RV Builders' Hotline - March 25, 2006

Where dreams meet metal
Sooner or later, you've got to figure out what'll be staring back at you in that RV.

Warren Starkebaum

I've been tailing Warren Starkebaum of Plymouth, Minnesota around for a few years now. He manages to stay ahead of me in the building phase and gets to do much and come up with ideas I end up stealing.

I stopped up to his hangar at Crystal Airport last Sunday to see how the project is going and get further "inspired." He's been sending me various iterations of a panel. They're on the wall behind him there. And I suspect Warren spends much of his time in about-face mode, looking at them and trying to figure out what should go in.

Warren started his research with e-Panel Builder Web site. Registration is required and while some sections of the site are free, enhanced tools are available for $39. Under the free version, I couldn't load a Van's panel; but maybe that was just me. (For a much more expensive option,there's Panel Planner software).

One of the main issues Warren realized at this point was that a couple of ribs behind the panel prevented him from putting things where he wanted. A visit to Paul Hove's RV-7A project at a recent Minnesota Wing of VAF meeting found a solution. Paul had used a modular unit from Affordable Panels.

Their Web site identified the problem and offered their solution. "Our research revealed that the location of the F-745-L gave little choice as to the location of the primary flight instruments. Most, if not all, exhibited a layout which included the airspeed indicator and the artificial horizon located to the left of the F-745-L rib."

What to put in the panel is a whole 'nother story that -- everyone says -- has to do with your "mission," but, let's face it, also has to do with the "he's got one. I want one too" syndrome (oh, did you think everyone actually needed those SUVs?) and how much you're willing to pay to medicate it. On suggestion from Warren on this stage: wait until the last possible minute to buy your avionics. Things are changing fast and prices could be lower.
Related Links:
Romeolima.com : My Panel
Tony Bingelis: Planning your instrument panel (EAA members)
The "minimalist" instrument panel (sbw.org)
Thread: Matronics archive: Panel planning (1999 - manual search required)
Reference: RVator 2003 Issue 6. Thoughts on panel design (Amit Dagan)

Building with pizzazz
As much as we love 'em, after awhile, builder sites start to look the same. Here's one where memories are being built in a different way.
Some people take flags to the top of a mountain peak. Richard Socash (father) and Connie Socash (daughter)(daughter)take airplane parts. And they honored World War II flying vets by having a day where they'd work on the plane. This isn't about just building an airplane with tools. This is about building one with love. (Web site)

Storms scupper pilot's record bid
A pilot's attempt to break a flight record in a single-engine "homebuilt" aircraft has been scuppered by bad weather in the Pacific. (BBC) But he has made it across the Pacific. (Web site)

Oregon's RV-16s
The EAA Chapter 105 recently met in a hangar shared by two RV-3 and an RV-10. Here's a great write-up in their spectacular monthly newsletter (pdf)as well as some good advice on those plastic fittings for brake lines. Can't wait for the write-up on the instrument panel clinic.
Related Link:
EAA Chapter 105 (Home Wing)

Q: I still don't have my wheel fairings on. This weekend during preflight I noticed some black goo, tar-like stuff oozing out around the rubber bearing seals on my nosewheel. It did not appear until I had about a dozen landings on the airplane. Since the grease that was in it originally was the normal amber color I was a bit surprised to see this color, and also a bit surprised to see it leaking out as it had been perfectly clean up until this point. Anybody else seen such a thing? (Mark Navratil)

A: Mark, I would assume the dark stuff is grease. as for the tightness/spacers spinning, I noticed the spacers spinning problem (I didn't build the 6a)When
I took off the wheel at cond inspection I ended up adding a washer on one side of spacer which allowed me to tighten the axle bolt properly without binding
the wheel. (Charlie Heathco). See full thread.

Elevator Counterweight

With this simple modification, you can easily and precisely adjust the elevator's counterbalanced weight to accommodate any current or future balancing requirements such as might be confronted after the application of paint. I did this on my -8 empennage kit and hopefully is of the same general design as your -7. What I did was install a 1/4" nutplate through the forward tooling hole on the outboard rib and by simply stacking a combination of area washers though a bolt on the opposite side of that rib, precise balancing is quickly adjusted. (Rick Galati. Read thread on RV List)