I've decided to undertake the construction of an airplane! Specifically, I hope to complete a Van's RV-8. The RV-8 is a low wing, tandem 2 place aluminum aircraft noted for durability, excellent handling qualities and old fashioned fun! This blog is intended to allow friends and family to track my progress. The blog is for entertainment purposes only! It is not intended to offer advice or serve as a guide to construction. With that said, I hope you'll enjoy following my construction journey.
About Me
- RV-8 Builder
- I'm a "still-working" professional who has been blessed with a wonderful, supportive wife, great kids (now grown) and a fulfilling career. I love spending time with my spouse, family and friends, and enjoy "hands-on" recreational projects. I've been enamored with aviation since my "Sky King" Saturday mornings of decades past. I obtained my private ticket while still in my teens, and have enthusiastically participated in a variety of aviation related endeavors since. I currently fly a factory-built composite single engine aircraft. However, the actual "nuts and bolts" of aviation have always fascinated me. I've considered building my own plane for years, With the support of my wife, I'm undertaking what I anticipate to be a multi-year project. While I'm reasonably good with my hands, I realize that this project is going to require a whole new knowledge and skill set. I've never "blogged", but figure that trying to master this communication medium will carry its own challenges and rewards. I enjoy journeys as much as destinations, and have no goals for this project other than fun! Hope I can share some of my enthusiasm with you!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Something that looks like it could fly!
Finished drilling and deburring the skeleton, removed the "blue stuff" from the skin (used the blunt tip of a hot soldering iron to heat lines along the blue film on the exterior surface and just removed the area adjacent to the rivet holes; I'll leave the rest on as long as possible to protect the surface), then attached the skin to the left empenage skeleton with clecos and - behold!- an airfoil (more precisely 1/2 of a horizontal stabilizer to be). Maybe a little "draggy" with all the clecos , but its looking promising!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Progress!
Started empenage. Completed basic fore and aft spars, then pulled it all together with ribs and clecos, just to give me the sense of an 'airplane' part. Very gratifying! Hope to finish deburring, priming this week, then some riveting!! My engineer son Chris was in for a weekend visit, and I think even he was impressed!!
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