Quick question for you guys who keep track of your "time to build." How many hours does it take to build the tail kit? This is my second RV but I really have no recollection of how long it took to build the empennage. If I took a week off (e.g., 50 hours), could I get most of it built?
Since this is your second RV I think you would be able to build the emp. kit in about 65 to 70 hours. This pre punched stuff is GREAT. I have about 66 hours including priming but no fiberglass work in my tail kit. This is my second time around, the first RV kit I worked with was #21 RV3.
70 hours sounds about right. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH BETTER THE KITS ARE NOW. Figuring out where to drill the holes and doing the jigging was a massive amount of work (and it wasn't fun). I'll bet these kits take half as much time as they used to .
Yeah I think its pretty mind boggling. If you look at what the build times of the current crop of airplanes is its pretty awesome. It seems like many of the prepunched kits are comming out in less than 2K hours and less than 3 years. Pretty amazing.
I'm getting conflicting information about jigging on the empennage. The Orndorf tapes say yes, you should build a jig, but the local builders here in the Vancouver area ask, "Why bother?"
Has anybody built a tail without jigging with the pre-punched tailkit?
Cheers, Pete
Well, you can jig all you want to, but the alignment of the pre-punched holes is what will determine the shape of the empennage parts. I really think you'd be wasting your time building anything more than a simple holder for the parts to keep them sturdy while you rivet.
Well, you can jig all you want to, but the alignment of the pre-punched holes is what will determine the shape of the empennage parts. I really think you'd be wasting your time building anything more than a simple holder for the parts to keep them sturdy while you rivet.
It took me 170 hrs. If you've built in metal before count on less than half that. No jig regiured. I didn't find the Orendorf? tapes of much help. He glossed over or didn't metion the most troublesome areas.
CJ