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RV-9A Build Log
What's this about?
I began building an RV-9A in June of 2008. I have always liked RV airplanes ever since I saw one at an air show. Since I am a low time pilot, I chose the RV-9A. I like the idea of a slow stall speed, and efficiency in this era of high fuel prices.
The RV-9A is a two place side-by-side aluminum aircraft. It can carry engines from 115-160 hp. The performance is quite good. It will land and take-off in a short distance and cruise at a respectable speed.
Specifications
- Exterior Dimensions
- Span - 28 ft
- Length - 20 ft 5 in
- Height - 7 ft 10 in
- Wing Area - 124 sq. ft
- Weights
- Empty Weight - 1028 - 1075 lbs
- Gross Weight - 1600 - 1750 libs
- Loadings
- Wing Loading - 12.9 - 14.1 lb/sq. ft
- Power Loading - 13.6 - 10.9 lb/hp
- Powerplant/Systems
- Engine - 118 - 160 hp
- Propeller - Fixed or Constant Speed
- Fuel Capacity - 26 US gal
- Other
- Baggage - 75 lbs
Total Hours: 996.8
Latest - 2013-02-03
Fabbing fwd deck parts - 1.0 hours
Index of Work Entries
Setup Hours: 18.0
Empennage Hours: 198.7
Horizontal Stabilizer - 56.0
- Received the Empennage kit
- Assembling hs spars
- Match drilling horizontal stab spars and skins
- Dimpling and Countersinking hs skins and spars
- Dimpling hs skin and priming ribs
- Priming and assembling front spar
- Assembling and Riveting Left Horizontal Stabilizer
- Riveting the left horizontal stabilizer
- Riveting right horizontal stabilizer and rear spar
- Horizontal Stab finished
- Drilling attach angles
- Riveting attach angles
- Working on fiberglass tips
Vertical Stabilizer - 15.5
- Assembling Vertical Stabilizer
- Deburring, dimpling, vertical stabilizer
- Priming, riveting Vertical Stablizer spars
- Riveting Vertical Stabilizer
- Riveting of rear spar on vertical stabilizer
Rudder - 43.5
- Making rudder skin stiffeners
- Finishing rudder skin stiffeners
- Assembling rudder skeleton
- Finish rudder assembly, begin deburr
- Deburring, dimpling rudder skeleton
- Riveting rudder skeleton
- Riveting rudder skeleton
- Riveting rudder skin
- Riveting rudder skin to spar
- Riveting rudder ribs
- Riveting trailing edge
- Fitting fiberglass tips
Right Elevator - 30.0
- Making elevator stiffeners
- Skin and stiffener work
- Primed stiffeners
- Assembling skeleton
- Match drilling skins
- Priming, riveting elevator
- Riveting skin stiffeners and spar
- Riveting skin to spar
- Riveting skin, glueing trailing edge
- Riveting trailing edge
Left Elevator - 53.7
- Skin and stiffener work
- Primed stiffeners
- Assembling Left Elevator
- Deburring, Priming spars
- Riveting left elevator skeleton
- Riveting elevator horn
- Assembling elevator skeleton
- Tech Counseler visit & Left Elevator riveting
- Started Trim Tab
- Riveting Trim tab
- Assembling trim tab
- Riveting trim tab hinge
- Installing trim tab servo
- Installing hinge rod ends, servo pushrod
- Fitting elevator to horizontal stabilizer
- Skin and stiffener work
- Primed stiffeners
Wings Hours: 410.5
Setup - 7.0
Left Wing - 170.5
- Prepping forward spar
- Installing tie-down
- Drilling rear spar
- Assembling rear spar
- Deburring ribs
- More Rib deburring
- Rib deburring, etc, etc
- Rib deburring and fluting
- Finished ribs, final drilling ribs to spars
- Finishing ribs
- Priming ribs
- Priming more ribs
- Riveting ribs to spars
- Building the wing jig
- Drilling top wing skins
- Drilling bottom wing skins, Starting tank
- Assembling ribs in tank
- Assembling tank
- Fitting tank to wing
- Countersinking tank skin
- Tank attach angle
- More tank assembly
- Preparing parts for final assembly
- Riveting stiffeners to tank
- Catching up
- Dimpling skins
- Cleaning and priming wing skins
- Riveting outer nose rib and skin assembly
- Riveting assembly to spar
- Finish sealing the tank
- Bolting on tank
- Riveting upper skin
- Landing light work
- Riveting upper wing skin
- Aileron Hinges
- Flap Hinges
- Flap hinge angles
- Tech Counseler Visit
- Fabbing pushrod tubes
