F1 Rocket parts are in the house! Planning has begun….
After a lot of research on various airplanes over the years, and with the F1 over the past several months, I know the important things to focus on (i hope!) and one of the biggest ones is the wings. Most importantly, how to keep them attached to the airplane, both initially, as well as over time after subjected to abuse and natural elements. Things show up over time that weren’t initially built well, or weren’t properly protected from the elements. We’ve seen that in the Beechcraft Bonanzas and Barons over the years and there is a recurring AD (Airworthiness Directive) on the wing spars.
One thing I learned in researching the Vans fleet and derivatives is that Phlogiston makes (made) the industry standard when it comes to spars. Now, I could make the spar myself. It’s not that difficult according to many who have done it. But it is a super-critical part. I found out that the owner of Phlogiston decided to retire at the end of 2020 and would no longer be making spars. Vince at Team Rocket had three left over from a previous group buy specific to the F1 Rocket. Once they are gone, they are gone. One would have to build one by themselves. As an exercise in due diligence, I called Vans to research how much and what kind of lead time to get a spar. Well, you can’t get a spar by itself, you have to order the whole wing kit. Ok, how long? Current lead time as of April 2022? 18 months…. assuming enough people order an RV-4 kit. Not that many people build RV-4s anymore. They’ve mostly moved on to the RV-8, RV-10, RV-12, and RV-14.
Choice: Order the expensive but impeccably built Phlogiston spar that I can get right now -0r- wait 18+ months to get the parts I need to build it myself. Some people call that a no-brainer.
I got lucky when I ordered my first shipment of parts. Vince just happened to be driving from the upper midwest where he lives to Florida to deliver some other items and offered to personally deliver the spar and other big bulky parts if I ordered them before he left. Done!!
So, now I have the spars (front and rear) the firewall assembly, the #4 bulkhead assembly that is already match-drilled to my spars, the instrument panel, and part of the bulkhead that resides behind the back-seat passenger. WooHoo!
