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1. Empennage Article Count: 65
Just like almost 99% of the Van's builders, I will start my project by ordering the Empennage kit.
It is the most in-expensive part of the plane to start on. In other words, if you f*ck up, it not that expensive to start over... at least, that's the idea.
Clicking the empennage sub sections on the left side menu will only display articles related to that section.
Below is a list of all articles in the empennage building process listed chronologically per subsection as I wrote them.
1.1 Horizontal Stabilo Article Count: 20
1.3. Rudder Article Count: 15
1.2. Vertical Stabilo Article Count: 6
1.4. Elevators Article Count: 23
1.5. Inspection Article Count: 1
2. Wing Article Count: 122
The wing kit is the second major step in the build project. I started wing work 1st of September 2011 and finalised it end of December 2012.
Clicking the wing sub sections on the left side menu will only display articles related to that section.
Below is a list of all articles in the wing building process listed chronologically per subsection as I wrote them.
2.1. Intro Article Count: 1
2.3. Main Spar Article Count: 4
2.4. Main Wings Article Count: 40
2.6. Ailerons Article Count: 7
2.7. Flaps Article Count: 4
2.5. Fuel Tanks Article Count: 24
2.2. Jigs Article Count: 4
2.8. Closing skins Article Count: 22
2.9. Wing mating Article Count: 15
3. Fuselage Article Count: 220
The third step in the project is the fuselage kit. By the time you get to this point, the plans are still as detailed, but the detailed description and instructions in the manual get more and more high level and undetailed.
Vans assumes that by now, you are able to figure out things by yourself as you have been doing a lot of this stuff before. In many cases, this is not such a big deal. However, there are some occasions where you have to think things through before actually getting the hands on. Be alert and think twice before doing something when you work on the fuselage kit.
I ordered my fuselage kit at the same time as the wing kit to save on the shipping cost and started fuselage construction on the 1st of January 2013.
Clicking the fuselage sub sections on the left side menu will only display articles related to the selected subsection section.
Below is a list of all articles in the fuselage building process listed chronologically per subsection as I wrote them.
3.1. Firewall Article Count: 11
Articles that cover the construction process of the firewall and all angles and stiffeners that make up the firewall structure.
3.2. F-704 bulkhead Article Count: 5
3.3. F-705 bulkhead Article Count: 5
3.6. Longerons Article Count: 7
This category contains all articles in relation to bending and manipulation of the longerons.
3.4. F-706 bulkhead Article Count: 1
3.5. Tail bulkheads Article Count: 7
Articles cover the construction process of the bulkheads at the aft end of the fuselage.
3.7. Tail Assembly Article Count: 10
3.8. Center Fuselage Article Count: 15
3.9. Forward and Center fuselage Article Count: 79
3.9b. Top Fuselage Article Count: 28
3.10. Baggage and seats area Article Count: 19
3.11. Empennage mounting Article Count: 17
3.12. Systems Article Count: 16
6. Firewall Forward Article Count: 118
No work on the firewall forward started yet.
For now I'm planning on a full acrobatic RV-7 with:
The specs can be found here.
Fixed pitch catto 3 blade prop
inverted oil system, christen system.
fuel injection
6.1. Firewall FFW Article Count: 16
6.2 Engine Hanging Article Count: 5
6.3 Vetterman Exhaust System Article Count: 4
6.4 Engine baffling / cooling air Article Count: 5
6.5 B&C Alternator LX60 install Article Count: 2
6.6 B&C Starter engine install Article Count: 1
6.7 Oil System Article Count: 6
6.8 Fuel system Article Count: 3
6.9 Various other systems Article Count: 6
6.10 Sam James Cowling Article Count: 46
6.11 Catto 3 Blade Propellor Article Count: 1
6.12 Bill Lane Plenum Article Count: 23
Articles related to the installation of the Bill Lane Plenum.
4. Finishing Kit Article Count: 154
My finishing kit will be for an RV-7, so the landing gear will be mounted to the motor mount instead of connect to the F-704 main bulkhead.
I ordered the sliding canopy instead of the tip-up canopy. A tip up canopy offers a wider view area and gives a more 'open' feeling while in the air but I consider safety as an important factor.
If you ever land on your back, the chances of being able to open a tip up canopy in case of fire escape after an accident is almost zero chance. In a slider, you may have more luck in being able to escape.
I'm willing to sacrifice beauty for increased safety. I'm sure many people have a different opinion on this but better safe then sorry while being fried on a barbeque.
4.3. Slider Canopy Article Count: 67
4.2. Engine mount Article Count: 1
4.6. Wing tips Article Count: 5
4.4. Landing gear Article Count: 22
4.5. Fairings Article Count: 37
4.1. Various Finishing tasks Article Count: 21
4.7 Seats and upholstry (interior) Article Count: 1
5. Instruments / Electrics Article Count: 86
The instruments and electrical pages describe my efforts to install all components that are involved in the electrical system.
The airplane will have a 12Volt electrical system which is supported by an Odyssey PC680 Extreme Gel Battery. This battery is well known in vans aircraft planes and is also popular with race cars.
The heart of the instrument panel is the Dynon Avionics HDX1100 system. Next to the main screen, I will install the autopilot sub panel, the SV2 intercom and the knob control panel
The radio will be Dynon 8.33 com radio with vertical panel and the transponder will be a TRIG TT22 mode S.
Two backup analog instruments will be installed : the speed indicator and altimeter.
The panel will also include a CO Guardian CO detection unit.
The throttle and mixture are controlled by an aftermarket throttle quadrant.
The lightning of the aircraft includes 2 Aeroled Pulsar navlights and a suntail light as well as the Aerosun VX Landing and taxi lights.
5.1. Planning electrical / instruments Article Count: 11
Sub section where I will record my ideas on instrument panel and electric system planning.
5.2. Electrical components FFW Article Count: 7
5.3. Systems Article Count: 34
All article related to electrical systems other than the EFIS system
5.4. EFIS system Dynon Article Count: 20
All articles related to Dynon Efis system installation
5.5. Aircraft Lights Article Count: 13
Planning to build Article Count: 3
Planning To Build Article Count: 3
7. Painting Article Count: 6
Painting has been one of those topics you tend to "not think about" as it's too far away, too much still to do.
Many builders have told me to start early with painting parts. It saves time in the final process if all those small parts and finished parts are already done.
I gave this a lot of thought. On one hand it increases the risk of scratching or damaging finished paint if you do it long time ahead. On the other the advantage of having real finished parts in your shop is really satisfying.
As everything during the build, the painting job requires decisions, decisions and more decisions. Most important is the paint scheme.
My stepdaughters husband is a professional painter in a paint shop near my town. It's without doubt that I will ask him to paint my airplane. They are painting spare parts for Lamborghini in their shop so I assume that kind of quality will be sufficient for my airplane :).
I am planning to keep the complexity of my paint scheme simple and go with the base colors red, white and grey.
7.1 Planning paintscheme Article Count: 3
7.2 Painting Article Count: 3
These articles document the painting process.