Mission Profile
Local, 80mph flights on perfect weather days wearing a leather cap and goggles.

Configuration
Open Cockpit


Wood prop
125 hp engine.
Panel as dirt simple as I can make it.  No GPS, no EFIS...something like this (if even that complicated):

Build Goals
Build in garage in
   smallest space
   possible.  Cars must
   continue to fit.
Little to no paint.

Misc. Thoughts
Keep existing RV-6
It's paid for and is a fast, IFR, passenger carrying bad@ss.

Model it after the Ryan STA...similar to these (leather padding and all).  Polished fuse/tail and painted wing.

 
(pic, pic, pic)
(Here is an open cockpit RV-3 in Hawaii for reference.)

Dirt Simple
Manual everything. Day VFR.  Least amount of instrumentation possible.  No lights.  Wood prop.  Carb.  Regular mags.  Think Piper Cub.

One Holer.
95% of my flying is solo, so why not have a single seat aircraft for the sole mission of local formation and/or acro flights?

Only build when the house is empty
Zero impact on family life.  I work from home so I think this is a realistic goal.

Jan 23-24, 2010
  HS skeleton riveted together, jigged, wood skin clamps made (old shelf).  Beginning drilling on HS skins.

Jan '10
  Wings arrive.  Will be stored out at hangar for a bit.  Aileron/flap parts going to the house.  The delay in getting the wings was my idea - I told Partain to throw 'em in the trailer whenever they were coming to Texas for another reason.  No rush needed.  Waiting two months wasn't an issue, since I won't need them for several more months.

more: http://picasaweb.google.com/VansAirForce/3B_Wing

Nov '09
   QB wings arrive at Van's.  Check on way and called Partain to get in his que.

Sep/Oct '09
   Remodeling garage space - moving stuff off floor and up on to newly built shelves.

August '09
   Cool garage.  Window unit a/c finally installed and emp kit box screwed to ceiling (making more room).  Slow progress....but progress.

July 2009
   Cooling down the garage.  Added an additional 110v and 220v plug in the ceiling so I can install some track lighting and a window unit a/c unit.

May 2009
   Reorganizing the shop a bit - we still pull our two cars in the garage and there isn't much free space.  I've been slowly organizing the garage as funds/time allow.  Tearing down some stuff at the front of the garage at the current time and finally found a solution for organizing my (3) tool boxes of various sizes and condition (they go away).  Finally upgraded (after 15 years) to one nice toolchest.  I know it won't stay like this for long, but dang, it sure looks nice for now.
   Same depth as the workbench and enough drawers to keep the airplane, car, scooter and house tools all in one location.  Under lock and key....and bolted to the wall.
   Now, why a Montezuma Toolbox you might ask?  The guy that runs the company flies an RV (of course).  That's reason enough.
    fmi: www.montezumamfg.com

April 2009
HS-308 manufactured, angles bent and riveted to HS-302 front spars.

Tate holding HS front spar.

March 2009
HS-302 front HS spars cut/shaped.  Jig mounted on workbench for assembly of HS frame.  The idea (at least) is to build the HS, VS, Rudder and Elevators on a tiny workbench that I have running along the west wall of the two car garage.  My Miata fits in its normal spot after work sessions.  The wings are QB and will be stored at the hangar.  When it's time for the fuse I have an idea for building it on the side of the garage, after disassembling the workbench.  We'll see...

February 2009
Fabricated HS-308

February 2009
Drilled, primed ends and riveted on HS-306 end ribs to HS spar.  You mark and drill every hole in the -3B tail, so you use a rivet fan spacing tool to figure out where the rivets will be, then you can flute them between those marks without fear of messing up a rivet later.

January 2009
HS spar complete.

January 2009
HS-309, HS-310 and HS-311 hinge brackets all drilled in place using hinge bushing alignment kit from Avery.  Building the -3B tail is more of a 'massaging the metal to make it work for you' type experience.  Very different from matched drilled, and more rewarding in some ways, I'm finding...
  HS-310 and HS-311 riveted into place using hand squeezer and rivet gun.  Got to use the new tungsten bucking bar...insane convenient.

