Oct 18, 2020     EAA Tech Counselor Category: Research

I reached out to an EAA Tech Counselor in my area to see if he would be willing to advise my project. He responded almost immediately with a very enthusiastic "yes!" He also put me in contact with another RV-14A builder who lives less than 5 minutes from my house. That alone made the initial contact invaluable. My tech counselor suggested meeting at my neighbor's shop to look at the progress on his project.

I'm looking forward to advice from both my tech counselor and my neighbor / fellow builder. I hope that having another project so close will help keep both of us moving forward and on track.

  Jul 11, 2020     Fundamentals Class - (9 hours) Category: Research

I took the builder assistance Fundamentals Class at Synergy Air South in Newnan, GA. The class was an excellent introduction to the tools and techniques involved in building a Van's aircraft. The class was my final "gate" before committing to my own build - I wanted to see if I had the ability to learn the skills necessary to complete the project before I got in over my head. The hands-on class was a great way to learn various construction techniques, and I'm proud to say I made every rookie mistake in the book! Hopefully I worked out most of my sloppy techniques and replaced them with some good habits for the RV-14A build!

https://synergyair.com

  Mar 17, 2020     Preview Plans       Category: Research

I ordered a digital version of the RV-14 plans from Vans Aircraft to familiarize myself with the construction techniques I need to learn, and to see how the instructions and drawings are laid out. I've spent countless hours reading and reviewing the plans, and I'm really glad I made this purchase.

https://shop.vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?ident=1487465627-494-21&browse=videos&product=fd_plans

  Feb 27, 2020     Van's Factory Tour and Orientation Flight       Category: Research

I have researched and daydreamed about building an airplane for many years. I looked at several homebuilt kit aircraft including the Falco F8L, Velocity XL-RG, Lancair ES, Lancair Mako, and Carbon Cub EX-3. After comparing different options and a rough mission analysis, I decided the Vans RV-14A is the best fit (literally) for me.

I took my first step toward building an RV-14A by visiting the Vans factory in Aurora, OR. I was very impressed with how Van's fabricates parts for their kits and the builder support infrastructure. I took an orientation flight in the factory RV-14A at the end of the tour, which highlighted the amazing design and incredible performance of the airplane. I knew immediately that the RV-14A was the right choice for me!