I
first decided to build an airplane in 2011. I was looking for a
long-distance cross country aircraft, as I do a considerable amount of
personal air travel every
year. This would offer me me a practical use for my pilot's
license
and an opportunity to fly the same routes I fly commercially in my own
aircraft. Given the increasingly arduous restrictions and
procedures for commercial air travel, affords me to
travel point to point in about the same amount of time as commercial
air travel, if not faster in some cases. In 2012, I purchased
plans for a Cozy MKIV. Its an incredible cross country machine,
but being all fiberglass construction, they are difficult to build
unless you really enjoy being hot, itchy and stuck in the shop for
hours on end to finish a layup. After several years of starts and
stops, I discovered the RV7 and realized that it exceeded my goals for
an aircraft, as it could work as both a cross-country platform, and
capable of aerobatics.
The rivetted aluminum construction is also my preferred construciton,
and you can literally work on it with whatever spare time you have,
even if its only 5-10 minutes.
On
the following pages, I will document the construction of N451BX, for
the purpose of FAA construction requirements, and also as a source of
information for others interested in building an RV7. The
information I have gained from other builder's sites has been
invaluable, so I intend to contribute what I can as well. Of
course, this site and all material within comes with the disclaimer
that I am not responsible for anyone's actions based on the information
published
here. As such, this site is presented publicly only for information and entertainment.