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RV-7A JCarne

Congrats!!!
I remember that feeling on my RV-6 build. great day!!
Plan and enjoy your 1st flight! Good Luck in Phase 1...!
The real fun is so close now. The friends you will meet and fun fly outs you will have. Out of the shop and into many friendships! again, goodluck in your journey..:)))
 
Wow , congratulations , I remember the day well!
the project has turned into an airplane, really appreciate all the effort you put into documenting your build .
 
Wow thanks for all the love everyone! I'm just glad that my build log has helped others. Thanks Doug for letting me put my log on this site.



Great news!
Are you transition training with Mike Seager?

I'm actually heading to Boise (only 10 hr drive from where I live) to fly with Chris Droege.

Congratulations, what an achievement, through the ups and downs.

What color are you planning to paint it, or should I say her, now that your project has transformed into an airplane?

No paint in the near future, just want to enjoy some good ole fashion Avgas! I'll eventually paint it but I'm not mentally ready for that yet. haha

Congratulations Jereme, now for the fun part! Did he give you a good area to do your flight testing in? You'll probably be doing the circles around the airport to break the engine in and doing all the calibrations. Best wishes!

I got a 45 mile radius. It's good enough that I can buy fuel at two cheaper airport in that range ($1 per gallon cheaper) but not big enough to get to anywhere major. No worries though, lots of testing to do!

Glad to see you're ready to start flying. Your build thread has been fun to follow - from the barrel of Lite cans to the last engine rebuild. It seems like you turn the crank hard and do nice work.

Enjoy the blue skies!

Hahaha I forgot about the barrel! Too funny

All your hard work is about to pay off. Life will change for you. You will go to the hanger not to build but to fly. It's quite the transition. Have friends look over your aircraft for anything missed. Fresh eyes always a good thing. Have fun. Joe

Yep, I welcome all eyes to look it over! Luckily I had a GREAT inspection by my EAA tech. counselor not all that long ago too.
 
Big Congrats

Congratulations Jeremy. Be as methodical flying as you have been during your build.

Don Broussard
RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer
 
Congratulations Jereme! Your build log is a great resource and also a source of inspiration for those of us following in your footsteps. Best of luck with the flying!!
 
you completed a lot of hard work. as it is said "nothing good comes easy" but it will be worth it. you will get to recover from the hard work of building. from now on it will be much easier. big congrats!
 
Congrats Jereme! SO very proud of you my friend. All of your excellent questions and VAF posts will certainly help to be a guide for those that follow you. Enjoy the next adventures!
Tom
 
Congratulations!

Nice picture on front page. It looks like you just earned your degree in aeronautics congratulations! Happy testing!
 
Thanks again everyone!


Great work, I just received my finish kit for the RV-14a. When the weather allows come up and visit us in Cody

Will do John, I have been meaning to come take a look at your project but it hasn't worked out yet. Nice pics in the newsletter though!
 
Congratulations. And thank you for posting your progress. This detailed build log has become the gold standard for an RV-7A build and will be a valuable resource for tons of builders.
 
Congratulations. And thank you for posting your progress. This detailed build log has become the gold standard for an RV-7A build and will be a valuable resource for tons of builders.

Thanks for the kind words!

So Jereme - What is your total build time from first rivet to sign-off? Four years and change or not quite?

Yep you are pretty much spot on. I started early Jan of 17’. It would have been less than 4 if it wasn’t for my bucking bar incident.

Just curious what your build number is? Trying to see how far ahead of me you are.

Mine is 74579
 
Transition Training

Wow what a busy wonderful last four days I have had. 6.1 hours of flying and about 22 worth of driving on top of that!

I made it out to Nampa Idaho this past weekend to do some transition training in Chris Droege's beautiful RV-7A. I had an absolutely wonderful time flying with Chris. His fun personality very much suited mine and he is a great instructor! He holds you to a very high standard which as an educator myself I appreciated as it just works. His objective is to make you a safe pilot when flying the Van's and does a great job at pointing out the intricacies of the aircraft. He also points out the differences between it and other common aircraft we have all trained in. Trust me, there are differences that I am glad I did not have to experience on my own! The power alone at which this thing accelerates was eye opening! Long story short Chris did a great job training me in the RV-7A and I am glad I chose to get the training! It made the first flight significantly less stressful as I now had a pretty good idea what to expect and how to handle it. I highly recommend him to anyone else that needs some training!

Here is a picture of Chris and his aircraft getting fueled up after my training was coming to a close.

