By Sreekumar V Nair P. Eng., EAA Lifetime 1108291; EAA Chapter 1410, High River, Alberta, Canada
Challenges hit me hard! One after the other big time, though most of it is specific to my situation, some were completely out of my control. Each of the challenges demanded tenacity to continue the airplane build at any cost (time, effort, and money). Regardless of whatever was thrown at me, I could take it all with a smile and did my best all alone most of the time.
The hardest challenge, that I never expected, was the issue with the laser-cut parts supplied by Van’s after December 2021, which could need replacement, depending on the severity of the issue. This impacted the entire Van’s Aircraft kit builders community with mind boggling uncertainty and potential rework. During that time, I sought help from kit builders, subject matter experts, and aircraft inspectors to check my partially finished assemblies to determine what parts really needed replacement. To my surprise and good fortune, none needed replacement at that time. Van’s later came back with a tentative list of 20 small parts on the wings that needed replacement based on the parts’ crating date. I could complete the replacement with much less effort than I expected. After that glimmer of hope, Van’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and everyone needed to wait for court directives to get the parts. I was confident that Van’s would get back in business soon since they have an excellent team and a large customer base with a lot of good airplanes in operation. After over a year, things got better and there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Then came the implementation of the new luxury tax by the Canadian government that was brought in for aircraft, cars, and boats. I was not sure how it would apply to homebuilt aircraft. Since I had ordered the kit before the proposed “luxury tax” effective date, I didn’t have to pay.
While importing, based on USMCA regulations, I needed to deal with a few hiccups at the Canadian border. Since I reside in Alberta, I needed to pay only the 5% GST. But at times the port of entry was in other provinces, and I was charged differently when the parts were considered “auto” related. So, I engaged a clearing agent and ended up paying more when their service charge was added on. Still, it was all done right.
Then the insurance provider, after covering my build for “not in motion” and the construction premises for over two years, mentioned during my renewal that they will not cover test flights and some international flights, which included countries in the east where sanctions are in place from the U.S. So, I moved to another insurance company. Some inconsistencies remain in this area.
My work practices, ethics, and habits assimilated over the years had made me think that what I know is sufficient to build an airplane. After a few mistakes with torquing the AN (Army-Navy) fasteners and aluminum fittings like I do with high tensile steel fasteners, I had to unlearn and relearn how to do it right after reading through the Van’s drawings and other homebuilder resources. Also working on the Plexiglas parts I understood the effect of the severe Canadian winter weather affecting the work ambiance. I lost a few parts and had to reorder and rework on them. At times I felt like a bull in a china shop. I literally wept at times when I had to crawl on my knees, with my over 66-years-young bulky body, with associated aches and pains, into space restricted locations for wiring, cabling, and fixing miniature fasteners. The fuel tank sealing work checked my endurance limit since I could not do it right after a few times. I eventually handed the tanks over to Mr. Ralph Inkster, who had built many Van’s RVs, to rebuild both the tanks.
A few additions like the smoke system, ferry tank, gascolator, diversity transponder, canopy latch, heated pitot and AOA, center console, pilot relief, Earth-X battery, firewall heat shield, Sky bolt on the upper level of the top cowl, LED taxi lights, glare shield with LED lights, and custom cowl pin required extra work. Some of that work was repeated to get it right consistently for over three years. In addition to that, a few of the electronic components prematurely failed, and I only knew it while testing it after installation and the circuits are complete. The green LED light at the wing tip and the GSA 28 autopilot servo on pitch system extended my schedule. Ralph Inkster said, “It will be done when it is done.”
With an anticipation of peace in this world soon, preparing for all weather conditions around the globe needed cooling and heating features in the aircraft. Cooling of both P-Mags, gascolator, fuel pump, and seats needed additional shrouds, fans, wiring, and cold air inlet with piping. An attempt to install an air conditioner ended up in a no-go situation due to the obstruction of the performance airflow intake and the StarTec starter with the A/C compressor that needed to be installed on the same fly wheel.
Moving from a three-car garage to a hangar was another challenge. I tried different airports and clubs in and around Alberta to find a space. After a while, with the help of Jack Dueck, who is still building airplanes in his 90s, got me a space for rent in a hangar at the Springbank Airport.
To ensure a comfortable and safe operation for flying around the globe, I installed the latest available technologies from Garmin including SOS facility, two Garmin Virb Ultra 30 cameras, and a diversity transponder with two antennas to switch between ground and satellite communication coverage. To my surprise, recently I was informed about a ban on Garmin equipment that has satellite access in some countries. Maybe I will have to skip certain countries during my earth-rounder trip.
Still to come is the painting of my airplane. To get the best paint scheme done, I got in touch with a few custom paint designers early on in 2022. I shopped around and found Cascade Custom & Design in Bend, Oregon, to book a spot. Now I need to get the airplane completed, certified by April/May 2025, and hand it over to them for painting. EVOKE completed the paint scheme, which took 14 iterations on colour, design, emblem, and theme. At present, in spite of certain new regulations and tariff uncertainties, the possibility of me displaying my RV-14A at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 is gaining momentum in my mind.
Less said the better on the impact of time constraint on my family time, social get-togethers, shopping, housekeeping, critical functions, and so on. At times, I was unable to be in the present, and it had its own consequences. I justified it by concluding that ‘To achieve anything, one has to give up something.” Wondering how soon I will need to be staying ahead of the airplane without any distraction.
With all that being said, 95 percent of the build is presently complete. Everyone is unique as a kit builder. I tried addressing most of my weaknesses early on, before it became a liability. Eventually, had to let go of almost everything that I thought I was very good at before taking this route. Always stayed open to new learnings and unlearning that I knew well. Regularly found and reviewed various sources of information on the topic of homebuilt airplanes to select the best path forward for my build. Stayed flexible in my thoughts and diverted all my energy to focus on the task in hand with humility.
So, I can confidently say now that, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Please stay focused while working on your build if you happen to take that route. Definitely a few serious unexpected challenges of different kinds are bound to show up before it is all done.
My Plan B will be covered in Part 3.