RICK GOULD'S
RV-4 AIRCRAFT PROJECT
This page Updated : 05 December 2004 01:54
This page is an overview of how the different sub-assemblies are currently progressing.
To jump to a specific page, choose one of the links below (They are sorted in the order in which I am working on:
Click on any one of the section headings to go to a more detailed page.
DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL THE LINGO IS?! I'll be making a page that'll serve as a glossary of aircraft construction terms, so you non-avition people will be able to understand what I'm talking about...I think my Mom will appreciate this the most!
The horizontal & vertical stabilizers, elevator, and rudder were are pretty much complete when I purchased the kit, so there isn't much to do here. Here they are sitting in the rafters at the hangar awaiting a point in construction where they will be mounted to the fuselage.
The fuselage is already in the 'upright-canoe' stage and is well along the way to being complete. Since its construction is generally accepted to be completed after the wings, I have opted to complete the wings before continuing on the fuselage. The other reason, is to take advantage of the use of the EAA Chapter's 'Wing Jig'. This is the fuselage as it sat in Les's hangar in Arkansas when I bought it. The 2x4's you see mounted to the front are bolted to the firewall and have casters mounted on them to allow the fuselage to be rolled around.
The RV aircraft use integrated wing tanks that are constructed separately from the wing and bolted on at a later date. The wing tanks are a sealed, wet-wing type and comprise a section of the wing, forward of the wing spar, and extend from the wing-root to about 3 feet.
When I purchased the kit, the wing tanks were started. The tank ribs were formed and the skins cut and bent to size. Most of the holes were already drilled for the skin-to-rib rivets, but little else.
I have done a lot of drilling and fitting of the internal components. I have chosen to go with the capacitive fuel quantity senders and have been working to install those components.
I am working to get the Capacitive Fuel Quantity senders installed, drilling holes in the ribs for access plates, and hardware for vent tubes, fuel quantity and fuel pick-ups. Shouldn't be too much longer before I'll be prepping the tanks for riveting.
9 January 2004 : Dimpled the tank skins.
The left wing was already mostly constructed except for internal components, and the larger, aft wing skins. You can see the Left wing mounted in a wooden crate behind the wing jig.
7 March 2004 : Almost all Main and LE Ribs have been drilled and clecoed to the spar. Next comes plumbing the wing jig and wing components. Once I'm sure the ribs and spar components are properly aligned, I can start drilling the Main ribs to the rear spar. Then start riveting!!!
The blue frame is the wing jig, the gold structure laying across it's arms, is the wing spar. You can see the Left Wing (still in a crate) behind the wing jig. the white piece laying across the bottom of the wing jig, is the rear spar (its aluminum with a white plastic protective coating). The second picture is an end-view with some of the ribs clamped in-place.
14 February 2004 : The LH flap is done except for the end ribs, the flap braces and trimming. I have some aluminum on order for the finishing the Flap braces. The trimming will wait until its ready to be fitted to the wing. At this time, the RH flaps parts are completed except for alodining.
LH Flap
RH Flap
The ailerons have not been started other than a few of the ribs formed.
Yep, it'll have an interior....someday. Maybe even instruments and radios!!!
Someday, hopefully, it will look something like this. I'd like to go with a EFIS Display ("Glass Cockpit"). Preferably, a Blue Mountain EFIS display.
A typical RV-4 Instrument Panel
Insert good-looking female passenger here...
It'll even have an engine too! Because, me sitting in the seat making engine noises won't make it go any faster than the wind can blow it down the runway. And that ain't fast...
Pictures NOT coming any time soon...someday
Moving Aircraft from Little Rock, AR to Ventura, CA
8 Feb 03
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It was a tight squeeze, but we got it in there...well, mostly. I fully expected to get pulled over on the highway thinking some cop would think a large missile-like object sticking out the back of a Ruder truck would be suspicious.
The guy half in the truck and half out of the truck is my buddy John. He's the one who owns the Lockheed T-33 at Santa Monica airport, that I was helping restore until he sold it in the fall of 2004.
One white-out blizzard, extreme gusty winds a whole lot of coffee and 2,100 miles later, I made it home!