IMG_0488 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Now that transition training is done I think you all know what that means. :D:D
 
FIRST FLIGHT!!!

Well I suppose a build log wouldn't be complete until the bird flies and I suppose it wouldn't technically be an aircraft until she flies.

3/9/2021 marks the day that N187E became a true airplane.

After getting back from transition training I had some last minute things to do to the aircraft to get her ready for flight. I had a slight brake leak on the right side so I changed out the o-ring and bled the brakes again, put the cowl on (which takes longer than a guy might think), cleaned the canopy, adjusted the seat belt and cushions, and fueled her a little less than half full. The plan was to taxi to runway 16 and not dilly dally before adding power for the roughly 30 minute flight. In total the time was a little longer but hey, you will understand why when it's your own! :D

After the runup I lined up on the runway and was mentally prepared for what to expect thanks to the transition training which was still fresh on my mind. I gave it a slow smooth application of power to full throttle and before I knew it we were zipping down the runway and it was time to rotate. She flew off on her own and the pitch axis was almost perfectly in trim. She has a heavy right side right now but honestly I didn't notice it until I was at altitude.

Here is a video of the takeoff. Thanks to my dad for filming and for the many many hours he spent behind the bucking bar!

You probably couldn't hear it in my voice on the radio call but trust me, before takeoff is a whirpool of emotions that will very very quickly change! I climbed at about 100 KIAS and the anxious feeling remained the same until I knew I was at an altitude in which I could glide back to the airport. At this point my emotions changed instantly to pure joy and of course the "Grin". I am not an overly emotional person but trust me when I say I was pretty dang happy at that point!

I continued to circle the airport at about 6500' (about 2000 AGL) and around 75% power which worked out to a little more than 23" MAP and 2600 RPM.

I had a blast zipping around the sky just practicing some coordinated turns. Here is a video from the ground that shows how fast I was going. My average indicated airspeed was around 155 knots.

I was pleasantry surprised with all of my engine temps as well. I fully expected to see some ridiculous CHTs but they were awesome! My highest was #2 at 390 F. For pretty much all of the flight the average CHT was around 370s and I kept the EGTs around 1250-1300. The Savvy analysis tool does a great job at showing the data graphically.

data by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I even managed to snap a couple of pics at altitude.

IMG_0491 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

IMG_0494 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

IMG_0495 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I didn't know at the time how to take a screenshot on the HDX so here is my quick and dirty version. haha

IMG_0496 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

After a bit of fun circling the airport I set up for a quick slow flight close to stall to see what my indicated airspeed was; right on the money. Back to 75% power for a bit and then I worked on getting her slowed down and into the pattern. I flew the pattern just like I did during transition training and the approach was perfect.

Here is a video of the landing. It was one of my best landings to date, pretty much perfect! I didn't invite anyone but my dad to this first flight as I didn't want a crowd with expectations. As you can see in the video though the crowd will show up anyways when they hear on the radio it's the first flight of a new aircraft. Our local corporate guys (Pepsi pilots) even stopped what they were doing to come watch. In total there were 8 other people watching that I know about. haha

Here is some more taxi action if anyone is interested. Got the thumbs up of approval from one of the corporate guys. :)

Lastly, the turnaround next to my hangar. I like the sound in this one. lol

Long story short the emotions were high and even more surprising to me was how quickly they changed throughout the flight. I couldn't be more happy with the way this flight went and with the temps on the engine!

Here she is safely back in the hangar. (and yes I took the bottom cowl off too) ;)

IMG_0498 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Thanks to everyone that has helped me along the way and I look forward to sharing some more adventures with you all! I hope that this build log continues to help others! Stay tuned for flight testing next!
 
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That was awesome! I’m hoping to be right there with you later this year. Please keep the post coming through phase 1.
 
First flight

Good job young man!! Man I am chomping at the bit to finish mine up. Hopefully by the end of this year. Super pumped for you!!! Love the pic of the Hobbs at 1.0
 
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Congratulations Jereme !!!

I'm glad for you Jereme !!!
Well done, you can be proud. :cool:
All the best for your next phase.
 
Well...Great job Jereme. I have been with your great project since the beginning and it has been a great pleasure to watch you build this fantastic plane!

You are an inspiration to me and I am sure others! SO awesome!

Kent
 
Congratulations!!!

Well I suppose a build log wouldn't be complete until the bird flies and I suppose it wouldn't technically be an aircraft until she flies.

3/9/2021 marks the day that N187E became a true airplane.

