First Flight

Doakes · Post by **Doakes** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:52 pm

I have the RV Grinn!!!!! March 22, 2013 1:40 P.M.
http://s1283.photobucket.com/user/Davoa ... d.jpg.html

painless · Post by **painless** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:08 pm

Congrats!!!

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:21 pm

Congrats! Great job!

Post by **Spike** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:34 am

Boy is that cool! So how does it feel?

Nice job:

John

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:51 pm

Congratulations. Fly the wheels off of it!

simatos · Post by **simatos** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:42 pm

Wow Thats exciting, Great looking machine.....enjoy

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:58 pm

Dave, That is great!

Tell me, how did you like painting before first flight. I am doing the same.

Aside from the obvious stuff like you gotta be careful not to screw up the paint... how did it work out? Many blemishes during the assembly or was it painted right at the airport?

Tell me how it went.

CJ

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:23 pm

Captain John, I had my RV-6A N 784TB painted in sections before I took it to the airport. First I had the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and elevators painted and then took them to the airport. They were all white. Then I had the fuselage, cowl, spinner Vertical stabilizer and rudder painted. The rest was all painted red. I had a white vinyl stripe made to run down each side of the fuselage with the N number cut in it. Due to lack of money I didn't have the wing tips, wheel pants and gear leg fairings a year later. These were also red. I also put Whelen position lights, strobes etc put in the wing tips the next spring. You have to be careful during assembly but it was not a big problem. We had some old blankets that we covered the wings with to protect them while doing assembly. You could also lay light tools etc on them that way.

Joe Parish · Post by **Joe Parish** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:24 pm

Congrats on the new Grin. May it last for years!

hydroguy2 · Post by **hydroguy2** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:39 pm

Nce pic, congrats.

I like the paint before fly route. I thought it made that first flight a little more special.

CJ, be careful and all should be fine. I took my parts from the house to the paint booth, then to the hangar. Wings were done 3+months before the fuselage. I didn't scratch anything during my final assembly, 2 years later it still is doing great. I even had to squeeze an aileron ( already painted) it was so slight it never cracked or scuffed the paint.

Doakes · Post by **Doakes** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:52 pm

Capt. John and All,
Thanks for the words of congrats.
I did paint it in my paint booth I made in my barn. I would do it the same if I built another. To say that the paint is perfect would be a stretch. But I really did not scratch it during the assembly, the parts are light weight and easily moved. Except for the fuselage. The wings are not heavy either.
I took the fuselage with the engine to the airport and ask a friend IA Dan Catherman to watch over my final assembly of the engine. I have a 1000' strip at home, but the idea of first flight at home was not smart I thought. So I hauled the wings and tail pieces to the airport. I did the final assembly and the late John Marshall helped install the wings.
The first flight went well and I got another 1.5 hr the next day.
Thanks to all of you for your help when I had questions.
I hope to see meet you all in the near future.
Dave

RivetBangers.com

First Flight

First Flight

First flight