Blog Setup

Hello All-

This is my first of many posts documenting the build of my RV-14A.  I've reserved N410KA, but I know it will be a few years before I get to use it on the radio.  This is my first experience with building an airplane, so I know I have a lot to learn which will certainly come from many failures along the way.

A little about me up front.  I'm still active duty Air Force, living a dream come true.  It's been an awesome ride over the past 18 years, but I know my time will eventually draw to a close.  The RV-14 is my post-retirement opportunity to still "yank and bank" a little under G-Force while I'm still able.  To assist me with the build, I've enlisted the support of my wife and three boys.  I'm hoping that we can all enjoy the family time, experience and learning that this project will allow.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be setting up my three-car garage for the build.  We're moving into a new house, so I'm taking the opportunity to epoxy the floors and install a mini-split air conditioner in an attempt to deal with the Arizona heat.  I'm all about comfort when working in the shop, so I know having the right setup will be critical to ensuring that I'm willing and able to spend a bunch of time building this awesome machine.  I'll be adding a few pictures once everything is in place.

I bought all the necessary tools from Cleaveland Tools as part of their RV-14 kit.  I splurged for a few upgrades based on my research and went with the pneumatic squeezer and DRDT-2 to name a few.  While waiting on the new shop space, I took the opportunity to build Vans' toolbox to get myself familiar with some of the techniques I'll need to master.  Not surprisingly, I made quite a few mistakes on this and had to drill out a few rivets to try and make it better.  Pictures of that to follow as well. 

Once the garage is ready, I'll be ordering the tail kit and getting to work.