Jereme, big congrats on the new fledgling:D
 
Congratulations on getting your Bird into the AIR!! There is NOTHING, not even a first solo flight, quite like the airplane YOU built leaving the ground for the first time! There is SO much going on and when you taxi to the hangar and shut down you really have a hard time BELIVING what just happened! You started this project from a big pile of aluminum and now: everything works! It flies! Great design! Great build (wings look good out there!)! Great accomplishment! One you will never forget! Good to have documentation from the ground! Now: your aviation world is suddenly much different than ever before and will broaden your horizons like no other airplane! Get out there and FLY!
 
Man I have been having a blast flying so far. Including transition training I have done 9.7 hours in the last 6 days. :)

Here are just a few more pics to keep you fellow builders motivated. Thursday, high overcast and a low scattered layer.

IMG_0528 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Look mom no hands! haha Just testing out the autopilot.

IMG_0529 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Man these fuel bills are really racking up! 131.5 gallons in the last 7 days. :eek: Man I hope my wife doesn't read this blog... haha

IMG_0538 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Lastly, a nice view of the mountains.

IMG_0545 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Keep on building everyone, it will pay off eventually!
 
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Congratulations on your first flights!

Your posts helped me many times as I was starting to build my 7A. It’s great to see you flying now!

Davis
 
Not to worry. I put 136 gallons in my plane yesterday!

Dang, it must be a beast! :D

Congratulations on your first flights!

Your posts helped me many times as I was starting to build my 7A. It’s great to see you flying now!

Davis

Thank you!!!

Are those the Grand Tetons 143 mi to the WSW off your left wing tip?

Actually those are the Big Horn mountains about 30-40 miles to the east. If you look close you can see Cloud Peak which is the tallest in the range. Fun hike to get up there! The Tetons are not far away from where I live but I have a mountain range in between before I can see those bad boys.
 
Alrighty, about 15 hours into Phase 1 flight testing. The building/fixing hasn't stopped just yet (and probably won't haha).

I had a fuel smell in the cockpit on one of my flights right after switching to my left tank after a top off. I said "I bet I know what that is coming from" and sure enough when I switched to my right tank it went away. Definitely something with the vent.

I tightened the fitting and no dice, it still did it. Time to crawl under the panel and cut off the flare and redo it. Once again it still leaked a few drips on a full tank after slothing about a bit. I thought well mind as well take out the mirror and have a look at the bottom of the fitting. Low and behold there was a flippin hole in the fitting!!!

I have absolutely no idea how that hole got there but it sure looks like somebody drilled a hole in it! Here is a picture. I do vaguely remember seeing a fitting with a hole in my bag of parts when I was building and made a note to not use that fitting. Apparently I didn't listen haha.

IMG_0567 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Temporary fix, clean it well and proseal it. It has worked flawlessly for the last few flights. No smell anymore. I got a new fitting on order and will change it out.

I also changed my oil last week for the first time at 8.4 hours tach time. Everything looked good for a new engine and the engine shop agreed.

Here is a pic of the suction screen. Really clean indeed.

IMG_0562 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

This is all I washed out of it. The chunk is a small piece of rubber/gasket.

IMG_0560 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Here is what some of the pleats of the oil filter look like.

IMG_0571 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Here is all the ferrous metal I could coax out of the oil filter pleats.

IMG_0568 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

While calibrating my fuel tank senders I decided to also come up with a non-technical way to visually see how much fuel is in the tanks. The result can be obtained by looking into the tank and seeing how high up the fuel is on the rib stiffener ring. A flashlight makes it easier but I always carry a small one when I fly.

IMG_0555 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Time to test her out on a windy day. Landed in 17 gusting 26 no problems!

screenshot-N187E-SN13927-15.4.7.5568-20210320-163557-431-en_US by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Nothing beats being able to fly whenever you want after work!

IMG_0587 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

IMG_0583 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

IMG_0586 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
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Very nice Jereme!
Weird about that fitting? A hole no less!

I am going to be out of town and away from my plane for 5 months on a job...
No building for me but good to be working again!

See you in the blue sky friend!
 
51076153733_54bab1ab68_b.jpg


I noticed the radiant heater in your hangar
icon14.gif
I love mine.
 
Very nice Jereme!
Weird about that fitting? A hole no less!

I am going to be out of town and away from my plane for 5 months on a job...
No building for me but good to be working again!

See you in the blue sky friend!

Good luck on the new job Kent! Just get back to building when you can! haha

I noticed the radiant heater in your hangar
icon14.gif
I love mine.

Ya it is pretty sweet. I got pretty lucky when I found this hangar for rent. Just happened to run into the guy one night.
 
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