Priming can be a contentious issue amongst homebuilders. Whether or not to do it in the first place, how extensively to do it, what materials to utilize in the course of doing it, etc.
On my first RV many years ago, I primed nearly every interior surface with zinc chromate. Over the years, I’ve realized that my old approach was complete overkill. I’ve seen many airplanes over a half-century old with little to no corrosion. Consequently, my new RV will be primed (with self-etching, rattle-can primer) wherever I think appropriate. I won’t be doing most skins or other large, Alclad surfaces, but will be doing small components, non-Alclad parts, and (of course) any non-powdercoated steel.
The first parts to be primed about to receive their coating…Let the priming commence!Vertical stabilizer components primed!
Vertical stabilizer skeleton drilled and clecoed together.Vertical stabilizer skin drilled and clecoed to the skeleton.My camera-shy wife holding the fully-drilled vertical stabilizer assembly.Yours truly (considerably less shy) holding the fully-drilled vertical stabilizer assembly.Now that it’s all clecoed together, it’s time to take it all apart for deburring, priming, and final assembly.Disassembly about to commence…
All great undertakings have their beginnings in simplicity. In the case of this project, that means drilling the vertical stabilizer spar components together. And so it goes…
Vertical stabilizer spar beginnings…Vertical stabilizer spar components fully drilled and clecoed in place.
As many of you know, I’ve been obsessed with aviation all of my life and have, at various times, been a pilot, flight instructor, homebuilder, etc. After selling my beloved RV-8 years ago, I’ve always missed being a part of the wider RV community, to say nothing of flying, itself.
After spending all these years on other pursuits (chiefly motorcycles and sports cars – I still need to sell my Ferrari to create sufficient garage space for the project), I’m finally ready to dive back into aviation with both feet! As a dedicated RVator, my chosen kit this time around is the RV-14A.
The biggest decision I’ve faced thus far was tailwheel vs. nosewheel. While my own preference leans strongly toward the former for many reasons, spousal comfort and approval has shifted the balance toward the latter and a nosewheel it shall be!
Given that my RV-8 was constructed from a standard (non-QB) kit over 29 months (between 12/99 – 5/02), I’m hopeful that the much-improved RV-14A kit will require somewhat less time, but we shall see. Ultimately, it’ll be done when it’s done. My natural impatience notwithstanding, rest assured that it’ll be the absolute best work that I can do.
I ordered the tail and wing kits simultaneously a few weeks ago, delayed shipping the tail kit until I returned from my Hawaiian vacation, and just received it earlier this week. Yesterday, I completed the inventory (nothing damaged, missing, or backordered – a miracle!) and, having stored various airplane components around the house once again, will get construction underway this morning with the vertical stabilizer.
Standby for progress…
Assorted empennage skins, tailcone skins, and other bits in the living room.Tailcone side skins in the dining room.Even more skins in the office.Empennage kit hardware inventory underway.Empennage kit hardware inventory completed.Starting to get organized on the auxiliary bench.
