Yesterday I removed my instrument panel from the RV-4. Today I drilled out all the “stuff” that was attached to the instrument panel and will now use it as a template to cut out my new instrument panel. Why am I doing all this? I need to fix a gap that was in the old instrument panel, the best way to do it is to create a new panel. I’ll start cutting tomorrow and try to take some pictures.

The following items still need to be accomplished:

Wheel pants
Flaps adjusted
Instrument panel installed
Front deck installed
Canopy installed
Velcro installed on seats
Gear legs strengthened
Some plate nuts repaired

Days until paint: 39

I made some small steps toward selling the RV-4. I reworked the canopy hinge that connects the canopy to the fuselage. There were some hinge eyes broken off so I drilled out those sections of hinge and replaced them. The next steps are to rework the instrument panel and top deck, install the wheel pants (covers), and finally do some over all clean up on the fiberglass around the plane. It doesn’t sound like much work but I will have to really use my time wisely to get this done by my scheduled appointment with the paint shop.

Days until paint: 41

RV as in RV-4, RV-6, RV-7, RV-8, RV-9 and RV-10 aircraft. Quite a community has arisen around these capable little airplanes. People have made small fortunes because of Van’s Aircraft airplanes. An entire community based on these planes has arisen on the Internet. Like any community ours has it’s share of demigods. It’s been enough to drive me from Internet forum to Internet forum. I thought I was just being over sensitive but each day more and more people leave the RV community because of the demigods and aristocrats (as another writer put it.)

I’m selling my RV-4 and I could not be happier. The only thing that will make me even more happy is to sell it. It will be good to be rid of the demigods. I’m not going to walk away from aviation, just walk into a slower, friendlier aviation. Good-bye Van’s, hello Rans.

I’m now doing what I hope is the last annual condition inspection on my RV-4.  There have been a few minor squawks but I’ve got them fixed up.  My work now turns on rebuilding the instrument panel, replacing the canopy hinge, installing the wheel pants, finishing up the fairings, and getting it painted.  About a week’s worth of work for someone who knows what he is doing.  It will probably take me months.

I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of this plane.  I’ve travelled all over the place in it.  Take a look at my Travels Page up top.  But now I just want to find something I can put around locally in.  Something I can give friends rides in.  Something fun and affordable.  I’ve been caught up in the fly high, go fast culture for a while now.  Time to get back to my roots and what I really enjoy; low and slow fun flying.  I want to be able to land on back country strips again.

RV pilots will tell you stories of landing on back country strips.  A good RV pilot will need at about 1000 feet of runway to get their plane stopped.  Some really good RV pilots can get the planes stopped in about 800 feet.  The best can get them stopped in 500 feet.  I want to be able to land in places where there is only 200 feet of runway or so.  I don’t expect to start out being able to land that short but I think I can work up to it.  I also want to be able to fly in to out of the way places and camp beside the plane.  I want to be able to take my son and our camping gear with me.  We travel pretty light so a Rans Coyote will work perfectly for us.  It’s affordable, it will keep me in the air, it will allow me to share my love of aviation with more people.  It will allow me to give others a view of the beautiful planet God created for us that they might not otherwise get.  You can’t really appreciate the view from the tiny window of an airliner.  But cruising along at 80 MPH at 1000 feet MSL, you get an appreciation for what God has created for us.

Can’t wait to sell this RV-4.

The RV-7 is officially gone.  A gentleman from southern California bought it and carted it off just yesterday.  What a relief.  So this officially ends my RV-7 log.

Now all I have to do is invest the money in making the RV-4 presentable and put it up for sale.  Then the exercise will be how to keep involved in aviation while staying within the family budget.  It’s a challenge but I’ve always been up for a good challenge.

Each year we experimental aircraft owners have to put our aircraft through what’s called an annual condition inspection.  Those of us who built our own airplanes are authorized by the FAA to perform the inspection ourselves.  During my last annual, I found some cracking on the top wing skin running along the line of rivets that connect the top skin to the rear wing spar.  The cracking came from careless feet not stepping directly on the reinforced portion of the wing.

This week I finally got around to repairing that crack.  It was only 3 inches long but I ended up drilling out about 2 feet of top wing skin.  That equates to about 200 rivets to drill out!  I had the week off and my wife and kids are vacationing so it was the perfect time to attack the wing.  I spent Tuesday, drilling out all the rivets.  Wednesday was spent fabricating the new top skin a doubler plate (which goes under the skin to give it support).  Thursday I match-drilled the holes in the new skin and reinforcing plate using the old skin as a template.  I also trimmed the plate and the skin to fit the wing.  Friday (today) was spent riveting the wing skin on.  I wasn’t able to completely rivet the skin on however.  I used regular driven rivets where the new wing skin / old wing skin overlap joint is.  I then used pulled rivets (Cherry Max structural rivets) to fasten the skin to the front spar and ribs.  I have to use pulled rivets because I can’t get a bucking bar under the wing skin in most places to drive rivets.  The Cherry Max rivets look fine and are just as strong as regular rivets.

The only reason I wasn’t able to finish today is because I ran out of Cherry Max rivets.  More are on the way and when they arrive I’ll be able to finish that wing off.  There are just a few more things to do to adjust the skin where it meets the flaps and then I’ll be done!  Just one of the many joys of aircraft ownership. 🙂

I belong to an RV Aircraft builders forum called the RivetBangers. The forum operator recently challenged all the members to set a goal to be reached by New Year’s Day. Not an easy goal either, something you would have to push yourself to attain. Well, I got the flu and missed reaching my goal on New Year’s Day. However, I have finally reached that goal five days after the fact.

My goal was to have my horizontal stabilizer finished. I just finished it this afternoon. I wish all the assemblies on the airplane were this easy to build. This is the second major subassembly of the airplane I have completed. I’ll now move on to constructing the rudder.