By Shiv Ram Krishna, EAA Lifetime 1549613, Toronto, Ontario
If you walk into my garage today expecting to see a nearly finished RV-10, you may be disappointed. If you walk in expecting to see an active construction site, you may also be disappointed. What you will definitely see is a tail section that is still very much in progress — and an airplane that is absolutely not abandoned.
This is where many homebuilt projects live: not finished, not forgotten, just… paused.
Most builders don’t quit because they suddenly hate airplanes. They quit because the project slowly becomes uncomfortable. The wrong tools hurt your hands. A bad workbench hurts your back. Poor lighting makes everything harder than it needs to be. Eventually, just walking into the shop feels like work — and so you stop walking in.
Some of my biggest RV-10 breakthroughs had nothing to do with riveting. They were about finally buying the right tools, rebuilding my workbench, adding better lighting, organizing parts, and accepting that small improvements are real progress. An airplane is much easier to build when your shop doesn’t fight you.
Another myth is that serious builders make constant forward progress. Reality check: careers change, finances tighten, families need attention, and energy comes and goes. My RV-10 tail section has been almost underway for longer than I’d like to admit. But I made a rule early on — I would never declare the project dead.
There were moments when quitting might have made sense on paper, financially, logically, even socially. But commitment isn’t about making the best spreadsheet decision every year. It’s about refusing to let a temporary pause turn into a permanent identity change — from builder to former builder.
So yes, my RV-10 is still in the tail section. No, it’s not finished. And no, I haven’t quit.
The project is paused. I’m still a builder. And the airplane still knows it.
From Box to Tail to Finished — Eventually
In Box: It begins the way every homebuilt does — a wooden crate on the shop floor. At this stage, motivation is high, optimism is unlimited, and quitting seems impossible.
Out of Box: Reality sets in. Tools multiply, mistakes happen, progress slows, and the tail section takes far longer than planned. This is where most projects stall — not because of skill, but because friction, fatigue, and life creep in.
Done (some day): Every builder keeps a picture like this somewhere nearby. Not as pressure — but as proof. Someone else finished. And someday, so will you.
Paused Is a Phase, Not a Verdict
The journey from crate to flying airplane is far more treacherous than most builders admit. There are countless reasons to quit — money, time, motivation, confidence, and plain exhaustion. My RV-10 has encountered most of them, some more than once. The tail section alone has been a lesson in patience, humility, and persistence.
But projects don’t die when progress slows. They die when the builder decides the story is over. As long as the airplane still lives in your garage — and in your head — you’re not done. You’re just between chapters.