for us. As to the hardest part of the airplane, I have to say it was the rear canopy skirt on my slider. I approached all the other stumbling blocks that others had encountered, such as the trim tab, sealing the tanks with proseal, and even the canopy frame, with little problem. But those rear skirts were a challenge for me. I resolved that I would not give up and do it in fiberglass, so I took about three tries to get it contoured and shaped to sit down tight on the fuselage skin with the canopy closed. As a result, it is one of the areas of the airplane that I am most proud of. It is not exactly perfect, but pretty darn close.

Depend on the Internet
Mannan Thomason, RV-8, northeast Georgia

"My RV-8 (Slow Build) has been flying over two years. What a joy it is to experience all the sensations of flying something I actually built!I had the basic knowledge going in. This knowledge base has been expanded tremendously during the building process.Not necessarily the most important thing I learned, but the most important thing in finishing my RV-8 was the Internet.In the early years of my building I became aware of the Matronics List. This was a tremendous help not only for technical support but for ideas on panel design, where to buy, etc. The 'flaming' was a bit too much, though.I used the Web sites of several builders that gone before me and so generously posted their travails and triumphs.Later came Doug Reeves' "Vansairforce" website. His site immediately became my favorite because of the more "genteel" atmosphere.For those of you still building, persevere, it's worth it!"

Patience is a virtue
Walt Ray, RV-6A, Cambridge, Minnesota

"I started building the slow build fuselage several years ago and quickly learned there is no such thing as a 5-minute job. A task that you think will take an hour will usually take two or three.Patience is a virtue that you had best cherish or frustration and anger will cost you an ulcer or worse, a loss of interest in the project. I thank those who shared their solutions to different problems and sources of materials and products at reasonable prices and took the time to make them available to the rest of us.This has helped us save much time and money in completing our projects."

Read the plans many times
Ron MacLean, RV-6A, Zanesville, Ohio

"I started my plane in the garage in 1996. So the most important thing is to read your plans at least four times and then look at them again because you will see something you didn't see the fourth time.That is talking from experience. I do plan to finnish my airplane sometime in the next year. The best to all the rivet bangers out there."

Slow down
Randy Phillips, RV-8, Camp Point, Illinois

Find another builder who is just ahead of you
David Mozingo, RV-7A, Austin, Texas

":Find someone building the same plane in your area who is a few steps ahead of you. Go by and help or watch the important steps; ie wing installation, canopy, engine, etc. Vans 'instructions are great, but there is nothing like seeing it in person, to help teach you."

Assemble no part before you know how it fits with the parts of others.
Gary Baker, RV-6, Medina, Ohio

"The best builder's tips I have been given came from two sources: Dave Ross, RV-4 builder extraordinaire and is a local RV guru in northern Ohio, and Sam Buchanan, RV-6, creator of one of the first and best RV building websites. The first tip is to read and reread the instructions and plans before going into the shop so that the day's work has already been done three-six times over. This helped immensely when I was constructing my fuel tanks. The second tip is to keep looking ahead in the plans to see how everything comes together and helps prevent building something that will conflict with something else in the future. This will help in the final assembly. Thanks, Dave and Sam!"

Pay attention only to what you're working on
João Carlos Medeiros, RV-9A, Brasil

"The most important thing about building my RV-9A, PU-JCI, was to stay disciplined. In other words, how to maintain my mind focused at particular job without dream about future issues an lost time on it. Sometimes I´ve got some very strong desire to stop a actual job and start another one. Or, to modify Vans' plans in order to facilitate things or even skip some parts.The discipline to finish the part and start the other one was very difficult to maintain. But, I´ve got it. Except for ejection canopy and cabin hot air systems, all the parts in my RV-9A stayed according the plans.And the plane flew marvelous since the first flight.Now I´m flying my second RV-9A, PU-IJC. Very happy with it. Expect to fly an RV-12 in the future."

Keep it simple
Scott Diffenbaugh/Lana Jackson, RV-7A, Auburn, Calif.

"Keep it simple, fight the urge to add bells and whistles. Realize that if the kit was perfect, it would cost a lot more. When searching the Internet for answers, make sure that at least two out of three builders agree on a solution before going with it. Be sure to put 3/4" wide strips of glass cloth over any rivet heads you plan on covering with epoxy to prevent them from showing through later. The worst was the sliding canopy by far. Many have almost given up at this point. We had to remove about a 1/2" section from the right rear curved frame tube."

