Lucky-13 RV-8A Project Home Page S.
Metzger © 2006
This web page is to serve to document my progress through the construction of a Van's RV-8A (and other things)
Last updated 10/23/06
Current Status: 10/03/06 - VS mounted. here
My new distraction: 10/08/06 - A new Toy!!!.
here
Big_G's= Big_Fun: Air Combat USA. If you've got some spare $$$, this is a fun way to blow it.Click here
Background
I'm building a Van's RV-8A two-place, high-performance, single-engined aircraft. This web site is to chronicle my construction process and progress. There may or may not be interesting bits for folks building planes of their own. I am not a master craftsman by any means. Most of my tricks and techniques have been stolen liberally from others.
Perhaps of most benefit are the problems enountered and how I get around them. One of the most helpful things about the websites of others is looking at photos of partcularly tricky bits that required innovation to surmount. More than likely others enocounter the same sort of challenge that I face and reading their methods has been the key to solving my own issue du jour.
Before starting a new major sub assembly I'll do two things; First, clean the workshop. Second, check the web to see how others handled what I am about to tackle. This is one of the unspoken benefits of the Van's designs. They are extremely numerous, and probably the best web-documented planes on the market. This web site is my way of contributing to that community from which I have benefited so greatly.
Since very early youth I have been enraptured by aviation in most forms. As a kid I did the usual Cox control-line models (never very successfully), progressing through radio-controlled models into adulthood. In 1998, my loving wife Lee gave me a gift certificate for lessons at a local flight school. That started my serious involvement with man-carrying flying machines. I quickly got my PPSEL, and progressed rapidly through an instrument rating.
Along the way I acquired a 1977 Cessna Cardinal RG-II (N52579), which has given many hours of adventure (about 800 so far) in the eastern half of the US. I have yet to cross the Rockies, but have been all over the country east of there. Up and down the east coast more times than I can count, out to Oshkosh a bunch of times, and a whole host of places in between. One of our favorite destinations is Washington DC, which is an easy 3.5 hour flight from base in Fitchburg, MA (KFIT).
It was natural to blend my flying interest with my desire to build things in the form of my RV project. I should note that this is my second attempt at starting a major homebuilding project. The first was also a Van's RV-8A, but I ended up selling the project shortly after I acquired the kit, since after starting up my third startup company I had almost no time to work on the project. I sold it to Ulf Peterson in Peachtree City, GA, and I understand that he is very near completion of it. Ulf, if you ever read this, I sure would like to see the state of the bird.
I have looked at many, many, different planes over the course of years, and each time have returned to Van's designs. Contenders have been the Pulsar (too small & limited payload, but slick looking), Glasair-II (too long to construct), Lancair Legacy (very expensive and hard to insure), and the RV-6/7. My three primary requirements are speed (200+ mph), tricycle gear (I'll happily trade the machismo for the crosswind ease), and gentlemen's aerobatics. I spent quite some time debating between the 7A and the 8A, since I like lots of goodies in the panel, but rides in each convinced me that the centerline seating, and magic visibility of the 8 were much more to my liking. Van's stellar design and corporate reputation are hard to beat as well.Disclaimer
The logo at the top of the index is a modification to artwork belonging to Lucky 13 Apparel, Inc. I like the Bettie Page pinup-like artwork and will likely get some airbrushed on the nose of the plane on completion. The proper legalities will be handled when I get closer to the actual use on the plane. The page background is clipped from Van´s website RV8A 3-views. There's more, I'm sure.