RV-8A Beginning

The Beginning - I bought 7477P from a gentleman in Ft Myers, FL who had lost his medical and was selling all of his aircraft. The RV-8A kit was the last one he had to sell before moving from his airport community home. He advertised it in Trade-a-Plane one evening, I saw it on the TAP internet site at 2 am and called him the next morning to buy it. I saved at least $8k compared to buying from Van's. Fortunately, the original builder had done very little construction because his work was completely unacceptable. I removed virtually all of the work he had done and redid it.


This photo from Van's Aircraft shows what a quickbuild aircraft kit looks like before and after construction. This photo is a RV-7, but the concept is the same.	Here is the trip home for my plane. The wings are in the crate on the left of the trailer and you can see the fuselage on the right. I also had another van cram packed full of crates and parts.

The Lost Log - During the construction I kept my builders log on Microsoft Word and stored it on my dual hard drives. I assumed that by backing up on two hard drives that all would be fine. In April 2004, with 293 hours of construction time, I had a dual hard drive failure and all data was lost. So, as I regained my computer operation I decided to start a web site to document the remainder of my construction. It is less likely to be lost and making the information available to others may be helpful to someone. I know I have benefited greatly from other people's web sites.

The Web Site Layout - This web site is constantly under construction so changes will occur often and it will perpetually have an unfinished feel to it. I plan to have several sections of the web site. Primarily this site provides a chronological section (Builders Log) and a construction section (with focus on different part of the plane).. In addition, I will have pages dedicated to good construction ideas, outstanding products or companies and links to other web sites.

Helpful Ideas - I've found the ideas sections of other guy's web sites to be helpful so I am adding an ideas section, too. Many of the ideas are stolen from others and applied to my plane. Some of the ideas are my own. Maybe something will be of use to other builders.

Products - When I find a product or a company that is a standout I will spotlight it here. I believe we should patronize those companies who stand out and avoid those who are an embarrassment to the industry. I will try to bring attention to both in the Products Section. I have no financial agreement with any of the mentioned companies and I have no agenda against any of the companies or products.


Above is a swing arm for the air hose. It allows me to use the air tools anywhere in the garage. Make sure the garage door clears the arm when it's fully open. I used 2x4s, hardware hinges, and mounted it to the block wall using tapcon screws. It has worked as intended since installation in 2002. Below left is the Van's wing box converted into sturdy, wheeled storage. I pulled all the staples and used 2x4s to strengthen the structure. The wheels are lockable and and mounted on 2x4s that extend beyond the edge of the shelf so as to improve stability. In the middle and right shows some storage shelves that provide good storage and yet fit completely out of the way above the garage doors. After your plane is finished, your spouse will enjoy using them for storing other "stuff." I used framing connectors to tie the 2x4s together and mounted them using lag bolts into the ceiling joists. I wanted to use an uncut 4x8 sheet of plywood and planned them around that goal. I used 1/4" birch plywood (I didn't want the ugliness of knotty pine) and supported it generously. Leaving the sides open allows easy access to things at the back without removing everything on the shelf.