Measure many times before cutting
Dave White, RV-6A, New Hampshire

"Be very careful while assembling the canopy. Measure it six times before making any cuts, and then BE CAREFUL! If a crack develops, carefully stop drill it, bevel it, and then take a small amount of material from the excess canopy pieces, mix it into a paste with acetone and fill the hole. I got this from a person at Van's, and it seems to work."

Make a decision on the big items later
Jerry Cochran, RV-6A, Sherwood, Oregon

"The most important thing I would pass on to new builders is to put off making the big decisions re engine/prop configuration and avionics until you have to act. Avionics especially because it is a moving target now for sure."

If the part doesn't look good, do it again
Dar Esh, RV-9A, Texas

"First I built a RV6 then a RV- 9A And now working on a RV-7A. Building an airplane teaches patience. If the part does not look good do it over."

Hang out with smart people
Pete Howell, RV-9A, St. Paul, Minn.

"I struggled for weeks to get the slider frame into alignment on the fuse. It simply would not fit! RV guru Alex Peterson told me we needed to cut and re-weld the back bows to change the geometry - I resisted for days, until it had defeated me. I finally gave in and cut the back bows. We took out 1/2 inch of material and refit the frame - perfect! Alex then came over and helped me weld it back together. In less than 3 hrs, it fit perfectly. Rule 1 - Hang out with smart people like AlexRule 2 - Don't resist - cut the bows. Your life will get better."

Curl up with a good (construction log) book
James Kleen, RV-8A, Savannah

When I think I'm getting closer to completion, something rears its ugly head and encumbers the entire process. it always seems like the actual flying is at some nebulous point in the distant future. This past friday, the DAR came for his first visit. We looked at paperwork for 6 hours. Good God!!! We never even went to the plane!! Will this never end?!?!?! Maybe someday. . . . when looking back at photos of wing construction or some other relic from months or years ago, it seems like it was just recently we were working on some tedious or unpleasant or difficult task. Now we're petitioning the FAA for COFA. So we have made progress, but when there is 99.5% of an airplane out at the airport, but you still can't fly it, it takes some determination to keep going and pay all the bills and do what the DAR wants and jump through the hoops and fill out all the forms. . . . it will end someday.

Turn down the air
Virgil Young, RV-7, North Little Rock, Ark.

Turn the pressure on the air compressor down so that you can pull the trigger on the rivet gun all the way and three taps will fully drive without overdriving the rivet. The hardest component was the windscreen and sliding canopy. My canopy frame from the factory lacked symmetry and had to be cut, spliced and welded.

Think small
Bill Brooks, RV-6A, Ottawa

At risk of angering the gods, that I am actually capable of building an airplane in my garage (I'm working on finishing kit of a very slow build).Best advice I heard, was treat it as a series of small projects, and keep at it, even if one can manage only a half hour out in the garage, better to do that and keep up the momentum.If one can do that, eventually one will run out of small projects to do, and have an airplane.Anyway, that is and remains the plan.

Better is the ultimate enemy of good enough
Paul Valovich, RV-8A, Ridgecrest, CA.

This response may be a bit unusual since I approach it not from an individual part / procedure standpoint, but from the big picture aspects of building an airplane.First, let me make my personal bias public: Building this airplane has been the most satisfying, most rewarding (and most frustrating) project I have ever undertaken. N192NM (from VA-192 in Airwing 19 (NM) on Tico and Oriskany)LuJaRo (3 grandsons - LUcas (10), JAcob (8), and RObby (4) - all of whom want to be pilots)has become a self-paced graduate course in business, manufacturing, financial, scheduling and personnel management. It has provided real-time experience in critical problem solving and responding under pressure (just finished the canopy - where a screw-up would be big $).

