Where do you build an airplane such as this? Well, believe it or not, about 95% of it will be done in my 2 car garage at my house. The plane is built in sub-kits: empennage (or tail), wings, fuselage and a finishing kit at the end. Each sub-section can actually be built in a one car garage, (although I'm happy to have the 2 car version) then stored until final assembly. Once its time for final assembly at the end of the project, it will be moved to a hangar for final preperation for its test flights. So, the last couple of months of my spare time have been devoted to transforming my uninviting garage into an 'airplane factory' and just make it more comfortable since it will be my home away from home for the next 2-ish years. Painting, building work benches, organizing, hanging aviation posters, etc, basically turning it into my aviation 'clubhouse'! I will post pics of this when I'm done in a later blog so check back to see how it turns out.

How do you build an airplane like this? Well, some will claim that anyone with ordinary hand tools can build one of these 'kits'. It would be a little naive to think you could pull this task off with a couple screwdrivers, wrenches, a file and a hammer. There are aviation specific tools that need to used to build an airplane. I plan to buy an all-inclusive tool kit put together specifically to build this airplane. In addition to this, there are certain non-aviation shop tools that I have added to my inventory to aid in the building process. As for skills needed, although I dont think just 'anyone' could do it, I do mostly believe your average 'Joe' or 'Jane' with a little mechanical aptitude has what it takes. You dont, however, need to to be an A&P mechanic or an Engineer or have prior aviation experience to pull this off. I also want to note, I am not designing an aircraft from scratch, this is a kit that has been designed and tested by people who are knowledgable about such things. I am not going to put my life on the line for a design that I dont feel comfortable about, and Van's produces such a kit. There are literally 1000's of them flying so it is a tried and true design. Essentially this is, by and large, an assembly project. Not unlike a Cessna assembly person making $15/hr does while creating production aircraft. Its not rocket science. Doing custom modifications does change that equation slightly though, depending on the complexity of the changes.

Who is going to build this airplane? The vast majority of the work will be done by moi, but all great projects cannot be done alone. I expect to recruit my newly retired father, Ron Sr. (who inspired me to pursure this project) to help as much as possible. In addition to that, members of the local EAA chapter along with my roommate (with the bribe of a 6 pack) may help with bucking rivets as needed.

Why build an airplane? Am I crazy? No...at least I dont think so. Mostly it comes down to these reasons: I am passionate about flying, and want to fly as much as weather and budget allow. And this path to aircraft ownership, believe it or not, is by far the cheapest way to own a high performance airplane. I could go into a lot of detail as to why this is the cheapest route, but I'll spare you the details in this post (email me and I'd be happy to talk about it though). Next, I am a Mechanical Design Engineer by trade, and by nature I love to build things. What better way to put your workmanship to the test than to build a flying machine...a machine that your very life depends on the afforementioned workmanship? To me, that will be the ultimate satisfaction of a job well done. To one day have this aluminum contraption take to the air, with me at the controls. That is a great adventure. The homebuilt aircraft 'hobby' also affords you the luxury of making modifications, enhancements and customizations to your aircraft that the FAA doesnt regulate. This absolutely appeals to the 'Design Engineer' in me and is part of what truly excites me about this project.

What is a Van's RV-7 aircraft you ask? This description (and photos) were taken from the Van's website,

http://www.vansaircaft.com/

"It is an all-around sport airplane, with excellent cross-country capability, fine aerobatic qualities and superior handling. A typical RV-7 can hold two FAA standard pilots, 100 lbs. of baggage and full tanks: 42 gallons. At the aerobatic gross weight of 1600 lbs., the RV-7/7A complies with the +6/-3G standards of the FAA’s Aerobatic Category.

It’s a fast airplane, too; able to maintain cruise speeds near or even above 200 mph depending on the engine installed. That speed, combined with the endurance and the range possible with the 42 gallon fuel capacity means that you can traverse half the American continent in a day -- more if the winds are right."

I will be building the "taildragger" version with a "tip up" canopy. As of this posting (subject to change due to finances!), the plan is to install a Lycoming new IO-390-X (210hp) engine. Prop has not been chosen yet, but I am leaning toward a three bladed version...Catto or MT. The custom paint scheme of my design will be black/red with the interior having some grey added in also. I will also be designing my own custom intrument panel and center console, I have some ideas rolling around in my head for both of these projects. Stay tuned to see what I have in mind!