Anyone working on their -7 Empennage???

N200PF · Post by **N200PF** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:48 am

Hey I know that everyone here has done the Empennage at one time or another and for many that seems like "the good ol' days" becuase you're on to your wings, your fuse or your FIRST FLIGHT!

I'm building along as fast as I can but the posts seem to move ahead faster than I do! Chad just finished his tanks, (what the heck are tanks)

CJ just finished his flaps and so on. (very cool methodology CJ!)

Is anyone else out there working on their empennage?!? ...or am I the only one?

- Peter

prestwich · Post by **prestwich** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:01 am

I feel the same way, Peter. What the heck are those guys talking about, anyway? I wish I could say I'm with you, and I'm working on the empennage. But I haven't done a thing for a month, and I've got no excuse other than chasing women, and that's pretty weak, I know.

So I'll just say that I'm going to be working on the empennage again SOON!!! I've got the HS and VS done and had started prepping stiffeners for the rudder.

N200PF · Post by **N200PF** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:22 am

Hey Prestwich chasing women is the ONLY excusable reason for not working on the plane!

You and I are about right together! I'm ready to put the skins on the HS and the VS is done. Too bad I'm not allowed to bring ANY PLANE PARTS up to the cabin or I could started prepping the control surfaces over the holiday weekend. (have to draw the line somewhere!)

We may never catch those guys but we'll let them make all the mistakes and learn from their posts!

- Peter

prestwich · Post by **prestwich** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:47 am

N200PF wrote: <snip> we'll let them make all the mistakes and learn from their posts!

- Peter

yeah, don't i wish -- sometimes i feel like i've made more mistakes than the rest of 'em put together!

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:20 pm

Ha! Trust me, we all make mistakes.

Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I will understand.
Involve me and I will learn.

This is what I tell my kids.

You need to do it to fully understand. That includes learning from your mistakes.

Keep plugging away at it.

P-wich, you can also plug away at the plane when you are done plugging other things!

CJ

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:26 pm

prestwich wrote:... I've got no excuse other than chasing women, ...

One of the few things I know of that cost more than this hobby is when you catch one!

Hang in there and keep plugging away a little at a time.

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:59 am

Peter,

After an extended hiatus I am back at work on the -7 Emp. For quite a while I was only a month or two behind Chad. Now I JUST ordered my wings. I have both elevators to finish yet.

It kinda sucks to think I could be a lot farther along than I am. So I am not thinking about it.

Keep on truckin

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:15 am

That's right! Keep on truckin'!!

Don't worry, you'll catch up to me while I figure out a way to scrounge up the moola to order the fuse kit!

Cherokee Driver · Post by **Cherokee Driver** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:24 pm

I too have had to take a detoure on my project (8 emp.) A new addition to the house has side tracked me so the metal is packed into the little old shop until the addition is finished and the new "skunk works" opens up.

I am very excited about having the room to work and I'll post photos when the time comes.

Watching the group fly through is a lot of fun. I hope when all of the "regulars" finish and are flying they will check back in on the slooooow builders to help out with our sticking points!

CD

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:33 pm

Cherokee Driver wrote: Watching the group fly through is a lot of fun. I hope when all of the "regulars" finish and are flying they will check back in on the slooooow builders to help out with our sticking points!

CD

We'll never leave...NEVEEEEER!

HA HA HA!!

N200PF · Post by **N200PF** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:42 pm

Womack congrats on ordering your wings!!! You're in it now!

I'm looking for a shop to weld up some of those nifty wing Jigs that Chad is using and plan to get my wings on the way at OSH. ...maybe Van's will run a special at OSH?!?

Yeah right!

- Peter

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:15 pm

The metal wing jigs are great! I had a friend weld mine up for me and the cost was really not much more than if I had purchased the lumber to build the standard ones.

Highly recommended!

Womack2005 · Post by **Womack2005** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:54 pm

Peter,

I asked at the Van's booth last year for a discount on the Emp kit. They said (and I have heard this from others) "No way Jose". I ended up ordering the Emp a few weeks later.

That means I've been at this (on and off) for almost a year now

What a trip

And yes, i'm definately going with the metal stands!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:18 pm

My RV-4 has been flying for 3 years and I'm working on the empenage right now. I just back-rivited the stiffeners to the skin and bent the trailing edge on the right hand elevator this afternoon. The empenage is the one part of the plane I didn't build. I bought that from a guy who bought it from a guy. When my elevators were built, they didn't know about putting a bead of RTV in the radius of the trailing edge. My .016 skins started to crack on the trailing edge. Common problem on the -4's. So I ordered .020 skins from Van's and told them they might as well send me the whole elevator kit along with an electric trim kit. If I'm going to rebuild one elevator, might as well build the other one too.

So no, you're not the only one. I'm bulding elevators for the first time just like you!

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 2:44 pm

Oh! Oh! I am! I am!

Sorry, just couldn't help myself, been waiting a long time

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 7:54 pm

Well you're all ahead of me. I just got my 7 tail kit today but won't be able to start on it for a month or two. I'm *still* rebuilding my RV-4's elevators. Geez how long do these things take?!

LooseNut · Post by **LooseNut** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:48 pm

A friend once told me he sizes projects like this: estimate how long you think the work will take, multiply by 2, and then change to the next larger time unit.

So if you think you can fix the dripping faucet in the bathroom in about an hour: multiply by 2, to get 2 hours, and then change hours to days and you get 2 days. This seems to cover finding tools, cleaning up a the end, the extra trip to the hardware store, etc.

If you think you can put up some air-lines in the shop with a couple days work ... count on 4 weeks ...

My friend was talking about homie projects, but I've found his rule is pretty universal.

Anyway, as long as I'm making forward progress, I try not to beat myself up for missing my unrealistic expectations!

SlowNut

LooseNut · Post by **LooseNut** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:51 pm

... so my 5-year airplane is going to take ... umm ... 10-decades???

I sure hope I can beat my friend's rule on this one!

CantTakeThatLongNut

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:37 pm

This is so cool! I'm posting in the RV-7 forum...I'm building an RV-7. Do I get excited by little things or what?!

Anyway, yes, I am officially working on my empanage. I grabbed the HS spar splice plates and test fit them on the the two halves of the HS spar. That was enough work for one evening so I grabbed some ice cream and rested on the couch. Whew!

Well, actually, before that I inventoried the tail kit. I am really impressed by these new kits. I was told by another RV-7 builder that the new kits are nice in that all you have to do is back drill your elevator and rudder stiffeners... uh... not! I check through my kit and was pleased to find that practically EVERYTHING is already drilled, even the stiffeners! I can't believe how much work Van's has done for us. This is going to be fun!

Doggonit Spike, you went and made me pull my 7 empenage out. How am I ever going to get my 4 elevators done!

Post by **Spike** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:27 am

Glad I could be of assistance. Now, can you come over and figure out my elevator problems?