What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

average build time RV 14 a qb kit

just wanted to reach out for feed back on average build time on a RV 14A
Im ready to pull the trigger and trying to put a game plane together

thanks in advance
 
That depends

Average? = all over the board, too many factors to consider, e.g. how obsessed and focused are you to the build, stick-to-itivness, time you can devote to the build, how far from home to build site, distance to Lowe's/HomeDepot, alterations to standard build, funding, amount of added build complexity, . . .

Mine took 7 years, 2 months start to first flight.

Empennage and Wings Slo Build; Fuselage (Cockpit area) Quick Build, took about 120 hours for substantial completion. The Slo Build wings took me about a year. Also bought the Van's Finish and FWF. Lycoming Thunderbolt IO-390, Hartzell CS metal prop. Garmin G3X suite.
 
Build times vary wildly from months to many, many years. There are so many variables to take into account. Just a few include: builder experience, available time, shop setup, assistance, determination, dedication and now parts availability. One can set approximate timetables, but you always will get thrown a curve ball now and then. It helps if you can plan ahead and have everything in stock when it is needed. Not so easy these days with lead times for kits, avionics, engines and misc. items extending sometimes years ahead. My RV6 slow build took 2 years, RV7 QB 14 months, but I had a lot of free time and parts availability was not a problem. The timetable for my current project (Javron Super Cub) has been delayed at least 6 months due to availability of steel tubing to build the fuselage. I have in stock a new Lycoming in the crate, AFS Quick Panel, Catto propeller, Vetterman exhaust, electrical and pretty much everything else I need that was ordered almost a year ago. Setting goals and timetables are motivational tools, but in the end it is only finished when you are satisfied that you have constructed an airworthy bird. Enjoy the build!
 
Last edited:
W.A.G.

My WAG is 4 years from date of order. 1 year+ waiting for the kits, 2-1/2 years build time, and 6 months waiting for back-ordered and replacement parts. Oh, and you won't have a life during the build.... :eek:

-Marc
 
As others have mentioned, average time will depend on a number of factors.
I built in my garage and that allows me to work on it any time I am free and no wasted travel time to/from hanger. My first 14A which was a QB kit took 11 months to finish and another 2 months for the paint shop.
My current project which is a standard build is on track to be finished in 12-13 months. This is considering all the back order/delayed parts, nothing other than the seats have been outsourced, all parts primed with Akzo primer and near paint ready fiberglass work, so it can be done.
 
I started my RV-14A quickbuild in February 2019 and finished January 2021 with everything but paint. I had quickbuild wings and fuselage. I outsourced the panel to Steinair and the interior to Classic Aero. I had almost no wait on kits or engine due to careful monitoring of lead times and ordering early.

I have a more than full time job working about 60 hours a week. I have a heated workshop on my property that allowed me to work on the plane almost every day at least a little.

The limiting factor at this time would be lead time on the kits. Be sure to order early to minimize down time. I tended to overestimate how much time I would need to complete each kit but my wife pushed me to order each successive kit early and I ended up with very little waiting between kits.
 
I built a - 14 QB in 14 months, I kept meticulous track of hours and got it in the air in just under 1500 hrs. That's actual hands on working. Previewed plans the night prior which is not included in the 1500 hrs as well as any research or running sourcing tools, parts, kits, etc. I was a first time builder and did not wait for any kits. I purchased interior from Classic Aero and the panel from Aerotronics.
I think 1500 hrs would be a reasonable middle of the road estimate to use.
 
Build Time

My wife(supervisor) and I ordered our QB in January 2020 with first flight 1 May 2021. Classic Aero interior and AFS IFR panel. It has been at the paint barn since September. We got in under the wire on our order before the supply chain problems started materializing. Lucked out, I guess.
 
My RV 14A - QB wings & fuse = 2700 hours done in 2 years and half, of which 500Hrs on elect and avionic (G3X touch system).

To this you can add 200 Hrs in a pro paint workshop for a splendid result.
I primed every metal parts.
 
