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So I am basically at the point where you join the wings. For those of you that are flying, how long was it from that point to first flight?

Spike

about a 1.5yrs....I think. but should have been less

2.5 years for me.

7 months for the Coyote.
1.5 years for the RV-4.

Just short of a year. Its one of those "90% done, 90% to go" thangs......

About a year. Better work fast, while your little girl moves really slow:-). Once she starts moving on her own, you will be real busy

Two years, eleven months for me! Wings fit August 2007, first flight July 2010.

Thanx guys. Interesting how this is all over the map

I was just wondering this myself.
I dusted off my wings this weekend in preparation for mounting them to the fuselage. Spent a couple of hours moving stuff around in the garage and also did some initial alignments on the aileron push rods and pitot tubing. My son is home for spring break, so I plan on getting him to help me to rivet the bottom skins on first. As soon as the finish kit shows up, I'll mount the wings (need the wing root gap seals).
From here on out it will be up to my budget to dictate the pace of progress. I'm sure if I had the engine and avionics in hand it would go fairly quick. So much to buy, so little money to spend!

For me it was about 31/2 years. I mounted the engine and then I could put on the nose wheel. My work shop is 13'X24' and is in our back yard. I had to be able to move the fuselage with the nose wheel on it for a 6A. For a tail wheel airplane that shouldn't be a factor. I mounted the engine in 12/11/05 and first flight was 5/9/09. It was certified on 12/18/08 but the test pilot I used was not available until it was 80 Degrees F here in Minnesota. He preferred to remain in Florida until ten. He is really a smart guy I was in Florida for two weeks this Winter and was dumb enough to come home 1/11/11!

I put my wings on at the end of August & early Sept., about 6-1/2 months ago. My finish kit will be ready for me to pick up about April 1st. As I look at the steep uphill climb ahead of me, financially speaking that is, I'm realizing that a lot of it might have to do with money issues, rather than with the time it takes to wrap it all up with the plane. If I had my engine, instruments, prop, interior package and all sitting here in inventory, I know I'd be finished months ahead of where I'll probably actually finish this thing.

I would wait until the last possible moment to mount your wings. Or if you do mount them, take them back off until final assembly. You'll add miles to your walk around the airplane while you're building. Unless, you want to walk more.

Agree with Scott. In my case, mounting the wings meant relocating the project out to the airport, a 20min drive away. That meant the quick trips out to the garage to work for an hour were over. Slowed the build process way down when 782P wasn't a few steps away.

I took mine off right away too, It seemed to work better, less to work around.

Hey, I am in the same place as you. Next step is to mount the wings, but I am going to skip that step at least for now. My finish kit will be here in April/May and I want to get to the canopy during the summer months. I have been on the project for 2 years now and am planning for about 2 more before completion. Maybe sooner? We'll see.

http://www.704ch.com[/url]

704CH wrote:Hey, I am in the same place as you. Next step is to mount the wings, but I am going to skip that step at least for now. My finish kit will be here in April/May and I want to get to the canopy during the summer months. I have been on the project for 2 years now and am planning for about 2 more before completion. Maybe sooner? We'll see.

http://www.704ch.com[/url]

For me, Mounting the wings, setting sweep and incidence, drilling "The Hole" and then rigging the ailerons and flaps took me about 1 month at most. If you start now, you could probably have them done and removed and still have plenty of warm weather to do the canopy.

I didn't have my wings on for vary long either, Just a couple of weeks.

Good points.. I also think I can fit both wings on the fuse in my garage with no problems which improves the incidence process I am sure... Mainly right now I just am cramming on some other items before my finish kit gets here that will probably take me the entire time.. Plus in Seattle there is only a few key months of warm weather to be cutting on the canopy and I want to make sure I hit them.. I will most likely mount the wings and the Emp right after the Canopy while the fuse is still on the stand and level etc. I haven't been as good as I should reading forward as I should.. Right now where I am in the build there are many different directions that it seems you can go.