- Installing aileron bellcrank
- Removing Left Fuel tank Cover
Right Wing - 145.5
- Installing nutplates on spar
- Installing tie-down bracket
- Rear spar assembly
- Drilling wing ribs
- Riveting ribs to spars
- Assembling leading edge
- Assembling tank
- Drilling tank
- Countersink skin to baffle holes
- More tank prep
- Tank fab work
- More Tank fab work
- Tank hatch assembly and fuel vent line
- Assembling cap plates
- More tank details
- Skin prep work
- Building tank
- Fabricating fuel pickup tube
- Installing baffle
- Sealing bracket and baffle rivets
- Deburring and Dimpling
- Dimpling skins
- Priming parts
- Wing spar countersinking
- Riveting leading edge to spar
- Bolted tank to spar
- Riveting upper wing skins
- Installing aileron hinges
- Working on flap hinges
- Installing flap hinge angles
- Drilling landing light lens
- Adjusting W-918 aileron pushrods
Ailerons - 37.2
- Assembling left spar
- Assembly of aileron
- Riveting A-910 stiffeners to skins
- Assembly of left aileron
- Riveting left aileron
- Starting on right aileron
- Assembling Right Aileron
- Priming skins and stiffeners
- Riveting Skins and Stiffeners
- Riveting right aileron
- Finishing right aileron
Flaps - 50.3
- Left flap leading edge ribs
- Start assembling left flap
- Drilling skin holes
- Assembling right flap
- Drilling right flap
- Painting left flap parts
- Riveting left flap
- Riveting left flap skeleton
- Riveting upper flap skin
- Riveting lower skin
- Prepping Right Flap parts
- Riveting Right nose ribs
- Riveting right flap skeleton
- Riveting right flap
- Riveting lower skin
Fuselage Hours: 369.5
Bulkheads - 82.6
- Inventory of Fuselage Kit
- Overhead shelf
- Starting firewall
- Deburring firewall parts
- Deburring, painting, Riveting firewall
- Riveting F-904 bulkhead
- Control Column assembly
- Building brackets
- F-705 Seat belt brackets
- F-706 Bulkhead and catch-up
- Riveting F-706 bulkhead
- After Bulkhead parts
- Cleaning and painting parts
- Riveting aft-bulkhead parts
- Cutting longerons
- Bending longerons
Tailcone - 30.5
- Assembling tailcone for drilling
- Alignment and final drilling
- Deburring, dimpling
- Priming and assembling
- Riveting tailcone
Center Section - 36.9
- Trimming seat frames
- Installing nutplates on seat ribs
- Assembling Center section
- Baggage rib work
- Finishing center section assembly and drilling
- Priming, started final assembly
- Fitting F-915 ribs
- Riveting center section skin
- Finished riveting
Forward Section - 62.3
- Floor skins and fitting tailcone and center section
- Fitting forward side skins
- Bending side skins
- Drilling longerons
- Longeron work forward of F-904 bulkhead
- Left Lower Longeron
- Gusset work
- Lower Longeron, web, Gusset
- Landing Gear web
- Riveting webs and starting rudder pedals
- Rudder pedal Work
- Baggage compartment ribs
- Floor Stiffeners
- Disassembling, deburring, painting
Forward Assembly - 44.6
- Riveting landing gear webs
- Assembling Fuselage
- Riveting fuselage
- Rolling it over
- Leveling fuselage
- Drilling aft deck
- Aft deck shims
- Riveting aft deck
- Forward gussets and canopy rails
- Riveting side rails
Skins/Baggage - 51.7
- Fitting upper skins
- Drilling upper skins
- Bellcrank work
- Fitting WD-657 steps
- Finishing steps
- Left Brake Pedals
- Bulkhead covers
- Seat backs
- Finishing seat backs
- Fuselage Gussets
- Riveting baggage compartment floors
- Shimming nutplate for Baggage Compartment
- Baggage Bulkhead
- Installing Baggage Bulkhead Fasteners
Floors/Seats - 33.4
- Fabbing and Drilling seat hinges
- Putting in Seat Floors
- F-741 Cover
- Seatbelt brackets
- Installing Seat Belt Brackets
- Painting floor panels
- Drilling flap actuator
- Heat Baffle
- Fuel Valve Housing
Fuselage Systems - 26.5
- Assembling Brake Pedals
- Installing Brake Pedals
- Aileron Trim Bracket
- Flap Weldment fitting
- Flap Motor Mount
- Flap Motor Housing
- Main Gear Weldments
- Drilling Main Landing Gear Weldment
- Finish drilling MLG mounts