Hello 2014, you're gonna be epic! I hope you all had a great Christmas and safe new years celebration (happy birthday Pop!). Mine was fantastic, Santa (aka my girlfriend Sheryl) was good to me and we had a nice Sushi dinner and some hot sake with fellow builder Sean Thomas and his charming fiance Diana for new years dinner.
I sent a 'New Years' text to my friend, also an RV7 builder, Sean Blair and said I was looking forward to a first flight in 2014. After I sent it, it then dawned on me that I said the exact same thing to him last year! Funny how things don't always go as planned when building one of these puppies, I sure thought I would have been flying in 2013. But...we're getting real close now so it's all good.
I watched a great TED speech by Diana Nyad during the break about never giving up. She is the woman, that, at age 64 became the first person (man or woman) to swim from Cuba to Florida. Its quite a good speech if you have 15 mins and want to be inspired. In it, she quotes Henry David Thoreau; "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." I've said it many times in the last four years, this journey will change your life, it certainly has mine. Watching this speech on Friday really motivated me throughout the long hours in the hangar over the weekend.
Ok, back to the project status. I had the entire week off from Christmas to New Years. I spent the first part of it spending time with Sheryl and doing the Christmas thing, but she had to return to work on Monday...and I was still on vacation. I used this golden opportunity to spend some LONG hours at the hangar...I was there so often I felt like I should move in.
In fact, in a five day stretch I logged 37.5 hrs, which included a 27.5 hr stint over three days. By far my biggest solo output during the entire 4+ yr build. I was on a roll, things were clicking and the tasks ahead were easily seen, the fog had cleared for the moment...one after another, things started falling into place. All of this somewhat frenetic activity was mainly to get the plane ready (or mostly) to mount my wings this Saturday. Mission accomplished, I feel good about where I am.
Yesterday, fittingly on Jan. 1st, I felt like I finally overpowered the 2000 lb Grizzly bear I have been wrestling with for months...the wiring, that is. All switches, avionics and components have been tested and are working so it was time to start bundling (tie wrapping) all my wiring.
It was a mess before I started...it looked like tangled fishing line in a pile...almost overwhelming to be honest. Having never done this, I didn't really know where, or how, to start. As with most things on this build however...you have to find a way to push on through--figure it out, you cant just give up when a task looks daunting.
I started slowly, if I could do just one wire, it would be progress....then another...one bundle at a time (best way to eat an elephant?...one bite at a time), starting at each wire source and working toward the center. After a lot of time and effort, its actually looking respectable, and what a relief that is. I won't win any awards for my wiring from an aesthetic standpoint (some guys do outstanding work in this area, but I am not one of them), but it will be functional and hopefully safe....that's the key.
This Saturday morning, Jan. 4th, the wings go on permanently. I have read the instructions over and over and have a pretty good idea what to expect, procured the necessary supplies and lined up a work crew of about 8 people (more than I need, but some just want to witness it). All systems are go for launch! I will post plenty of pics as this should be a heckuva milestone for the project. The next one on the horizon will be first engine start...I have a case of 40 weight mineral oil ready and waiting for that one!
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