Using the new tunsten bar for the first time ....
these rivets were too long for my hand squeezer.
The pressure on the gun was set right where I left it.....six years ago.

Dec '08
Various things that don't require photography (moving stuff around garage to make room for jigging to come, etc.)  Drawing in some proposed shelving and a semi-translucent image of Randy Lervold's RV-3B horizontal stabilizer frame (rv-3.com) with his rear spar superimposed over mine. Doing this to get an idea of if building the HS and VS on the existing compact workbench is doable (my current thinking is it is).

click to enlarge

(view all emp kit images)

11/18/08
  Jay Pratt always preaches to minimize the time spent changing tools around - chucking different size drill bits, etc.  That's why he has at least five sets of cleco pliers, more than one set of squeezers (different yokes) and multiple drills.  One thing I thought I would do with this second build is to have two drills - one with a #30 and one with a #40 chucked up.  Several months ago, even before the -3B project started, I purchased a discontinued Sioux drill from Bob Avery.  I figured it would be nice to have a really nice drill if I ever built again....and the price was affordable.
  The other day while I delivered more caps at Avery's, Bob helped me pick out the splitting hardware that I would need to run two air tools at the same time.  Painless ordeal.  Hooked it up tonight, and while I was out in the garage, drilled the pilot holes for fitting the hinge brackets on the HS rear spar.
  Down the road, I can have the pneumatic squeezer on one hose and a drill with the final size bit in it for the times with the rivet doesn't want to fall down the hole all easy like.  Won't have to de-couple the hose connection.
  I inherited my Dad's drill press many years ago.  I'm going to get that set up next to my current drill press which has a scotchbrite wheel in it.  I'll leave a drill bit in Dad's press full time.
  Goal: Make shop time more productive.  More time building parts and less time changing tools around.
  Updated photo album.

11/8/08
  Drove first rivets.  Rear spar of HS done.  Updated photo album.

11/4/08
  Finished making HS-309, HS-310 and HS-311 hinge brackets for rear horizontal stabilizer spar out of angle provided.  In the new kits you take these out of the box finished.

 Updated photo album.

11/3/08
  Kids sick.

11/2/08
  Got the HS-307's fitted to the HS-303 rear spars and drilled in place.  Making HS-310 and HS-311 flange bearings now.  Tate worked on his airplane for the first time today.  Yes, I'm proud <g>.  Trying to keep the 'RV' portion of the garage as small as possible with this build.  Instead of the traditional jig that you build to support the HS and VS, I'm opting to build them on the workbench.  I'll add 'jig like' supports as needed, but the bottom line is my 'shop' is a strip of garage about six feet by 24".  Not too shabby (so far).
  Updated photo album.

10/30/08
Got copper clecos, bucking bar and C-tool mallet from Avery Tools today.  Continued making HS-307 (works better with copper clecos <g>).  Updated photo album.

10/29/08
Work continues on HS-307 and HS-309.  You have to make these from angle.  Band saw, Unibit in a drill press and cleco sidegrips make this easier.  Updated photo album.

10/25/08
Emp kit inventoried.  All there.  Started band saw taper cuts on HS-307 stabilizer spar flanges.  Vixen file and scotchbrite wheel on drill press to clean up the cuts.  I'm pretty sure these spar flanges come out of the box done in the newer kits <g>.  Updated photo album.

10/24/08
Opened up the smaller of the two tail kit boxes that arrived yesterday.  On the -6 kit this box contained wood jigs.  Not so this time, parts and rivets.  I have a lot of work to do organizing the garage - shelves and stuff.

10/23/08
Tail kit arrives.  Holy Cow.  Empennage Picasa Photo Album created.  I've decided to host the pics using Picasa web albums as it makes it a snap for anyone to download all of them at a later date with one click, and I can present them at 1600 pixels wide (for clarity).  Tate and I hope to inventory everything this weekend.

10/22/08
Tail kit shipped.

10/21/08
Band saw back in business.  Replacement 'wheel tires' and blade installed.

