Eagler's Nest
Airframes => Single Seaters => XL => Topic started by: hvacrbert on January 30, 2014, 04:24:52 PM
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i have decided to build a le xl and i have a question i hope some of you will have some input on. this will be my first aviation project so i am very green so any input would be appreciated. before opening my wallet it made sense to see what was out there already started. i have found a few one in particular is very interesting but i am not sure of the welding technique (mig) instead of gas as i hear is the recommended method. alternative wings i have heard about a couple of different wings that have been used one of which is metal this would fit my skillset better than wood. any thoughts about what to look for like common mistakes, common areas of damage when mishandled or mistreated. sorry about the long winded post. and thanks in advance for any input. bert
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I purchased a partially completed RV-4 about 10 years ago. Got it going and put over 730 hrs on it before selling it. Buying a started project can sometime be a bargan because the previous builder in a lot of cases has accumulated small parts. Determining build quality is sometimes a chore. I had good luck.
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I am not trying to throw cold water on this idea but I heard a good piece of wisdom last year. The fellow said, “If it don’t fly, don’t buy.”
I thought about this for a while and he is very correct unless you have detailed experience and the time to fully inspect every aspect of the materials and the work quality that has been done. If you have that skill set, consider a partially completed project.
Just my opinion and it is like sphincters, most folks have one.
Cheers,
Sparrow
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thank you folks for the input i think i need to go ahead with plan a get plans and order some steel to get started as determining build quality is going to be time consuming and risky. building it myself will eliminate any questions. really looks like a pretty doable project. that is with all the resources available.
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Our LEU, Treehugger, was started by a friend, but he was suffering from arthritis in his hands, andknew that he would never finish it. He also had to move to another city. So, he offered the project to anyone who would finish it. One factor, the price was right. So, several of us took it.
After getting the project to our shops, we found that the fuse welding was somewhat lacking in quality, and the wings, still uncovered, needed some detail work. I ground and re-welded all the joints that did not look so good (which is probably a reason it is heavier than it should be), re-built the gear and finished all the other welding and metal work.
The other guys attacked the wings, which required some patch-up work. Then, we all worked on covering, rib stitching and coating.
We found the engine was well built, but, when started, found it generated too much oil pressure, which required disassembling it and drilling a relief hole in the oil system, which, I understand, is a known mod, but he apparently did not know about it. From then on, the engine ran well, requiring only tuning work.
So, in our case, we would not have really known about the Eagles if this did not come our way.
I suppose deciding to acquire a partial project, such as this, hinges on the cost, the quality of work done so far, and if you can see it, and some evaluation of how much work, re-work and add'l parts that you have to get. In our case, the state of the project was such that we could see the work, many parts such as the engine, prop, hardware, extra steel etc. were included, and knew that re-work would be required, but the overall size/cost to proceed and finish it would be reasonable.
Like Weasel said, you can get a bargain with a partial project. And, don't worry, there is still a lot of work to do to get flying.
Good luck,
Tom H