One Year of Building an RV-10

Saturday March 23rd 2013 marked the 1st year anniversary of starting the RV-10. A year ago I unpacked my tail and fuselage kits (I ordered them together to save on shipping). I must say it feels as if the year has gone by very quickly. Although, at times, I feel that I will never get this project completed. It helps to look through my building log (this very one) and see just how far I have come in one year. I look back a month or two ago and realize how much I have accomplished in that time. Small bits of encouragement and excitement happen periodically as well as the discouragements. Brush off any of the discouragement and go back to building. Soon the time will come when the wings will be complete and moved up to the loft of the workshop and then the tail will go on the fuselage, that day will be a great feeling. The shop will be reorganized and something that really resembles an airplane will be sitting in the middle of the shop.....see I'm excited again!

2012
March 23rd   - Started building my RV-10
April 8th       - Finished Vertical Stabilizer
April 9th       - 51.75 hrs
April 15th     - Finished Rudder
April 16th     - 61.0 hrs
May 13th      - Finished Horizontal Stabilizer
May 14th      - 127.5 hrs
June 10th      - Finished Elevators
June 12th      - 166.0 hrs
July 5th        - 175 hrs
July 12th      - 29th Birthday
July 15th      - Started Fuselage Section
July 2nd       - Fuselage Bulkheads Completed
Aug 15th      - 218.5 hrs
Sept 13th      - Tailcone Completed
Sept 18th      - Lower Fuselage Completed
Sept 19th      - 286.0 hrs
Oct 1st          - Ordered Wing Kit
Oct 8th          - Firewall Complete
Oct 31st        - Lower Fuselage Complete
Dec 2nd        - Fuselage Side Skins Complete
Dec 3rd         - 440.5 hrs
Dec 4th         - Wing Kit Arrival
Dec 5th         - Started Wings
Dec 9th        - Wing Spars Complete
Dec 17th      - Wing Ribs Complete
Dec 21st      - Ayla was born.
2013
Jan 3rd        - Aft Spar Complete
Feb 11th     - Otbd Leading Edges Complete
Feb 11th     - 534.25 hrs
Feb 18th     - LH Wing Top Skin Complete
Feb 25th     - Started Fuel Tanks
Feb 25th     - 546.75 hrs
Mach 25th  -587.25 hrs

Stats As of March 25th 2013
587.25 hrs total

146.75hrs of the total belong to the wings (includes tank time)
43hrs solely to the fuel tanks
440.5hrs is a mixture of tail and fuselage both still have work to be done on them.
About 49 hrs per month, 11.3 hrs per week

As always blue is completed and red is in work.

The following are pictures of all the parts I have completed in one year or are still in work. A tour around the shop!

Fuselage on top of stand. Taicone stored on top of fuselage. LH Fuel tank stored under fuselage. Bottom wing skins on LH side of picture in storage.

RH Fuel tank in work.

LH Wing waiting to moved to stand after RH wing top skin is finished being riveted.

RH wing on stand waiting to finish riveting. Notice harware bins to left side of picture, very handy.

Vertical Stabilizer, Rudder, Elevators in storage. Hardware bags and lists layed out on top for convenience. Stairs to loft on right side of pic.

Horizontal Stabilizer stored on loft. Canopy stored up on the loft waiting to be used, along with many other piece parts.

Panoramic view (makes it look huge) showing the crowded workshop. When the wings are completed they will be moved to the loft and the shop will be rearranged to gain a lot more space.

A normal picture just to put the scale of the shop in perspective.

My other joy that arrived in Dec of 2012. She is now 3 months old and a tiny 10lbs.