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GO TO Protek Performance THE RV-7 AIRCRAFT BUILDING THE KIT ADDITIONAL TOPICS e-mail: robert@protekperformance.com
OTHER USEFUL SITES Project started 8/15/01
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The Fuselage 11-26-01 Van's Aircraft has already done most of the assembly of the fuselage. The majority of the fuse work involves attaching controls, landing gear, wings, tail, etc.  The tail wheel support has been fitted to the back of the fuse. The next step is to assemble and install the rudder/brake pedal assembly.  12-6-01 The rudder/brake pedals have been fabricated and stored for later installation, as has the elevator bellcrank assembly. Here the last skin on the rear of the fuselage has been fitted and is ready for drilling, dimpling and riveting.  12-12-01 The baggage compartment floor has been riveted in place. I am in the process of fabricating the seats (should be done tomorrow). The next couple of pages in the instructions start talking about attaching tail parts and wings. This could start looking like an airplane very quickly. 12-13-01 Here the seat backs are installed in the fuse.  12-19-01 The electric flap actuator assembly has been fabricated and installed.  12-20-01 The wings have been hung on the fuselage. The bolts that go through the wing spars took a bit of coercing to get them to fit. The anodizing on the spars decreases the hole sizes just enough to make things a bit tight. I buffed the bolts on a Scotch Brite wheel and had to run some emery cloth through the holes on the center section of the spar to get a slight interferance fit between all the parts.  12-27-01 This week has included little things that seem to move slowly. The wings have been attached, positioned, and drilled to the front and rear attach braces. The bottom center fuse skin has been drilled to the wings. The flap pushrods have been fabricated and are ready for installation. (and there was a great debate on the RV-7 list about Subaru engines) 1-9-02 The wing root fairings have been fitted. The Flaps are hooked up and working with the electric actuator. The control sticks have been installed and attached to the ailerons. Next will be rudder pedal installation.  1-18-02 Rudder pedals are in, horizontal and vertical stabilizers are bolted onto the fuse. In a few hours the empennage will be a functional part of the airframe. Bolting large parts together, watching control surfaces move, and seeing an airplane emerge is very exciting. It's these times during building that all the long hours of tedium seem to fade from memory and the excitement of building an RV is at its greatest. 1-21-02 This thing in the garage is starting to look very airplane like. The empennage has been attached to the fuse, the tail spring has been fitted for the tail wheel. A couple more cables and a push rod and we will have a functional tail.  2-7-02 The last few days have included work on little things. The control surfaces and control mechanisms have all been adjusted to provide their full travel. The brake pedals and master cylinders have been installed. The rear cabin frame/rollover bar is almost complete. 2-12-02 The cabin frame is finished and installed. This looks like a simple part, but it took a fair amount of time to fabricate all the pieces and get it all riveted and installed. The instrument panel and subpanel are next on the agenda. The ominous Canopy section of the instructions is looming near.  2-22-02 Here is the clecoed upper forward fuse section including instrument panel and subpanel. Does this mean the fuselage is done? (YES!)  3-10-02 I've been finishing up a few small projects like installing the electric aileron trim, ordering Lancair cabin vents, and getting together the hardware to attach the fiberglass wing tips. I'm waiting for the arrival of the Eggenfellner Subaru engine package before moving on to the canopy. I want to install the engine controls and the cabin heater before putting in the last few rivets in the forward fuse skins. Maybe I'll actually get a few non-plane things done this month. |