Average? = all over the board, too many factors to consider, e.g. how obsessed and focused are you to the build, stick-to-itivness, time you can devote to the build, how far from home to build site, distance to Lowe's/HomeDepot, alterations to standard build, funding, amount of added build complexity, . . .

+1 This is the correct answer.....ie. no real answer at all.

The problem with these type of threads is that they tend to attract posters who are keen to brag about how fast they built their planes.

But in the end the equation for amateur aircraft construction is simply T=Q. That is, Time = Quality.

My advice to prospective builders is to simply enjoy the journey and build to the best of their abilities....and not worry about the hours it takes. If the end goal is to simply get a plane into the air as fast as possible then I always recommend purchasing instead of building.

It has been estimated that only about one-third of RV builders who start at the empennage kit ever finish the aircraft to flying stage. Those who can build a really well crafted aircraft are an even smaller percentage.

My best guess is that those who are not worried about the hours it is taking because they are truly enjoying those hours in the workshop are more likely to finish the project....and more likely to build a better quality aircraft.

Building an aircraft is not a game for the impatient....or those who have become accustomed in their lives to instant gratification....not at all. The number of partly completed empennage kits that come up for sale on VansAirforce alone is just staggering.
 
The correct answer is that no one knows how long you will take. Not even you, if you were provided with a lot of statistical data. Every person comes to the project with a different level of knowledge and back ground experience, and each person will approach the project in a slightly different way.
This all has an influence on the overall time commitment required to finish.

There is an average build time, but as already mentioned, it is difficult to give a precise # because there has not been any controlled process to acquire a good cross section of data samples.
Short of that, we do make estimates based on our personal building experience, compared to the information that a lot of our customers provide us.

For a standard RV-14(A) basic build (built per plans with no builder designed modifications), our tech. support people will estimate about 1500 hrs and a build using a Quick Build kit at about 1000 hrs. It should be understood that if these are a valid average, there are builders that take much less, and others that take much more.

I disagree with the idea that it has been estimated that only 1/3rd of the people that start an emp. kit actually finish it.
I believe this could have been true 20-25 years ago, but it is not true today. If it were, the number of emp. kits for sale in the classifieds and other aviation for sale venues, truly would be staggering.

Why?
Because the shear number of emp. kits that have been sold in the past 10 years is truly staggering, and the #'s that have been advertised for sale in that time don't even approach 50% of the # sold.
Doing a search in the VAF classifieds doesn't tell much because posts are deleted after 30 days, but in the past 30 days there have been 2 kits advertised for sale. Van's ships way more than 2 emp. kits every week.
 
I disagree with the idea that it has been estimated that only 1/3rd of the people that start an emp. kit actually finish it.
week.

Scott, you're misquoting me. What I actually said was: "It has been estimated that only about one-third of RV builders who start at the empennage kit ever finish the aircraft to flying stage".

In reality 14 incomplete RV projects came up for sale on VansAirforce in the last month...and that was a very slow month. Builders continue to bail out of projects at an amazing rate. There's a lot of guys out there who are big on dreams but small on perseverance. ;)
 
Scott, you're misquoting me. What I actually said was: "It has been estimated that only about one-third of RV builders who start at the empennage kit ever finish the aircraft to flying stage".

In reality 14 incomplete RV projects came up for sale on VansAirforce in the last month...and that was a very slow month. Builders continue to bail out of projects at an amazing rate. There's a lot of guys out there who are big on dreams but small on perseverance. ;)

Your right, but what I actually missed was typing what I meant to say…..
By “it” I meant building the airplane, not the empennage.
 
Here's an RV14A for sale today on VansAirforce. This is the third owner of a QB kit that presumably is not even on its wheels yet ...looking to sell it to a fourth owner. In the end someone will finish this project....but it might have to pass through 4, 5 or 6 owners before it gets there.

As I said previously the turn-over of kits just on VansAirforce is staggering. It's even more amazing when you consider that people flogging off kits/projects in countries outside of the US are much less inclined to advertise them on VansAirforce.

https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=204278
 
Last edited:
Back
Top