14 Apr 2024 - 1 hour
Well it's been about 18 months since I ordered my wings and tail kit and recently, I received the last parts to make them a complete kit! There have been quite a few ups and downs along the way but I'm back at building and it feels good!It all started when I ordered my kits, there was evidence of cracking in the structure where control surfaces attached (elevators, rudders, ailerons) so they were engineering a fix for that. Then there was supply chain issues where many parts just weren't available (powder-coated brackets, bearings, etc). Then there was the laser-cut parts (LCP) issue. Then there was Van's Aircraft filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
All that being said, I finally have a complete wing and tail kit -- let's get to building!
As part of the LCP issue, Van's replaced some parts 'out of an abundance of caution'. I have seen the testing results and, quite frankly, the LCP look like they hold up no worse than punched parts even with the cracks they can develop on dimpling. I think planes built with LCP will not have any problems now or in the future based on their test findings, however, other people will create a stigma about planes with LCP, and since I haven't set a single rivet yet on the project, I chose to replace all my LCP with punched parts. I think that it was overkill, but I will never have to worry about LCP going forward.
The first thing I did to get back into building was figure out where I had left off over a year ago... I had skipped ahead doing what I could with the parts I had, so I basically just got all my parts out and started checking off steps in the construction manual.
After wrapping my head around where I was, the only progress I actually made was deburring the new HS rear spars (HS-603PP) and the cool nested spar reinforcement doublers. I am continually amazed at the precision attainable as the nested doubler fit perfectly in the spars; the accuracy is astonishing!