Every day it teaches the importance of thorough prior planning and prioritization. On too many occasions it has produced a "What in the hell was I thinking?" outcome. I have learned from all of the above - sometimes with pleasure, other times with pain. But the important thing is as the project has progressed, repeat errors are rare. And the skill level in most of the building disciplines has noticeably increased - although I'll never claim to be an ace of the base for soldering or painting.While I am old enough (65) to have had sufficient money saved for the project, I am not independently wealthy, so the big bucks component and tool decisions have required careful analysis.Not the expense - but the huge numbers of alternatives available - has been the driver in panel design.

It required a real systems engineering approach, starting with an honest, realistic requirements analysis. A real life lesson in the fact that better is the ultimate enemy of good enough.Although I haven't flown yet, the anticipation of a lot of flight time has caused me to review the operational aspects - CG, useful load, fuel, weather, terrain, emergency procedures - normal procedures and currency. Finally, it has taught that a ready, fire, aim approach will not work - and probably get me killed.

A little every day
Chad Jensen, RV-7, Normal, Il.

The most profound tip for me in my build is something that is so commonplace among "tip givers" in this hobby: ."Do SOMETHING every day." That's it. Something...anything! Deburr a part, fasten something, READ about a part that is troubling you. Anything to keep your mind on the project is key.

It's been something that I've adhered to from the beginning, and I can honestly say that it's the single most influential piece of advise that will see this project to fruition. I don't physically work on the airplane every day, but as long as I keep my mind on some aspect of the project at some point during each day, I stay motivated. Keeping in touch with other builders via the forums, email, or local visits has been a great comfort in knowing that all builders are going through the same challenges as you. Yep, they've all been there, done that. You will too, and you will succeed! That's what I keep telling myself.

Subkit by subkit
Larry Greeno, RV-6A, Rochester, NY

My RV-6A was completed and had its first flight in June 2002, after 6.5 yrs. and almost 4K hrs. of mostly enjoyable construction (slow build version). Now, after 6 years of flying N446A, looking back, the most valuable over-all lesson was that of a piece of advice given me early on in the project. It was this. Starting with the tail kit, mentally establish that sub-kit as your project and your goal. Once completed successfully, congratulate yourself and decide if you want to start the next sub-project (ex.: wing kit). Accomplish that, and tell yourself; "well done." And so forth through the process of construction. Eventually you will have your completed airplane. Of course, within each 'sub-project' will be micro-projects (inventory of parts, trim tab, fuel tanks, etc.), and the same mindset applies. I found this advice key to my over-all mental outlook throughout those construction years. The over-all project was a very satisfying, rewarding experience. What is more, that same philosophical approach has been applicable and a valuable resource in tackling other challenges in respect to my day job, etc. Break your 'build an airplane' project down into achievable sub-projects, and go at it.

Make a friend
Alex Peterson, RV-6A, Maple Grove, Minn.

What I learned while building was how amazing most people involved in this movement truly are. There are people from all walks, professions, backgrounds, incomes, etc., yet none of that matters to this group. Instead, we all share something special, something that only about 30,000 people out of 6 billion (or whatever the world's population currently is) have done. The RV community is even smaller than that. I gradually but surely transformed my group of friends to those with this common interest/passion/disease. Not sure what the word is...Slider canopy wasn't exactly fun. I dealt with it by frequently walking away.

Ask questions
Kevin and Sandy Faris, RV-7, Plattsmouth, Nebraska

I have always been pretty good with all things mechanical and professionally I am an electronics technician. None of those things prepared me for building an RV. Many, many times I got bogged-down in trying to figure out what Van's prints and sparse text instructions were trying to say.Now that I have been flying the RV for nearly a year those problems seem trivial. At the time however, I obsessed over many little things. As I progressed so did my confidence in my ability to finish an airplane.

My best advice for anyone building is to ask someone who has done it. Pictures help, but you can't beat a face to face meeting. If that person has a finished RV to show you, so much the better.The other thing I would like to say is to be very careful with advice you find on the Internet unless you are sure of the veracity of the author. I have seen a lot of advice that makes me cringe when I read it. Take the time to research the basics when it comes to fuel systems, pitot-static systems, instrumentation, and engine plumbing. Vans has done a good job of designing a sturdy airframe with excess strength to allow for slight mistakes in building. It is the systems and any deviation from standard practices that could ruin your day.

