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AX-O's Fastback RV-4

Welcome to the VAF Greg.

Just click on his name above and over to the right side, you are given the option of emailing Axel or sending him a PM (Private Message).
 
Few pics of the plane. The "to-do" list is getting small :D

And "no" the com wires do not interfere with the controls.

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Still cleaning up the wiring:
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Nice job on the wiring

Thanks for the post on the wiring. I am fast approaching this part of the build and as always really enjoy seeing what others have done already.
 
No pictures, not even a description of work however, a little white envelope left my house today. It is heading to the FAA registration office :D omg this thing may actually fly!
 
What are the 2 boxes near the battery and the box forward of the pitch servo? Fantastic job. Thank you for posting. I'm still mulling over making mine a fastback.
 
Well this weekend will be weight and balance, unusable fuel determination and small items :)
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Axel----------lookin good:D

The fastback just makes the already fantastic lines of the 4 all that much better.

Icing on the cake;)

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Well i sent the paper work in to the FAA on last thur. Today my registration is showing an airplane and not a reserved N-number. One week :eek: i was prepared for weeks of waiting. Weight and balance tomorrow.
 
Well I tried to get a video of the first engine start done but my devices don't want to play.

That being said. Today I started the engine. :D Had all the systems working.

A few thing went wrong:
-A couple of fuel fittings were not as tight as they needed to be so they leaked during fuel checks. Got it corrected.

-Operator error. I followed the check-list but when it said "BAT ON" I used the wrong battery switch. I have a way to drop the battery/start contactor. after a few seconds of frustration. I told myself to think and I figure it out. It was a habit that I developed from doing all my ground tests. Instead of wasting battery life, I kept by-passing the contactors.

-The RPM indicated was twice the actual. I chose 1 on the EFIS. I will set it up to 0.5 pulses.

That was it. Now to schedule the DAR.
 
-The RPM indicated was twice the actual. I chose 1 on the EFIS. I will set it up to 0.5 pulses.

Set at 1ppr, your engine monitor is expecting 2700 pulses in one minute at full rated rpm. But the reading is twice as high as you're wanting, which means there are 5400 pulses actually occurring in that minute (at 2700 rpm). If you set the engine monitor to 0.5, it will be expecting to see 1350 pulses but you're feeding it 5400, which means the reading will be 4x high.

Set the engine monitor to 2ppr and things should come down where you want them.

Congrats on the start!!!
 
DAR inspection.

Had my DAR inspection done yesterday. All went smooth. He found the jam nut on the elevator trim lose. Everything else on the aircraft was ok.

We did however spend over an hour going back and forward regarding my N number. I put the "X" on it and he was not familiar with it. Even after showing him all the regs he was still worried. He called the FAA and it all worked out at the end.

So if you go that route, give your DAR a heads up when you submit your paper work to him so he can research it. The "X" does not show up on any paper work. He was a nice guy and brought his wife along.

We also spent about 45 minutes on the operating limitations. I was the first one to receive the new ones In my area. Holy c-r-a-p!!, are they different than the previous ones. I will post on another thread asking Mel some questions later.

Then he proceeded to graffiti my plane with a sharpie.

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First flight

Well, I typed up this nice first flight report and internet explorer quit before posting. So now this is short.

I flew today. Plane felt great. Cut it short due to high CHTs and oil temps. Pics below from my wife. Video at some later time. it took over 9 years of hard work to get to this point and there will be a lot more yet to go. So is the plane 9 or is she 0 today?

briefing
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Studying test plan, flight cards and test hazards.
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time to go
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Celebration
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Congratulations!

Axel,

Great news! I have followed your progress through the years, and you are an inspiration. Now enjoy your new beautiful RV-4!

Regards,

Fernando
 
Congratulaions! Great job on the build and thank you for sharing all the details. All of us other guys really need that information AND inspiration. It is SO important and it's much appreciated.

Now my top rear fuse usn't finished....do I go fastback.....???:cool:
 
Luv the -4

Congratulations......I've been following along with your build over the years, nice to see that RV grin....you're going to really love the -4, its the best of the fleet in my opinion (but I may be a little bias)...:)
 
Way to Go

Congratulations Axel

I also have followed your progress through the years, and you are an inspiration and a great craftman

Now enjoy your new beautiful RV-4 and keep us posted on how she goes..

Bruno
[email protected]
 
WTG

Axel,

Way to go! Please don't stop here. I have been following your Fast Back build for years, and have found it an inspiration, and informative for my own Fast Back 4. I look forward to hearing more about flight testing, and comparisons of your previous 4.

BTW, I understand your previous 4 is coming out to our neck of the woods which I look forward to having another 4 in the area.

I appreciate what you have done, and posting here which has been most helpful. I appreciate the fact that you were one of the first people I spoke with when I was contemplating building a RV4FB, and you were gracious enough to offer any advice needed.
 
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Nine or Zero?

The project is "9". The airplane is "0" (or maybe 1 day old!)
Congratulations.
My project is 10-1/2. Still not an airplane yet.
 
Good job mate.

Nice work, I bet you are happy to be flying. I have Adam coming to do my airworthiness inspection in a weeks time.
Cheers

Nige
 
Congrats on 1st Flight

Axel,

Congrats on your first flight! Been following your progress for a number of years. You should be very proud of your hard work and dedication to the finished product. And a nice product indeed! Your attention to detail is impressive and loads of nice touches a lot of us didn't think of.

I also appreciate the time you took during the build to answer other owners questions. I had been thinkinking of ways to enhance the look of my panel and then you threw a post up of your panel and there it was- the carbon fiber panel. You helped me a lot with the carbon fiber look on my panel and I appreciate the time you took out of your build to do that.

Have a blast with Phase 1 and hope to see more pics/write ups/videos. Look forward to seeing the plane in person someday.

Nice job,
Oly
 
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