 |
|
|
|
Gary's RV8 Construction Log
Building my own aircraft has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy. I can remember picking up a Popular Mechanics magazine whilst on holiday at my grandfather's house and seeing in it that one could build your own aeroplane. I was astounded and on that day, I promised myself I too would do that one day. Now, many many years later, I'm finally starting to make good on that promise. Strangely enough though, it doesn't seem to be a concept that many people are able to grasp... "Yes, I am building it in my garage... No, it's not radio controlled... Yes, I will actually be able to sit in it AND fly it! ... Nothing like Tamiya or Airfix, No! ... I'm budgeting on about 5 years ... No, you heard right, YEARS". Then the eyes glaze over as you realise that what you're doing is waaay beyond thier frame of reference. Were you building anything else: a car, boat, a house, anything and it would be fine but build an aeroplane and, all of a sardine, the spanner doesn't fit. Why an RV-8? I've been looking loooong and hard at innumerable homebuilts and within my bounds and requirements, the RV-8 is simply unbeatable in terms of cost vs. performance (read as “bang for buck”), kit quality, build time, required building skills/equipment/environment, local representation (people to ask for help when you’re stuck), a manufacturer with a proven track record that’s obviously in it for the looong haul and really does have the builder’s interests at heart and a global community that would quite literally go to the ends of the earth to help each other out! The fact that there are well over 5000 RV’s already flying in itself speaks volumes. Ultimately, the decision ended up being a “no brainer”, so why it took me nearly 10 years to decide… hey, I had to be sure! That and it’s more than just a little intimidating. ;) Yada… yada… All that being said, what follows is my little space to document my trials and tribulations in the fullfilment of a promise and a dream! All of which, I might add, would not be possible without the love, support and understanding of my beautiful wife, Carol-Anne. P.S. The image top-left of this page will change from time to time. It in no way reflects my intentions with reference colour scheme or anything else. As a fine example of a finished RV-8, it serves only to illustrate what the finished product could like.
Recent Activity
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
