Smitty's RV-9A - Experimental Aircraft from Van's Aircraft The RV-9A from Van's Aircraft Monday, September 06, 2010 -
Howdeeeeee! I'm building an RV-9A from Van's Aircraft. Take your shoes off and sit a spell. Give me a holler if ya' got questions or ya' just wanna chew the fat about RV's.
 
Howdy Ya'll!
Howdy! I building an RV-9A! I'm an aviation nut and am excited about building my RV-9A from Van's Aircraft. Have a look around!
Do what yer' Momma said...
Go Play!
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Construction Log
Preparation
Empennage
- Horizontal Stabilizer (49:40)
- Vertical Stabilizer (21:15)
- Rudder (32:15)
- Right Elevator (35:45)
- Left Elevator (30:50)
Wings
- Inventory & Setup (9:30)
- Left Wing Prep (54:30)
- Left Fuel Tank (45:20)
- Left Wing Skins (46:10)
- Right Wing Prep (34:15)
- Right Fuel Tank (47:50)
- Right Wing Skins (40:15)
- Ailerons (54:30)
- Flaps (40:30)
- Rods and ends (18:45)
Fuselage
- Fuselage Parts List
- Inventory and Setup (7:15)
- FireWall (14:30)
- F-704 Bulkhead (13:25)
- F-705 Bulkhead (14:20)
- Other Bulkheads
   and Longerons
(17:30)

- Tailcone (29:30)
- Center Section (35:15)
- Forward Section (52:40)
- Forward Assembly (24:30)
- Skins/Baggage Area (46:30)
- Seats & Seat Floors (30:15)
- Flaps & Gear Mounts (18:15)
- Fuselage Plumbing (14:0)
- Tail Feathers (16:35)
- Front Deck/Firewall (58:50)
- Electrical
Finish Kit
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Rudder
 
Started working on Rudder Stiffeners 10/29/2005 - Started working on Rudder Stiffeners
I spent a lot of time reading the plans and looking at the drawing before I finally figured out how to cut these puppies. Van's has put small circular cuts in the stiffeners that are used as marks to ... read more
Final drilled the stiffeners to the right rudder skin 10/30/2005 - Final drilled the stiffeners to the right rudder skin
Because of space issues, I have decided to do one side at a time. Here I final drilled the stiffeners into the skin and clecoed everything down to the work table. ... read more
Finishing up the Left Rudder Skin 10/31/2005 - Finishing up the Left Rudder Skin
I placed the stiffeners on the left skin and final drilled them with a #40 drill bit right into the work bench and clecoed everything down. ... read more
Started work on the Rudder Skeleton 11/1/2005 - Started work on the Rudder Skeleton
Clecoed the bottom rib to the front spar and final drilled the holes. Also created a small 3 1/2 x 1 1/8 inch shim from a long piece in the kit that was already 1 1/8" inches wide. ... read more
Trimmed and clecoed on rudder brace 11/2/2005 - Trimmed and clecoed on rudder brace
The R-710 rudder brace has to have two sides trimmed off in order to fit on the bottom of the rudder. It has small predrilled holes in it used to "connect the dots" for the cutting lines. I cut the ex ... read more
Primed the rudder inerds 11/3/2005 - Primed the rudder inerds
Not near as much sanding as the Horizontal Stabilizer. I made sure to wear my mask and spray paint these puppies outside in the back yard. ... read more
Riveted the rudder skins to the inner skeleton 11/4/2005 - Riveted the rudder skins to the inner skeleton
Got all the rivets in with the 4 inch yoke on my Avery rivet squeezer and bought a new "no-hole" yoke to do the last ones in the top and bottom ribs. ... read more
Countersinked the rudder trailing edge wedge 11/5/2005 - Countersinked the rudder trailing edge wedge
Couldn't sleep and got up early this morning. I decided to not to crank up the compressor. My neighbor said that he could hear the drill the other day. He wasn't complaining, just wanted to know how t ... read more
Ready to rivet the rudder trailing edge 11/7/2005 - Ready to rivet the rudder trailing edge
Well, here it is. Make it or break it. I decided to go with Van's instructions all the way on this trailing edge construction, except for one thing. I used a large, heavy piece of steel angle to use a ... read more
The "cover your butt" section
This website was built to document my work on my RV-9A in compliance with the FAA requirements needed to certify my aircraft. My experiences and comments are by no means to be considered as instructions on how to build an RV-9A or any other aircraft.
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