AHYUP
My Two Year Update
I have been working on this RV for about two years, I am a little over 300 hours into the project. In reviewing the time spent working on the RV I discovered that I did not work on it at all for some months! In retrospect it seems that for every hour I work on the project I spend an hour setting up, cleaning up, or moving something around. In addition I spend at least an equal time as the proceeding two items just surfing the web about RV’s. Then there is the time I devote to this website.
Every person that builds or wants to build an aircraft should join the EAA. So I joined a couple of chapters. I only attend the meetings of one of the chapters as I work evenings and EAA meetings around here seem to be held in the evenings. Much to my surprise I was elected president of the chapter after only a years membership. I was bearly learning peoples names! Now I have another time consuming project! Anyway just as important as a plane, is a runway, and a place to keep the plane. So my involvement with the EAA is a worthwhile investment of my time. Please see my EAA chapter site elsewhere in this website.
I have visited a couple of other RV builders, so I decided to have an open house. What a great motivation for building. I spent more hours building in that month than in any other! I would like to be done in two more years, or maybe three. Really though, I will be done when I am done. But here I am after about two years.
All in all the time that I actually spend working on the RV is very enjoyable. I am amazed that I can actually build such an amazing thing. Everybody that comes by and sees the plane is impressed. There is an immense satisfaction to a properly squashed rivet. Even the shock of a poorly squashed rivet and the challenge of replacing it is rewarding. I am not as fast as some builders, but I may be faster than others. However the idea is to learn and have fun. Remember that I knew nothing of building aircraft when starting this project. I am just a guy that likes to tinker.
As for that above photo, there seems to be a slight grimace on my face. It could be that I am just trying to hold the camera so I get a shot of myself (keeping the FAA happy). Or it could be that I am trying to decide what I want to do for a fuel level gauge on my tank, I am thinking standard floats and low fuel level warning lights. Besides the expense, the capacitance gauges my not calibrate correctly when switching from Mogas to AVgas. For now I will not have a fuel transducer, but I could add a fuel return line just in case I should decide some day to have fuel injection.
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