Ya know, I was talking to Thermos this weekend and I started off the conversation by telling him I was throwing in the towel.
Of course, I AM NOT! There are many times when you get frustrated with the project and you wonder why you are doing this and question if it will ever really fly. This weekend was one of them.
My fingers are calloused from installing platenuts and I ripped a seat rib from standing on it and need to repair it now. (I had placed a couple of 2x6's on the seatribs to distribute the weight of my body across them and it slipped and the rest is history.)
The occasional setbacks and mental anguish can be trying at times. I am not quitting this project. I am too much of a cement-headed Italian for that.
Have you ever thought of getting out of the airplane building pastime?
CJ
RV-7
Garmin G3X with VP-X & a TMX-IO-360 with G3i
It's all over but the flying! 800+ hours in only 3 years!
what are you thinkin man? just last week every one here had this conversation. ok not exactly but sort of. to me this is life of a builder. this is also BREAK TIME. but not until you unbreak the project..when i screw up i fix what i broke and take a needed breather from it.
i have been wanting to quit since about a week after i started . this seems too much like work to me. but i try to always finish what i started. however painful that may be..some times you have to quit but only as a last sanity/money saving self preserving step. i was dying once and gave that up hang in there hammer head....some how i know you will.
oh yeah, back to the damage , i put the floors in and a towel on top of them then a piece of ply wood. i wish i had done this all along. thats the only towel im throwing in.
Last edited by weezbad on Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
william....don't let it beat you down, you are stronger than you think.
I keep telling myself what an awesome piece of freedom my bird will be when she's done. I dream of flying her all over the country and seeing places I've never been to before. (Crater Lake, Mt. Rushmore, Land of Enchantment, Van's Homecoming, etc. etc.)
If I mess up, I usally take a break and go into thinking mode about how to fix it before fixing it and moving on. Life is all about balance in my book so I try not to get fixated on doing only 1 thing all the time.
Of course having a wife, two wonderful kids, and great friends helps too.
Cheer up "CJ" I'll be there shortly to help you on your project.
(leaving the house now with hole saws and squeezer)
I think that if I stopped working on my RV, after a few weeks, they would have to put me in rehab for suffering from withdrawal. To me, it's like meditation. You can't think or worry about other stuff when working.
I got my finishing kit on Friday! I got it all inventoried and re-categorized in bins and shelves yesterday and got to bed around 11:00 last night.
I guess I was pretty excited because I woke up at 2:30 am and couldn't go to sleep. I went over to the shop, put on some coffee and mounted the roll bar!
Yeah, this project is just too much of a distraction... Maybe I should just sell it and take up golf.
My fixed fuel tank, well, its still leaking. And my ailerons, well, I found out yesterday that it turns out I built 2 of the skins flipped over. That is I riveted the stiffners on the wrong side.
I would have taken $0.25 on the dollar for the whole shebang if someone would have offered.
http://www.rivetbangers.com - Now integrating web and mail!
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
Ya come to Foxboro for a beatin' an that's whatcha git!
Who do we beat next? Is it Green Bay?
CJ
<edit> Nope, it looks like New York. Oh well, we did it to the Yankmees. We can do it again!
I am really not that much of a sports fan, but I can't help become a band-wagoner with all this winning taking place. I don't even know how to play football to be perfectly honest!
RV-7
Garmin G3X with VP-X & a TMX-IO-360 with G3i
It's all over but the flying! 800+ hours in only 3 years!
Accidentally dropped my fuse center bottom skin last night - nice dent and crease in the side. So, after beating the $h*t out of it with an autobody dolly and mallet, it's usable (and will at least be in an inconspicuous place on the plane). Still felt like kicking puppies (not Golden Retriever ones!) .
I have a couple of very subtle dings in my turtle deck that will give me something to talk about for an eternity. Honestly, I think they were there when the parts shipped over a year ago.
Oh well, what can ya do? It is on the part that I expect to polish too. So it goes...
CJ
RV-7
Garmin G3X with VP-X & a TMX-IO-360 with G3i
It's all over but the flying! 800+ hours in only 3 years!
Following the football tangent for a second, my family has lived in three areas in the U.S., and each time we moved to the area the football team started winning superbowls. I am pretty sure it wasn't my presence, since the tide didn't turn for the Pats until my Mom moved here. I don't plan on letting her move to NY anytime soon.
On the real subject of this thread, I got pretty bummed about the building thing late this summer/fall when I wasn't able to spend much time on the plane, and the wings just seemed to be taking forever. I finally got to spend more time on the plane recently and have started feeling better about the project. I am also starting to realize that this is a journey and I should try to enjoy it as much as possible. It's really hard sometimes because I am definitely more of a pilot than a builder, and I am really looking forward to having this plane to fly.
I think I am going to look into starting another club so that I can fly and travel more often than I do now. I really miss co-owning a plane. Our 172 wasn't even that bad on the annuals. I didn't realize at the time what a good thing we had going.
Keep working when you can. I have been building since March of 1999 and I hope to fly my RV-6A in April or May. Persistance and time not skill build airplanes. I have been discouraged at times but somone has always encouraged me. My wife is makeing the side wall covering and made the seat cushions. She is doing a great job and is an inspiration to me. When you go to fly that airplane you will know more about it, than any airplane you have ever flown!
CJ
. this seems too much like work to me. but i try to always finish what i started. however painful that may be..some times you have to quit but only as a last sanity/money saving self preserving step. i was dying once and gave that up 
hang in there hammer head....some how i know you will.
, catch a few more Zs and you'll come up with something!
CJ
CJ
CJ