May I introduce myself - and solicit advice?

[harries1]

Hello,

My name is Steve Harries and I have just joined the LAA. I have taken early retirement, have time on my hands and have long harbored an ambition to build my own aircraft. The aircraft in question is likely an RV9 or 9A. I haven't flown for about 10 years (usual excuses of workload and family) so I am currently not circulating in any aviation community. I live near Horsham in West Sussex and am keen to seek advice from the wider LAA community.

My impression is that to succeed in a homebuilt project one should ideally build at an airfield where likeminded people are on hand to offer advice/constructive criticism. My home environment will not be conducive to building in the house and no garden in which to erect a shed!

I assume the closer the build location to home the better?

Is it also best to build with a partner to bounce ideas off one another?

Is there anyone in the Horsham area currently building or who has already built?

Any advice or comments on how best to start this journey greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Steve

[Frank Parker]

The late John Taylor built his first design in a second floor apartment I believe. And my Turb was built at times on the dining room table and in the garage! Not many people that I know had the good fortune to be able to build in a hangar on an airfield, so just go ahead and make a start on some small components such as the tail feathers and see how it goes.

[mikehallam]

There are several airstrips near Horsham,

I'm located at one, but most builders say they get more done if the kit is assembled at home.

mike hallam.

[Chris Martyr]

Afternoon Steve,
Welcome to this forum . Although I do have to say ; never go on a forum to ask which type of aeroplane you should build , you'll end up a confused chappie !
But it looks like you may be hankering for an RV by the looks of it . There are two RV6's at my strip and I can tell you that's a good choice. If you are fortunate enough to be able to finance it all yourself then all the better.
Your Questions :
Once you have made the BIG decision [which one] then as Frank says, start it at home. Things like ailerons, rudder ,elevator ,fin etc etc. Once you start to make inroads into it all then start looking for hangarage. I kid you not ! That is the most scarce of all commodities , and by then ,you will probably have a whole army of new chums from the RV world dishing you out advice as well.

If you're going to build with a partner, make sure it's someone compatible and genuinely has something to offer the project ,not just someone who is after a short cut to a slice of the action [they're around ,believe me] and the best person to bounce ideas with is your Inspector. He's the bloke who's going to be your best friend for the next 5 years or so. Whatever you do , don't take something your Inspector has said and then bounce it off to others , or worse still, a forum .

Is there anyone in the Horsham area What , you mean building the airline pilots favourite aircraft ? Probably one in the same bloody road mate !

Only advice is , just make the decision ...and then deploy the Nike slogan. If you do opt for an RV, then join the RV community first , because you will need some metal bashing tools and those lovely RV guys can probably point you in the right direction there as well and show you how to use them.

I can't answer any in-depth questions re; RV's as I don't fly one. Oh and when I say your Inspector's going to be your best mate for the next 5 years,,,,,,,,I meant at least the next 5 years.

Good Luck Mate, Don't forget the progress reports.

[ColinC]

Hi,

A couple of first steps; get to the local Strut meetings and get introduced to the local LAA community, try and find local RV owner/builders (G-INFO will help find them), also investigate local LAA inspectors. I'd venture to suggest that getting the right inspector on board is one of the most significant factors.

Regards,

Colin

Ps Welcome to the LAA!

[Chris Martyr]

most builders say they get more done if the kit is assembled at home.

mike hallam.

Wise words indeed Mike. Building at an airfield will only bring you unnecessary interruptions .

This delightful young chap where I fly from has just finished his RV6 and boy what a superb job he has made of it. But he was ALWAYS being interrupted...................By me mostly

[P5151]

Hi

Having built two RV's a 4 and a 9a, my advice would be to opt for the quick build. They are very good build quality and you will have a much better chance of finishing and flying the aircraft. They are also good value for the work done. its best to have someone to build with you as it's almost impossible to hit and Buck rivets at the same time without 6 foot long arms. Advertise on Afors for a build partner.

[JonEdmunds]

Hi,

This turned into a longer post than originally expected.

All of the above is good advice.

I had only considered building in passing and thought it would be impossible for me, then I visited the LAA rally and when I came back I ordered a kit.