10/20/08
They 'gifted' me a tail kit.
So, Guess Who Is Building a RV-3B?
   Well, me actually.  I'd been toying with the idea for almost a year now - even put up a web page a while back, but never pulled the trigger other than preview plans.  Just about every time I get a few moments alone in the garage, when the kids are in school and Susie is out doing something, and the site is running smoothly and I have a moment to piddle with something...I think about how nice it would be to just have a little RV something or another in the garage to tinker with.  'You know...if I moved this bench over here and got rid of this bench, there just might be enough room for a wing or a -3 fuse.'  The normal stuff kept me from jumping in...replacement car for Susie, saving for avionics for the new -6 panel, IFR lessons, tiling the master bath, kids with cavities, a tanked economy and college accounts to save for, etc.  Normal 'Life 101' stuff that a person with a flying plane uses to push off a new commitment.
  So, last Friday morning I woke up at 0545 and plopped in front of the monitor.  Saw a thread called 'Doug Reeves', and my heart kinda skipped a beat for a moment.  'What bonehead thing have I inadvertently done this time?'  And then I was floored...and didn't really recover...and still haven't.  What happened is a few viewers decided to pitch in some money to 'gift' me a -3 tail kit, which costs $910.
   All weekend Audrey has been educating Tate on how fun it is to cleco and drill and rivet and has gone into detail about 'her' experiences building 'her' plane.  Me, I'm still in shock.  And a little embarrassed.  And humbled.  And grateful.  And blessed.
   I had told myself a year ago that if I ever built another plane I would call it 'Old School' and do it bare bones.  Now, I'm thinking about calling it 'Friendship 3'.  You space buffs will get the connect.  Mercury spacecraft were single seaters and 'friendship' conveys what I'm feeling.  If I ever needed a data point confirming whether doing this site as a career was a good idea, I just got it.
   I set the alarm for thirty minutes earlier than usual this morning just so I could spend more time typing up some heartfelt words of appreciation.  Even with all nine brain cells at max power, all I can still come up with is 'Thank You'.
   Standby for construction photos and thank you again for this unbelievable gift.  It means more to me than I can put into words. 

10/8/08
Ordered preview plans.  $45

10/7/08
...posted on the front of VAF by me, " With the economy how it is and the short/long term forecast being what it is, I've been thinking about the (it-will-hold-its) value of a bare bones RV-3 again.  I think if I stripped it down to its very essence I could get one in the air for $25K(ish).  Wood prop.  Used O-320.  No lights.  No strobes.  No GPS.  Polished.  Bare bones.  Open cockpit.  Green interior, black panel, a handful of steam gauges (that I already have) and a thin wood veneer floor (like this).  PTT on the throttle.  With that much plexi missing and minimal wiring I'm guessing it would weigh right at 700lbs.  Can you imagine the performance?!?  Just can't seem to get the thoughts out of my noodle.  Who cares if you can't take it cross country.  That isn't the mission...and who can afford to fly cross country often anyway?   In ten years it would probably still be worth $25K.  Yeah, yeah....I know what you're thinkin....'shut up and order a kit you loser'.  Well maybe I will <g>.

9/20/08
Having those 3B thoughts again....

7/15/08
Had to buy the Mrs. a car (old one blowed up).  -3B on hold for time being.  Dang.

4/23/08
Shelves for the attic being arranged (old ones nobody wants) to store some of the stuff currently at the front of the garage that is taking up space.  Everything geared towards not spending money.  Developing...

4/10/08
Spring cleaned the garage and started having those "lets just build a tail and see how we feel then" thoughts....

Q1 2008
I'm still crunching the numbers and thinking about it often.  Working on hammering out the IFR rating first.  Stay tuned.

Nov 2007 ...ish

Random thoughts during this section:
I'm making use of all the space in front of the cars that is physically available.  To do this I'm relocating everything I can to the side of the garage and will build a large set of shelves.  Hanging racks above the garage doors also, I suppose.  Having done all this before with the RV-6 project I know what works now and can custom build to my needs.

RV-3 Links
-RV-3 Forums
-RV-3 Registry

Folks Whose Pics I Check When I Have A Question:
- Randy L.
- Rob Holmes
- Mario Pons
- Tony Spicer
- Fred Bauer Jr