What's new
Van's Air Force

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

how long can I hold off joining the -10 cone and fuse?

Wayne

Well Known Member
My single car garage was a little cramped in the assembly of my -7"eh?" (minus wings of course) but it was nice to be at home and it was "family/marriage friendly"

Now that I am working on the -10 emp-cone I am wondering how long I can hold off the joining to the -10 QB fuse, as the joining of them appears it will exceed my garage size.

Can I do majority of work on the QB fuse and join at final assembly or.....??

I called Van's and they are not aware of when the critical point is but suggested that it needs to happen before fitting the top?

Thanks for the input
 
I wouldn't fit the top without them joined, and I definitely wouldn't attach the top without the tailcone being on. You also can't finish the baggage area until the tailcone is attached. I think those are your limiting factors.

PJ
RV-10 #40032
 
While I agree with PJ, I think you could join the cone with clecos and the bolts and install the cabin top. I would just install it to the point of bolting around the door frame and filling with flocks, then use clecos for all of the side skin rivet holes. I think you could then remove the tailcone and continue work on the doors and windows without much worry. This is just my opinion from what I have seen building these planes, but I have not tried it. Just make sure when you bolt it in that you have plenty of clecos holding the tailcone to the fuse and that you have the forward tailcone top skin in place to hold the cabin top where it needs to be.

To be on a safer side, connecting the tailcone as above when you glue the doors wouldn't be a bad idea. I doubt the cabin top is going to flex much if any with/without the tailcone on, but you certainly don't want to get your doors fit and then find out that there is 1/8" of flex that makes your doors not fit after all.

Hope this helps.
 
Install Tailcone After FF?

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but this is the most relevant thread I could find on this topic.

The RV-10 checks a lot of boxes for me, but I dismissed it because of my small workspace (one-car garage, shorter than average). If the tailcone could be installed after much of the forward fuselage is completed (including fiberglass top, landing gear installation and FF), that may be a game changer. Has anyone successfully done it?

To pull this off, maybe after trial fitting the tailcone to forward fuselage using clecos, you could keep the bulkhead secured to the aft fuselage to maintain the shape and alignment while the forward section is being completed.

The final assembly would then take place when I move to a hangar. If the rear fuselage maintained shape and alignment using the secured bulkhead, you would think the tailcone reattachment should be feasible.
 
SNIP
The RV-10 checks a lot of boxes for me, but I dismissed it because of my small workspace (one-car garage, shorter than average). If the tailcone could be installed after much of the forward fuselage is completed (including fiberglass top, landing gear installation and FF), that may be a game changer. Has anyone successfully done it?

What I did (in a large basement shop with hangar 100’ away). I mated the forward fuselage to the tail cone when it was time to do the cabin top. I did not install the gear, instead I bolted short legs with swivel wheels to the center spar, and did not do any firewall forward work at all. Putting the gear on would make it too wide to get out the basement double door, and any firewall forward work would make it too heavy to move.

Perhaps if you do something similar and defer the firewall forward and tail feathers to when you move to your hangar your garage will be deep enough.

Carl
 
Back
Top