One year status report

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:11 pm

Well kind of anyway. I had the empennage unpacked and inventoried a little earlier but one year ago today I riveted my first assembly together. I’m sure everyone will recognize this one. I riveted it together 10/07/05.

This morning I finished riveting the bottom skin on the second wing and now have both wings done to the point of just needing to put the nut plates on for the inspection plates. I have the left wing in the cradle and the right one will be there alongside it shortly. My goal when I started was to have the empennage and wings done at the one year mark and I verily made it.

When I logged my time this morning it totaled 500.1 hours. The first year of building has been very rewarding and I have learned a lot. It was a good project for Luke and I to work on his last year here at home before college and provided good experiences that we shared together.

My fuselage kit is on hand and inventoried and I have a little done on the firewall. I am looking forward to the next year of building and the challenges it brings with it.

The main reason for this post is to say thank you to everyone that participates on this board and/or has a web site that I have used as a part of the building process. The information available is invaluable when a question arises. The group of builders and those people who are already flying that I have met in person are great people and I am happy to be involved with such a group. Meeting for a night out at Osh was great and I really enjoyed meeting everyone that was there. I look forward to another chance to get together with the Rivetbangers crew.

Thanks to you John and Patti for making this resource available. It is one of the best tools I have! (Also my favorite tool.)

I’ll post some photos sometime this week. Right now I’m going to take my wife out to dinner and celebrate!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:52 pm

Only one year from empenage to fuselage?! That sounds like great progress. I can't wait to dive in to the 7 kit in earnest! Way to go!

Oh, and I've been meaning to tell you I really like the scripture in your sig on the "other" forum. Way to witess brother!

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:56 pm

John, that is just great!!

I feel the same way as you about the websites and more specifically Rivetbangers. This is my online home, and it's been the biggest aid in my build, HANDS DOWN! Better, and more friendly than the "other" site.

Keep up the great progress on that fuselage!!!

Enjoy that dinner with your wife! Brit and I had a great night out last night, and there is nothing better than that, not even building or flying airplanes!!

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 1:52 pm

John, that is absolutely TREMENDOUS progress!

You and Rudi are running neck and neck for the fastest build times!

Keep up the good work!

CJ

dons · Post by **dons** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:02 pm

Congrats John! That is very good progress

. While I can relate more to the original picture than what you are working on now, I have to agree it is the vast amount of information made available by those that have gone before us and those currently building that remove so much potential frustration from the process. It is very gratifying to see how many people of like interests are so willing to share what they have learned and take the time to explain it to those starting out. There is no way I would have made as much progess as I have without this library of knowledge. The internet has made it easier for us all to share this interest and knowledge, but it is places like this that someone has to have the willingness to setup and maintain that makes it all work. Thanks to "Spike" and "Cyphergirl" for this place to share information and for us to meet, I suspect they will never really know just how much of a positive influence it has had, but I'm sure thankful it exists.

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:26 am

John, congradulations on your progress! You are really truckin along

allbee · Post by **allbee** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:41 am

John,
It's great to see somebody with results, and has stayed on task and to his schedule. Myself I did the emp in 20 days, then I let it set for 2 years for reasons I wish not to explain. But now I'm back at it and I believe I started back on the wing kit somewhere in August and I went on a vacation for 9 days a couple weeks ago. I currently have both flaps done, ailerons done and the skeleton for the the left wing done. I put the left wing aside and started the right wing last night. I plan on skinning both at the same time and since the ribs are a little tricky, I'll have the left to look at and copy(opposit) to the right side. I'm building all by myself, my kids just arn't into airplanes, but they like an occational flight. My wife loves airplanes(I know, lucky) but all she can do is hold an occational part. Besides, I've always done things by myself and just plain prefer to do it all alone. I don't ask to many questions, but the site sure has helped me through some binds, I say thanks to everybody. One last note, I take pictures for the FAA when it's time, but I haven't taken note of any times or how many rivets I've banged, I don't want any negative inputs for the building process. I just go over to the project and start banging away, and when a part is done, I move onto another one. So the hours I have spent, all I can say is they are fun ones.

Post by **Spike** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:42 am

Great progress John. On the other end of the spectrum I just started in on my wings, about 20 months after I started on the tail *snicker*. The neat thing about this hobby is that it doesn't matter what or how fast you build. Gotta love it. Congrats on the progress.

As an aside, thanx for the compliments. Really though its not so much of us. We started RB because we didn't like the options. You guys are the ones that make the environment and keep it relative. The posting count shows that. This is a community, remember that.
- John

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:43 pm

Thanks for all the comments everyone. Well I promised photos and here they are. Not to exciting but it sure is nice to see the wings in the cradle. By the way the cradles are experienced and have held several sets of wings from what I understand. The last set belonged to Mark Navratil and when he got done with them he gave them to me. Nice to not have to build them.

Now onto the fuselage.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:51 am

HEY! That looks familiar!

Are your flaps and ailerons done yet, John?

Looks great!

CJ

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:04 am

CJ, I do have the flaps and ailerons done. The ailerons look pretty cool on the wings but I decided to store them off the wing as I think there will be less chance of them getting bumped or damaged. I have not fit the flaps yet as my Tech Adv recommended that I do that a little later in the process. I know most peole mount them now and that is what he had done on his plane but then he wished later that he had waited a while. I believe his hangar mate waited on his second plane. I'll let you know what I think when I get there.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:27 pm

I see, but OTOH...

They may get more banged up getting tossed around and having them on the wing may keep the trialing edge of the wing from taking the hit.

Either way, it would suck...

Looks great!

Damn... I gotta getta move on!

CJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:31 pm

Are your ailerons and flaps done CJ?

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:37 pm

INSTALLED!!!

CJ

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:36 pm

Good point on the trailing edge CJ. Hadn't thought of that. I don't think the ailerons or flaps will get beat up as they have their own shelves in my shop cabinets but I will keep that trailing edge in mind. That would be a bummer if it got dinged.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:04 pm

Well, that was my reasoning for puttting the whole package together.

For me, the less individual items floating around... the better.

CJ

PS, those few more clecos and the wings are DONE!!!

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:59 pm

John,

That's great! Not sure where I will fall as far as time. I didn't want to set a schedule (not sure if that's a good idea for me).

CONGRATS BROTHER!!!!!!

bmurrish · Post by **bmurrish** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:25 pm

Andy G wrote:John,

Not sure where I will fall as far as time.

Quit being a slacker and start banging some rivet!!!!

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:48 pm

Andy, you're just taking to many vacations!

I have a local builder who is working on a 9 and just ordered his wing kit. (You out there Dave?) He is interested in using the wing stands but if you are serious about borrowing them, even though they are two states away, they are yours buddy. If not I'll let Dave borrow them.

Dave said he had checked out Rivetbangers and will probably join. I told him I thought he would enjoy the group here as they don't get any better.

Stay after those rivets Andy!

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:30 pm

Yeah! Get goin' Andy! Sorry, had to get in on this action!

And John, get Dave in here! The more the merrier!