RV9A Builder (N716DJ)

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Welcome to another RV builders web site. My name is Jerry Szelc and I started my RV-9A project in January 2006. My goal is to maintain a web site that documents my progress and enables me to share my experiences with others. I'll do my best to keep this site up to date. However, there are times when I just don't seem to find the 10 minutes or so to update my current progress. So if you don't see any current updates, it may be that I just haven't gotten around to it.

NOTE: I am generally better about uploading pictures to my
photo sharing site.  So even if this page has not changed,
there is a good chance that you can see new photos,
comments, and descriptions by
clicking on the links below.

Current Progress & Photos Shown below are the most current updates of my progress along with a few photos. To view all of my photos, including several detailed write-ups, click on one of the categories below.

Empennage Photos      Wing Photos

Fuselage Photos      Engine Photos      Other Photos

Matt & Me Riveting the Skins



02/09/10 - Wings in the Stand
I can't believe it's been 8 months since I've updated this home page with new content.  This is in large part due to the fact that Network Solutions who provides my web site hosting and building app is terrible.

I have tried to keep fairly busy over the past several months.  The fuel tanks were completed and install in the fall.  I then moved on to installing the leading edge and the top wing skins.  After that I moved the wings to the portable stand and rearranged my workroom prior to starting on the aileron and flap hinges.  I am now working on the ailerons.

Hinges & Fairing




05/05/09 - Sealing the Fuel Tanks
I'm well into working on the fuel tanks.  It's not as bad as many folks have said.  I have just found it to be a slow process.  The other issue is that you can't just spend 40 minutes working on the tanks.  I generally mix enough sealant to do a couple ribs at a time.  I have found that each  tank rib requires 45 minutes to an hour, start to finish.  So I need to spend at least a couple hours at a time.  This means that I need to do most of my work on the weekends.


Fuel Drain & Stiffener




03/22/09 - Updated My Web Site
For the longest time now I've been working on converting over my website from a Verizon hosted site to a Network Solutions hosted site.  Well I finally finished.  It's not really much different.  But it took me some time to copy over all the text and sort out font colors and sizes and how best to handle photos on the site.  I'm still not very impressed with the Network Solutions Build a Web Site tool.  Maybe I should learn HTML, ASP, etc. and build one from scratch.

Right Fuel Tanks




Andy Karmy's Airplane
A Note of Thanks - Thanks to all of the other RV builders who have taken the time to create web sites that have helped folks like myself learn more about building an airplane. More specifically, a Van's kit plane.

The amount of time that builders put into building their airplanes, logging their work, and then sitting down to update their web sites is just amazing. Sure, there is some overlap between the last two steps, but many of the web sites go well beyond what is needed to satisfy the FAA. I can only assume most of them get very little sleep!

What Makes This Site a Little Different - I'm sorry folks, but I'm not sure that I have as much time or energy as some other builders do to document every aspect of my project on this web site. I'm already thinking that I will need to sacrifice sleep in order to complete my airplane. Yet I am very grateful that other builders have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience with those who have yet to start down this long road. Therefore, I struggled with how to contribute to the builders knowledge base in the time that I do have available.

If you have spent time on the web researching kit build airplanes, you have already learned there are a number of really great Van's RV builder sites. On those sites, you'll find numerous pictures showing what seems like hundreds of clecos sticking out of an aluminum structure. With this in mind, I have decided to take a somewhat different approach with the content for this web site.
This site is intended to serve as a resource for other builders. My plan is post information, thoughts, ideas, comments, experiences, etc. that I think would be of interest to folks who are currently building an airplane or are thinking about building an airplane. I do not plan to document each step of my building experience. Rather, I will try and post content that may (or may not) be of value to other builders.

If you look at the main menu, you will see a Building Tips menu option. I would suggest that you start here. This option will take you to the main index where everything will be organized in what I hope is a useful format. You may also want to check out the Photos option for some pictures and comments regarding my progress.

Your Thoughts & Ideas - If you have already built one or more planes, are currently building, or thinking of building please feel free to send my an email with your suggestions, comments, thoughts, ideas, questions, etc.. I'll try to add them to the Builder's Tips section. My email address is shown at the bottom of each page.

Jerry@rv9abuilder.com

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