Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/307497
28 Vol.3 No.5 / May 2014 WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING "One feature that I do get compliments on is the carbon- fi ber instrument panel and subpanels. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on this, so I went with a product called Dragon Plate (still not cheap). It's a thin (0.032) sheet that I just glued to the already cut panel, and then just cut out the holes to match. I had to sand their fi nish of in order to 'bury' my switch decals under an eggshell clear coat of my own." Bob's advice to other builders is: "In the words of Com- mander Taggart played by Tim Allen from the movie Galaxy Quest, 'Never give up…never surrender.' As with anything in life, if it's worth starting, it's worth fi nishing; you must keep pressing forward. I know that's a bit cliché, but it's true. I found that when I was away from the project, that bothered me. I wasn't very motivated. When I was working on it, I couldn't get enough—I had to work on it every day. "Reading articles and seeing completed projects in the 'What Our Members Are Building' section of Sport Aviation is very motivating. Watching YouTube videos and hanging out with other builders is also fun and inspiring. Van's website links to builders and the Van's Air Force forum help answer questions and motivates you, as you can see the mini-victories others have had. "Being an A&P;, I had many ideas and techniques that I bounced of other builders. Just like an extra set of eyeballs in the cockpit is always desirable, getting as many looks as you can at each stage of the project is important. That's Airplane Building 101." When it came to fl y N623RJ, Bob chose to get some dual be- fore beginning fl ight testing. "I highly recommend getting some dual (insurance requires it anyway) from one of the profession- als," he said. "The RV is a dif erent animal and deserves a great amount of respect as to its fl ying characteristics. I received dual from Alex DeDominicis in the Dallas/Fort Worth (Texas) area, and I highly recommend him. My fi rst fl ight would have been extremely stressful or worse had I not received that training." What advice does he have for a person sitting on the fence who may want to build an airplane? "I'd say to him or her, be certain that you can separate building an airplane from owning and fl ying an airplane," Bob said. "The fact that the fi rst and most common question asked by visitors to the shop is, 'When will it fl y?" is telling. Of course we understand why they ask this question; nevertheless, they don't get it. I always answered with Tuesday. The day I fl ew, don't you know, it was a Tuesday. "You will never stay the course if your longing lies only in the desire to have a cool airplane at the end of the project; that is just the bonus when you do fi nally get there. "Having understanding and cooperative family members be- hind you is imperative. Even if they will be of ering little to no building assistance, they are key in your ability to stay on task. If the family is frustrated by you being in the shop all of the time, your project will become a burden instead of the fun and rewarding venture it was meant to be. My wife was incredibly supportive of this project throughout, but I still found that a big part of all that that needs managing was time spent with her. "A project of this magnitude must be premeditated with the same concern as entering into marriage. Pick the right project that is a good fi t for you. Like a marriage, the road will be fraught with bumps, curves, and fi nancial challenges. No one goes to his or her wedding thinking about the end result of the marriage but rather about the life you will spend together. When you get to the place where you 'can't live without her,' it's time to place the order for the kit or the plans. The friend that turned me on to RVs aptly gave me this adage to hold on to: 'It's about the journey, stupid.'" Bob's RV-8 midway through the project. Have you recently completed your project? We'd love to hear your story. E-mail Experimenter@eaa.org and share your photos and building experience. Photography courtesy of Bob Juneau E A A E X P _ M a y 1 4 . i n d d 2 8 EAAEXP_May14.indd 28 5 / 5 / 1 4 3 : 1 8 P M 5/5/14 3:18 PM