Having learned a lot with the RV Training project, I now feel confident enough to start the “real deal”. The Empennage kit starts on page 6-1 with “Building the Horizontal Stabilizer”. First up is the Rear spar assembly. Drilling the HS-411 is taking some toll on the #30 drill, so […]
My dad came over and also wanted to “train” on the RV Training project. We drilled some rivets out just to hammer them in again. The biggest problem is the last two rivets on each rib at the trailing edge (narrow) side. We tried several methods, in the end just […]
After priming I can start today with assembling and riveting. My dad still had an armor steel plate from the army (he retired decades ago). It’s 8mm thick and I can use MDF to embed it so I get a nice back-rivet table. The back-rivet results are prefect. Which makes […]
First time I used a paint spray gun. Was easier than I thought it would be, however I need two coatings, because it doesn’t cover in one coat. Not sure if I have the settings wrong of my gun or if I need to use less reducer. I created some […]
The second part of the RV Training project consists of building a short section of control surface. The plans mentioned using the 12″ drill, however since the control surface itself is small a misunderstood it as a #12 drill. Since that hole needs a AN4126AD3-4 rivet, there is no way […]
With the Empennage kit, I also ordered the RV Training project. This small sample project consists of two tasks that allow you to get familiar with the documentation style of Van’s, the materials in the kits and your tooling. Turns out following the plans and riveting looks easier on YouTube […]
Today the Isham Oshkosh Full RV Tool Kit cleared customs at Schiphol Airport. So I dashed off to Oude Meer (old Fokker terrain) to get the boxes from the warehouse. After unpacking and taking inventory, I can start cleaning up the tools. The DRDT-2 needs to be assembled and the […]
This weekend I met a lot of other builders on the BBQ of the NVAV at Teuge Aiport (EHTE). The chairman of the association (René) built a beautiful RV-7A (PH-RVP). The host of of this event (Erik) also built an RV-7A (PH-FLY), so there are several experts I can interview […]
Checking all the parts in the two empannage boxes is much easier than anticipated. The sub-kits of Van’s make it a breeze to do the inventory. Conclusion: the shipment is complete, including the Van’s cap and the RV-Test project that I ordered to get the hang of it. The only […]
I must say the shipping of the empennage went very smooth and within 5 working days at dropped on my floor. Excellent tracking by FedEx and great service by both Van’s and FedEx.