The VANs support and kit quality seem to be one of the best around so they are a good choice. The RV-9 is a popular and a very good aircraft, the other comparable ones would be the 7 (I believe slightly less space/carrying capacity) or the 14 (bigger, more capacity, more expensive) but unless you want to go upside down, The 9 is an ideal choice.
I chose the 12 due to space issues and it being a mainly single person build, so far no builder help has been required other than moving the bigger pieces around and I've completed the wings and empennage. The 9 will need help at times though, wife, kids, friendly neighbour can work if they can be persuade to give up their time.

I'd highly recommend the LAA working with aluminium course as it is a great confidence builder and teaches you things you might otherwise not know (like not using a pencil to mark lines as it can cause issues in years to come).

An inspector is worth finding early and can answer all questions you may have.

The main thing with building is to be close to it, it is more important than anything else if you want to progress (just nipping in the garage to check something happens a lot for me).
On the other hand if you are retired and will be spending days building (rather than a couple hours each night after work) then a short drive probably isn't so bad.
Hangars can be a bit pricey (as the space is at a premium), so maybe consider renting a garage closer to home for the majority of the build and moving to the airport towards the end.

For lots of info I'd highly recommend joining the following
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/index.php the holy grail of RV information and it is really an essential place for when that part just doesn't seem to fit.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/rvsqn/info the uk's mailing list that is incredibly useful for RV uk questions.

Some of the early things to look at when starting out (that I hadn't considered)
Get an 'end user number' from the tax man as parts ordered from the USA are duty free (just import duty sadly) so it will save some money on the purchase (examples and posts have been made on the rvsqn mailing list above).
Be prepared for some delivery costs that make the eyes water when you first see them, you will realise why it is so much when you see the first box turn up

Read the plans, then read them again, then one last time. Then trial fit as much as possible before cutting/riveting etc. once you get used to the plans and way of doing things it is much easier. If something doesn't fit or feel right, stop, go to bed, and start again tomorrow as it is almost always a misunderstanding ... guess how I know that one

Be carefully of setting up an aircraft factory with lots of expensive tools that feel like a must have, a lot of the expensive tools are one off uses that can be hired/borrowed when needed. Avery in the us does a builders starters kit with most of the essentials in it (others do them as well) but there are other things you will need on top. The vansairforce forum above is the place to see what people used when building a 9.

Buy the plans CD tomorrow (only ~$10 from VANS website), you can look at what is needed (the RV-12 ones including recommended tools and tips on how to deburr items etc), when building it also allows you to zoom in on parts that might otherwise be hard to see on the paper plans that come with the kit. https://www.vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/st ... t=cd_plans

If you are like me, tonight as an example, then expect to spend as much time on the web as building. A phone/laptop with internet access to the forums in the build area is a great help.

The LAA rally is just over a month away and will be filled with people to talk to and RV-9's to look at so it is highly recommended. http://www.lightaircraftassociation.co. ... y2016.html

[mike newall]

We have a great head start available !

9 empennage completed and signed off

9 wings (slow build) completed to skinning, signed off to date.

All parts internally primed.

Drop me a line for details.

[B Davies]

Steve,

Welcome to the LAA world. You will already have seen that our community is ready and willing to give advice. I live on the outskirts of Horsham and you are welcome to pop round for a cup of coffee/tea and a chat. You can contact me through my LAA e-mail address brian.davies at laa dot uk dot com.

Best regards

Brian Davies
Chairman LAA

[Graham Clark]

Before you make the decision, do a reality check on your build facilities. You will progress much more rapidly if you can build at home. Time taken for a first-timer? Ask those who have done it, without prior experience. 1,000 hours? +/- 500 hr? RV Builders please comment.
My main advice: go to the LAA Rally and talk one-on-one with RV builders. Ask them for their experience. How much time did they need to build? What facilities did they have at their disposal? Did they have to rent a workshop? How much?
Do a cost calculation. How much will it cost at the present rate of exchange (a) for the airrfame kit, (b) engine and prop (c) instruments and avionics (d) decent paint job.
Then, bearing in mind that there are now lots of RVs flying in the UK, I think you will find that the secondhand market value is not far from a + b + c + d.
Devil's advocate: satisfying to build. But do you wanna build, or fly?