For New Builders

Every so often a new plans-builder will contact me for advice on how to get started building. They have a set of plans in front of them but are overwhelmed by where to begin. The following are my thoughts on the subject.

First of all, if you are building a Zenith Aircraft attend the Rudder Workshop. Words can not describe how "worth it" the workshop is. Get a copy of the FAA manual “AC 43.13-1b Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices; Aircraft Inspection, Repair and Alterations” and consult it on all technical matters. Other books such as the Tony Bingelis series are excellent, as well, to help you understand the FAA speak in AC 43.13-1b. Worry yourself with the information inside these such as proper rivet edge distance, rivet length, bend radii, and especially consult these sources with any deviation from the plans (keep these to a minimum but sometimes we can clean up a mistake this way--and you will make mistakes).

Edge Distance (e)
=
3 X Rivet Diameter (d) (2 X d Min)

Having said that, most new builders (myself included) tend to become overly bothered with perfection. As you move along in your build you will find that there are times when all the measuring and obsessing over your wing ribs being absolutely perfect is slowing you down unnecessarily.  You may start with perfectly drawn CAD templates, as I did but, it is unrealistic to think that after running your template and blocks through the band saw; routing the edges an 1/8 inch;  bend metal around them; then hand straitening the part, that you will have perfectly formed ribs with no error. Well let me rephrase that . . . with no deviation from the design on paper. If your forming blocks are 1mm larger or smaller all the way around than the next guy’s, what will that matter? Every plane will be slightly different from the next. Don’t get overly obsessed with your plane being perfect.

Again do not confuse this with important things like rivet edge distance, and the like, where 1mm the wrong direction can mean a lot, and be very dangerous. And don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting that you go at this haphazardly. It's just that most folks, of the type that take on the challenge of building an aircraft, tend to be overly perfectionist. Just accept that your plane will be one of a kind and keep moving steadily along. Take pride, but don't be anal-retentive about it. Besides you will discover that the plans, and for that matter certified aircraft, have mistakes and are kind of ruff and loose in places. Take a look at a half-a-million-dollar, certified airplane sometime up close. They don’t have the tight fit and finish you would expect. I’ve heard of large batches of certified aircraft (of a well known type) being sold and flown for sometime before it was discovered that a whole row of something like 27 rivets were missing.

Also, you might as well prepare yourself for this; YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES. So do yourself a favor and just accept this. You will bend metal the wrong direction, only to discover it the second it comes out of the brake (check). You will drill something too soon (Yep, done that!). You will make a part out of the wrong thickness of material (Uh huh). All these things will happen, but don’t worry; you will discover them in time to do something about each of them. In the course of building you will be forced to check and recheck yourself constantly. These things will not go undetected for long--just long enough to piss you off once you discover you have to remake the part. But that is OK too, because you made one already you can easily make another. Scratch-building (or Scrap-building) is cheap. Seriously a wing rib costs me about $5 to make. NO biggie. Don’t spend hours agonizing over a mistake (or attempting not to make one by procrastinating getting started) that you can fix for $5. If you make a mistake just remake the part and keep going. Also don’t spend time trying to fix a part that you could remake in less time.

The point I am trying to make is; GET STARTED. MAKE MISTAKES. IT’S ALL PART OF THE LEARNING PROCESS. HAVE FUN!

It is easy to be overwhelmed at first. Just make a part at a time; an assembly at a time; a parts order at a time; and it will all start to come together.  

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