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Build Time per Pound

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GESchwarz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
1,250
Location
Ventura County, California, USofA.
After 384 hours, I have very nearly completed my entire tail assembly from scratch. That includes two fins, two rudders with control horns, a stabilizer, an elevator with control horn and counter balance weight, all hinges, two rudder push/pull tube assemblies, belcrank, and three-piece tail cone. That time includes everything like ordering materials, making form blocks for ribs, driving to the hangar to make some bends, and a bit of on the spot design work.

Component weights:

Stabilizer: 21.3 lbs
Elevator: 7.25 lbs
2 Fins: 8.5 lbs
2 Rudders: 8.0 lbs
Rudder controls: 2.25 lbs

Total weight, minus lead counter balance is 48.3 lbs.

That's 7.95 hours per pound.

If the complete airframe weighs 700 pounds* and it takes me 8 hrs/lb, that's 5600 hours. At an average of 17 hours per week in the garage it will take 6 years, 4 months to build the airframe.

It could be argued that the tail assembly is more labor intensive than other parts of the airframe and it is at the begining of my learing curve for my first homebuilt. So maybe my rate will improve as I move on to other assemblies.

With this data I'm just trying to get a rough idea as to how long this build will take. So my question is...

*How much does an airframe like the RV-8 weigh, minus all the purchased items like engine, battery, instruments, wheels and tires, etcetera?

Any thoughts or experience on this subject?
 
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