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Slow Build Time - Which is quicker wings or fuselage?

bgrandorff

Active Member
With the quick build kits 7 months - 12 months out (just in talking with Vans on the phone), I'd like to use that wait time to work on a kit.

With that in mind, which tends to take longer, wings or fuselage? Just what's included with the kit, meaning fuselage minus the electronics, interior and so on.

I'd like to order one or the other and then work on it for those 5+ months in difference.

Hope this isn't too loaded of a question. My guess is wings would take less but it's been years since I've studied this.
 
RV14A-Wings vs Fuselage

Wings, slow-build; took me about one year at a reasonable pace, 10-15 hrs / week, mostly by myself except for bottom skins needed help to buck rivets.

Fuselage, quick-build; took about 120 hrs to substantially finish up. I was hearing that the fuselage slow-build was taking other builders between 1200 to 1800 hours, for me that would be close to two years - so went quick build fuselage.
 
I know everyone works at a different speed, but I received my slow build fuselage in October and I had it to quick build stage by mid-February. I don't keep track of my hours, but it seemed to go together pretty quickly.
 
Wijgs

The wings go fasted to QB stage. Fuse to QB stage doesn't take much longer. It's the other stuff that slows the project. Finishing kit canopy!
 
Can't talk to speed but I found the fuse much more enjoyable to build than the wings. If I were to pick one QB kit I'd buy the QB wings and have fun building a SB fuse while I waited.
 
I haven't started my fuselage yet so I can't compare the time for both with any personal experience, but if I were to build another one I would seriously consider quick build wings. I'm building both of the wings at the same time and building each component twice is extremely tedious. Plus, once I finish a component for one wing my excitement really drops off when it's time to go finish the same component for the other wing so a lot of the time the second one actually takes me longer than the first.
 
QB wings

I did both fuselage and wings slow build. I am not sure of the time differential to QB stage, but can absolutely state that I if I were to choose one or the other for QB it would be the wings. In fact I would wait on ordering the QB wings until later in the project as the vast majority of build time is in the fuselage. As mentioned in my Kitlog I saved the wings until last excepting FWF. That way I did not have a $10K bill hanging from the wall as I completed the balance of the aircraft systems.

I found the fuselage and the many systems that had to be installed by far and away the most fun of the build.
 
Recommend wings for the quick build. Fuse was much more fun as each step was new. Wings just sucked the fun out of the build as it was a lot of repetition.
 
Recommend wings for the quick build. Fuse was much more fun as each step was new. Wings just sucked the fun out of the build as it was a lot of repetition.

Currently on wings. Agree 100%. Wings are like building the horizontal stabilizer.. except bigger. Like deburring ribs? do it 30 times! Like countersinking? You get to do it 800+ times in the spar! Like cutting stiffeners out of stock? You get to do it 30ish times for the ailerons alone! Oh and you get the fun of trying to decipher the aileron SB and how it fits into the existing plans (don't forgot those countersinks.. i sure did!).

And the fuel tank instructions are incomplete AND incorrect, which makes things even more "fun".
 
I did the slow fuselage and quick wings, perhaps for different reasons.

The wings are boring, period. Plus the infamous tank sealant that will destroy at least several pants and shirts. One set of tanks in my non prepunched -6 was more than enough. (If you do make the mistake and build tanks, look up the sticky thread on the building tips forum)

The fuselage is fun, something different every day. You won?t get tired of dimpling huge skins, and you will be amazed to watch it grow from a (big) pile of parts into a wonder in the home builder world.
 
I am getting close to being finished with my wings, and I have the fuselage kit waiting. I can't compare the two yet, but I will confirm that the wings are extremely repetitive and it has been difficult to remain engaged at times (for instance when I finished deburring the ribs on the left wing and realized I had another 15 to go). I expect the fuselage will be a lot more fun and engaging. If I were going to do a quick build, I'd consider the wings.

However, I'm glad I chose to do the slow build; as much of a slog as it can be, the accomplishment is worth it.
 
Just ordered my -8 wings.. what about the fuel tank instructions are incomplete and incorrect?

This is the -10 forum so I can't speak to the -8. But on the -10 here is what I remember off the top of my head:

- parts attaching to the tank attach bracket have swapped p/ns. this is fixed in the -14 plans
- you aren't told to drill out the vent attach clip for the vent line bushings. also fixed in the -14 plans. the -14 also has a better location for the vent line IMO.
- tank fill p/n changed. i think the skin changed as well. again fixed in the -14
- tank fill instructions are wrong since the p/n changed along with the shape (it doesn't have to be reshaped now)
- tank fill rivet call outs are mostly wrong (see -14 plans for correct)
- you don't need to seal the sending unit nut plates (also changed in the -14 instructions)
- nitpick/improvement: no instructions/parts for a fuel return. also changed in the -14 kit. the -14 location for the va-141 mostly works if you move it forward and down about 1/8" to clear the upper stiffener. there have been several bit by locating the return too far aft.
- improvement: the -14 plans have clarification on how and where to do some ops that improve the fit and finish of the tank.
 
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