RV-4 build log: May 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Riveted the stiffeners to the skin

Dimpling and riveting of stiffeners to the left elevator skin. I am a bit confused regarding the sequence of the trim and the cutting of the skin and riveting of the skeleton. Have to study the drawings closely as the manual doesn't make 100% sense.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Primed left elevator skin

Primed left elevator skin and trim. The boat is on the water with new antifoul, two new pumps and a fully working engine, so it is time to start building again.

Why?

For some reason people very seldom ask why I want to build an airplane, but they very often ask where. When I tell them, they immediately ask how I am going to get it out of there when it's finished...

Anyway, the real question to answer is probably why an RV-4 instead of some other plane. You just don't wake up one morning and say, "aha, it has to be an RV-4". Well, that was exactly what happened to me. I have always wanted to build real airplanes. I have looked at lots of kits, tried several finished ones, made large excel sheets, on and off for several years. Then I woke up one Saturday morning, everything was crystal clear, and the order for an RV-4 was sent to Van's before 10 AM the same day.

In hindsight, things like value, performance and so on can be brought up, and the RV-4 will come out among the best. But the truth is that some things in life has very little to do with logics and excel sheets.