Learn the standard practices used in the industry and try to adhere to them as close as possible.My biggest problem was, and still is fiberglass. I can do the work, but I just can't make it look pretty without a lot of excess filling and sanding. A few of my fellow EAA members make it look so easy. I have the same issue when I tried doing drywall in my basement.Anyway, whatever you are building my advice is to stubbornly keep working on it and one day it will be finished.

It's not a race
Dan Schultz, RV-7, Katy, TX.

I have only "just started" as I am 5 months into my empennage which is about 75% finished. So far the one thing that most sticks out for me is to know that building is an art and not a race. I find when I rush to complete a task something gets left out. I have learned the fine art of rivet removal because of my rushing to finish. So advice for others that may be thinking about starting or have already started, take your time, double/triple check your work before you button it up. Otherwise, you to will become a proficient rivet remover.

Call Van's first
Terry Ruprecht, RV-9A, Mahomet, IL.

When you have major questions, concerns, or doubts; call Van's first. Yes, sometimes you can find help at VAF or another RVer's site, but many times you'll encounter enough conflicting opinions to either give you heart failure or cause you to tear your hair out. Certainly the fellow builders posting opinions or information on the various forums are well intentioned ... no question about that ... but their experience base, knowledge of the subject, and overall skillset vary widely. What may have been a great solution for builder A may lead to nothing but trouble for builder B. Some are also HUGEly opinionated and not inclined to listen to solutions or alternatives other than their own. OTOH, the guys at Vans, for the most part, have heard it all. For every builder out there who's talked to three or four other builders about Problem 6f, the guys at Vans have dealt with the same issue 100 times. I have always found them calm, cool, realistic, and very helpful.

Set realistic time/money expectations
Bill Cloughley, RV-7, Maryland

My thoughts on building an RV, now that I'm close to finishing:It took way longer and way more money than I had expected. I thought it would take 2 ½ years – it took almost five. One reason it took so long is that I started from scratch, knowing very little about building a metal airplane. I did not have any experienced RV builders close by to help me. By my standards I worked hard on it – never taking an extended break. But what I thought was good – 40 hours a month – really wasn’t very good.

My strongest advice would be this: if you are serious about building the plane in 3 years or so, you need to put at least 80 hours per month on it. Easy to say, but hard to do. That kind of time requires a couple of hours a night, and most of the weekend. It means you can have no other hobbies, including flying a plane you might already have. It means giving up TV. For years.

Realize that taking a few days off will destroy your momentum. Doing something – anything – on the project every single day helps. Many nights you really don’t want to work on the project; but if you can just get started -- even if it's just cleaning up the shop -- then the next thing you know you are into it and two hours have gone by.Understand that if you customize your RV or epoxy prime everything, it will take you longer to finish. Watch your money. Especially in the beginning, it's tempting to buy every gadget there is. You will get tired of spending money late in the project when the big bills arrive: engine, prop, avionics, state tax, insurance, transition training. Do you really need an IFR capable airplane? Do you really need double or triple redundancy on everything? Don’t feel compelled to upgrade every component: air vents, oil cooler, Lord mounts, cowl, etc. Thousands are flying just fine with the Van’s supplied components.

Do buy tools like a band saw that will save significant time. A pneumatic squeezer won't save significantly more time than a Cleaveland Main Squeezer. But I would buy the titanium bucking bar if I built another RV. Realize that some of the big time consumers have nothing to do with tools. You'll spend countless hours staring at the project, instructions and drawings or searching the forums, trying to figure out how to do something, or searching for a tool or part. Spend time organizing your rivets, hardware and parts and cleaning up your workshop. You’ll spend hours and hours looking for things if you don’t. Spend time setting up your workshop so it is well lit, with plenty of flat surfaces, and lots of electrical outlets.

Buy a big, quiet compressor. Spend some time every day following the RV forums and looking at other builder websites. At first it will seem overwhelming. But gradually you learn.The hardest part is just getting started on a system or component. It’s new and you’ve never done it before. You're not sure if you can do it. But once you start, no matter how intimidating the system is, you find that it’s not so bad and isn’t anything you can’t handle. Don’t make a web log. (I am guilty of this, that's how I know) Spend that time building. There are already many, many web logs out there. And no one will ever do one better than Dan Checkoway's. It’s an online instruction manual.Join the local EAA Chapter. Go to fly-ins. Visit local airports where there are RVs. The idea is to get to know the RV community in your area. This can be a great resource -- to see examples, get advice, borrow one-time use tools -- throughout the project. The biggest thing I learned on this project is how much one can achieve through sheer perseverance and time. There was no particular system or component that was the hardest. They were all challenging, but they are all overcome in the end.

