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RV-7 N8ZG
RV-8 N998GM
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Start Here Some conventions, caveats, and generalities. This is not your typical commercial store-front type site. It started as an effort to learn a little about FrontPage and to have a place to put photos and descriptions that I could point to easily when I thought I could contribute to a discussion on the Matronics email lists. I am a budding dealer for Andair fuel selector valves. I will also be happy to perform some limited builder assistance services - fuel tanks and other "small" assemblies. Links to other commercial sites are not necessarily endorsements. The links are presented to help you research some of the alternatives for your own project. You'll find my thoughts about particular tools on the Tools page and in the text where appropriate.
Not even finished with my first kit and I'm a repeat offender.
Update (15 Jan 2005) - After finishing the RV-8
Empennage, I can report that I found exactly four differences between the -7
and -8 kits. Drilling vs. reaming. If at all possible (meaning, if I remember to switch bits) I prefer to ream pre-punched holes rather than drill. I have a tendency to use the terms interchangeably, but will endeavor to be precise. Primer War. For most folks (meaning any one who lives more than 20 miles from the beach), I think primer on alclad is a waste of time and money. Most of the primers available to us as hobbyists are intended to be top-coated. They are formulated for maximum adhesion to the substrate (clean, etched aluminum) and to present a porous surface to enhance the color coat bond. Being porous, the primer does not seal the substrate against moisture and dissolved electrolytes. I'm aware of one (1) primer product that is designed to seal the surface without a top-coat. Aircraft Finishing Systems claims that their Primer Sealer will do the trick. I learned all this late in the game - like after my tail feathers were done. My tail parts have a smattering of different primer products on them. I tried Sherwin-Williams 988 Self-Etching Primer. It's expensive and not what I'd call durable. But it's easy and convenient. I keep a can on the shelf for the odd lone part or spot touch-ups. Dupont's Veri-Prime is good stuff. It's easy to use, mixes 1:1 and covers well. It sticks where you put it and it's tough. But it doesn't seal the surface and requires a sanding primer and a top-coat for proper protection. There may even be a shot or two of Krylon in the tail. I just can't remember. Most of these airplanes are labors of love and are pampered accordingly. Alclad alone is corrosion resistant, and a coat of Corrosion-X fogged inside the assorted structures will do wonders to augment the alclad's natural resistance. I'm priming anyway. Partly to maximize perceived re-sale value in the distant future. I also plan to treat the insides of everything with Corrosion-X after it's painted.
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Gene McNeely has been grumbling about wanting an RV-8
as long as I've known him. He gave me an opportunity to fill in the gaps by sending his RV-8 tail kit to my house.
Then his fuel tank parts showed up. the the Leading Edge parts.
Since the RV-7 and RV-8 kits are so similar, some of the photos are from the
construction of his RV-8.