N727RT: Project Notebook

Progress: Oct 2005


|  Return to Progress Page  |  Continue to Next Month  |


N727RT Progress Summary:  Oct 2005  .

THE BEGINNING: The story really starts a few years ago, when I started "shopping" for a plane.  From 2003 to 2005 I became a "regular" at the Lancair tent during the Oshkosh and SNF airshows.  However, after two years of looking around, asking dumb questions, and a few $100 demo rides, I finally placed a deposit on a Lancair ES kit at Oshkosh 2005'.  The Lancair sales staff probably thought I'd never "sign on".  They were helpful, patient folk.

The kit was quoted to be available in 8-10 weeks (which would be Oct).  I initially decided on the standard (non-pressurized) single door model.  I was told I could upgrade up to 30 days before my quoted delivery date - but if so, that would likely effect the delivery date.  At the time, Lancair was offering a week of builders assist as a "show special".  I decided to add 4 more builder weeks (total of 5).  I added the extra time partly because I was interested in a few enhancements to the wings: extending the fuel (added bays) and a second electrical conduit behind the main spar (to free up the leading edge for a TKS deicing system - if it ever becomes available for the ES).

PREPARATION:  After placing the order at Osh 2005, I continued to read/copy as much as I could about building an experimental aircraft (although I had also already read plenty beforehand).  See the reference pages of this site for links to the the stuff I've found most helpful.

In Sept, I confirmed my std ES order and set my arrival (delivery date) for Oct 3rd, 2005 - for the first three weeks of builders assist.  I was assuming that after the first three weeks, I'd fly home for a few weeks and then go back for the remaining two weeks.  Lancair (KimL) sent a package describing local accommodation options, etc.

My plan was to fly to Portland, and buy a used Jeep Grand Cherokee - which I would use for transportation while at builders assist.  Then, if it looked like it would work out, I'd also buy a used trailer and drive the plane/parts back to Michigan myself.  If not, I'd just sell the Jeep, and arrange for shipping.  Since there's no sales tax in Oregon, if I could find a good enough deal, I could buy, use, and then re-sell the Jeep for little net cost (or just chose to keep it).  Thus, I also started web shopping for used Jeeps in Portland and identified a few that I liked (on paper).

BUILDER ASSIST:  I arranged my flight to arrive in Portland a few days early (Thurs 9/29/05).  This left me some time to look at the Jeeps I had found on the web.  The Jeep plan worked out and I bought one.  I then drove from Portland to Redmond.  I stopped by Lancair on Fri (9/30/05) to meet the folks there and get a tour of the office/shop.  I was fortunate to also meet a few of the other builders who were already in progress and picked their brains for tips and suggestions.  I spent the weekend touring Redmond and Bend and had dinner with a few of the other builders.  Suggestion:  If you can, plan to arrive a day or two early and get the lay of the land so you can jump right in on your first day/week.

On Monday, builder assist started with a brief shop safety tour and then off to the parts department to officially check/receive your kit parts.  The parts folks are well organized, which helped, although a few non-critical parts were on backorder.  You're assigned a tool box and a parts locker.  The parts you'll need for the first couple weeks are then loaded into the locker.

The medium size parts are delivered in a crate The lower fuselage shell

 

Necessary safety equipment if provided by Lancair, but I suggest bringing the following items with you:

  • Safety glasses (ones that you find comfortable and can wear all day/week).  Bring a spares if you're inclined to step on them occasionally.
  • A shop apron/vest (goto www.skillers.com for ones with lots of handy pockets, a great gift)
  • A quality dust mask that fits snug (the cheep paper ones don't really do much)
  • A pair of good fitting mechanics gloves (to use when sanding)
  • A small flashlight (double AA Maglight type)
  • A small metal machinists ruler (6-12"ish)
  • A small notepad and a couple pens
  • A few Sharpy markers - fine tip for accurate measuring/marking

At the time, the Lancair toolboxes were "adequate".  If you're inclined to link "nice" tools, you might also want to bring:

  • Some new/sharp Phillips drill bit tips
  • A new/sharp Phillips screwdriver (handy for the small screws on access panels)
  • A new/sharp chisel (approx 1" wide)
  • A few grinding bits (the Permagrit ones sold by Lancair work great!)

The build shop operated 8:00 to 5:00 with a couple 15 min breaks and a 30 min lunch break.  I found that the doors were typically opened between 7:00 and 7:30am, so if you got there early, you could get a jump on things in the morning.  The shop is normally closed on the weekends.  However, on a couple occasions I was also able to work a few hours on Saturday AM, when someone from Lancair was there working on other special projects.

During the first couple weeks, I was learning a lot and making good progress,  so I chose to just work straight through the five weeks (rather than going home for a few weeks and coming back to finish the last two weeks).

Continued in Nov 05...

<<< Back to Progress Page << Up to the Top >>  Continue to Next Month  >>>

Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved. This site is the online project notebook of Rick Titsworth and for the purpose of sharing information and opinions related to building N272RT.  No responsibility for the accuracy or usefulness of the information is expressed or implied.  Any person using these images, ideas, and tips does so at their own discretion and risk and without recourse against anyone related to this site or the n727rt project.  This site is not affiliated with Lancair International.