THOUGHTS ON THE HARDEST PART

We not only asked for particular advice, we asked what segment of building an RV our builders found to be the most difficult, and how they approached that particular part.

Sand until you drop
Dale Field, RV-6A, St. Cloud, Minn

Tipsy with tip-ups
Chad Jensen

I'd have to say it was the entire process of building a tip up canopy. No, NOT cutting the canopy (yes, that was nerve-wracking, but not hard), just the process from starting the frame-work to finishing the fairing. It's just a LOT of work, and it took more than four months of working 10 hours a week on it to get to the point of being ready for finish filler on the fairing (which isn't done yet). While it's not done, but it's put away for now while I work on firewall forward stuff. The canopy, whether slider or tip up, is a challenge, time consuming, and often times extremely frustrating. It's just another part that has to be completed in order to have a functioning flying machine at the end...

The trim tab and its friends
Zack Spivey, RV-8A, Ruston, La.

The question as to the hardest part of the RV to complete is difficult to answer. I found several difficult areas. I tried 3 times to get the trim tab right and failed each time. Finally, I had a friend make it for me. The fuel tanks were a challenge. Fitting the z-brackets to the wing spar using the method suggested by Van's was impossible. Using Dan Checkoway's method solved the problem Fitting the cowling and the canopy was very difficult. Repetitive "cut and fit" was the solution.Checkoway's web site has so many tips; I do not believe I could have finished the plane without his website.

The edge-distance thing
Steve Anderson, RV-7A, Lafayette, LA.

I replaced my rear spar in my wing as it was within the 5/8 inch call out. I knew that Van's usually is somewhat forgiving on a 1/32 of an inch clearance but in this case, its 5/8 in or replace it. I drilled out about 120 rivets to get off the bottom skin on the wing. You get better at drilling out those suckers as time goes on. I drilled out the larger rivets on the rear spar doubler and rear spar plate. Van's sent me the replacement parts in about two weeks which was perfect as I had the old parts off when the new parts arrived. Replacing the wing rear spar is not for sissies, but I am glad I did it. Like with all things associated with the greatest kit plane on earth, its the little things that make it all worthwhile. I know my plane isn't perfect but if I did not replace the spar, it would have bugged me not doing it. Crazy but true.I learned the technique from this Web site. Thanks guys. (Ed note: See more on this.)

Elevator Bends
Dan Schultz

So far the hardest component for me has been getting the elevator bends and the trim tab bend to the "correct" thinness. The various forums I researched indicated a radius mentioned in the plans or in the builders guide, but none existed in my plans. So, after talking to Van's tech support, with no cut and dry guidance that I was looking for, I decided to wing it. After I made my bends, I contacted a EAA Technical Counselor from my local EAA Chapter for a review of my work. Well, he gave me the vote of confidence I was looking for, "if the rest of your work is the same as what you have here, you are going to have a well-built and safe airplane". Builders need to have someone that they can talk with about the issues they are or perceived to be having. Perfection is a goal not an absolute. Just build it to fly safely and understand it is "your" airplane. Hand built by you, with what you want in it, placed where you feel makes the most sense to you. Fear nothing and build on.

More canopy
Dave Hull, RV-7A, Portage, MI.

Bending the frame was very frustrating. It took me a while to figure out, for example, that I needed to bend the aft curved portion of the frame forward and aft to get the frame to move in and out. Calendar wise, it probably took a month to fit the canopy frame and that's because I would get frustrated after bending for 30 minutes w/ little or no progress so I would put it down and work on something else.Getting the canopy fairings to fit as close as I thought they should took several attempts and many weeks. I had some luck with the aft fairings by stapling a towel to a wooden sawhorse and drawing the partially trimmed fairing "aggressively" over the sawhorse. It should be drawn (pulled) at an angle so a twist is put in the fairing. When you're done bending it, the fairing should rest in place with no pressure.