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pedfly60(at)yahoo.com
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 Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:42 pm Post subject: quick build 601 XL (long) |
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Hi Allen,
Just wondering how much progress and the experiences (negative Or positive) you have with the quick build kit? I hope to purchase the kit in the next few months and am still a little nervous about trying to build my own plane (zero experience with building anything not to mention an airplane) especially wiring, engine installation etc. Thank you for any advice or comments you have to offer.
Mike Pedri, Beckley, WV
Allen Ricks <allenricks(at)verizon.net> wrote:
Mike,
I think I'm the only one on the list that has the new quick build kit.
There are three others on the West coast that have one, but I have not seen
responses on the list.
I received my QB kit just before Christmas, and have had little time to do
anything with it due to the holidays, kids out of school, bad weather (still
rearranging the garage, as I was not sure the fuselage would fit where I
planned It did) and some other family stuff.
I have not actually seen up close what the standard kit looks like when it
arrives, but from the pictures Ive seen, my kit has a LOT of the work done.
I have been told that about 9500 of the 10,000 holes have been drilled, so
that eliminates a lot of the room for error. A bunch of the holes that are
left to drill are in the rudder kit, which I have already done. (I even
drilled two holes in the wrong place, but a quick e-mail to Nicholas H. let
me know it was not a fatal error).
For those of you with the standard kit, my kit arrived with the fuselage
essentially ready to put on the gear. All drilled, corrosion proofed,
riveted etc. I mean the thing is pretty much done to the point that the
engine could be hung on the firewall, as the studs for the mount are in
place. The leather interior (came with it) is ready to go in. I can
already sit in it and make engine noise, but I wont until its on the gear.
Think that would save any time? 
Most, though not all of the remaining pieces have holes drilled in them, so
if they dont line up, youre putting the part in wrong and you need to
check again. If it fits, its probably right, and ready for a quick brush
of Core-tec, cleco, and rivet. The wings were put together on a jig,
drilled, clecod, and taken apart again for shipping, so they are much more
finished than the regular kit as well.
The above being true, there is still a whole lot of work left. I will need
to corrosion proof the wing parts and put them together. Lots of wiring,
plumbing, avionics (what I can afford) engine installation etc. to do. It
also appears that many of the parts have been zinc chromate coated on the
mating surfaces too, so Im not sure how much corrosion proofing I will have
to do.
I know that some feel the QB kit is not a real kit plane building
experience. There are plans builders that think the standard kit is not a
real building experience either. Im 40, and have two kids. I want to
build the plane in my lifetime without having my kids hate me or my wife
divorce me, so I went with the QB kit. Hey, the difference for the QB is a
LOT cheaper than a divorce. I figure however long it takes me to build the
plane, I will be flying YEARS ahead of where I would with the standard kit.
Yes, you can buy a plane to fly right away for less money. It will however,
be MUCH more expensive to fly and maintain. Ive wanted to build since I
was about three, and have been collecting kit aviation magazines since I was
very young. All forms of building, and aircraft rental or ownership for
that matter, have trade offs. The QB kit seemed the best choice for me.
By the way, the quality of the parts and building appears to be excellent.
The rivet lines and spacing are very uniform. Most of the standard builders
would hate me if they saw the QB kit and realized the time it would save.
That being said, it did cost more.
Regards,
Allen Ricks
Beaverton (Portland) OR.
Quick Build link:
http://www.zenithair.com/zodiac/xl/xl-qbk.html
I have read several posts that indicate the building process is much more
complicated and time consuming than what is advertised by zenith and this
really scares me away from the "kit build process." About the three years
ago I purchased the rudder for the 701 and was able to finish it with no
major problems in about 25 hours, but since then I have been on a three year
deployment with the military.
I am curious to know how much of the "new builder mistakes and
frustrations" might be aleviated by the quick build 601 xl kit? I am a new
and timid builder with little and long ago builder experience.
Any advice offered would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Mike Pedri,
US Army
---------------------------------
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pedfly60(at)yahoo.com
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:42 pm Post subject: quick build 601 XL (long) |
|
|
Hi Allen,
Just wondering how much progress and the experiences (negative Or positive) you have with the quick build kit? I hope to purchase the kit in the next few months and am still a little nervous about trying to build my own plane (zero experience with building anything not to mention an airplane) especially wiring, engine installation etc. Thank you for any advice or comments you have to offer.
Mike Pedri, Beckley, WV
Allen Ricks <allenricks(at)verizon.net> wrote:
Mike,
I think I'm the only one on the list that has the new quick build kit.
There are three others on the West coast that have one, but I have not seen
responses on the list.
I received my QB kit just before Christmas, and have had little time to do
anything with it due to the holidays, kids out of school, bad weather (still
rearranging the garage, as I was not sure the fuselage would fit where I
planned It did) and some other family stuff.
I have not actually seen up close what the standard kit looks like when it
arrives, but from the pictures Ive seen, my kit has a LOT of the work done.
I have been told that about 9500 of the 10,000 holes have been drilled, so
that eliminates a lot of the room for error. A bunch of the holes that are
left to drill are in the rudder kit, which I have already done. (I even
drilled two holes in the wrong place, but a quick e-mail to Nicholas H. let
me know it was not a fatal error).
For those of you with the standard kit, my kit arrived with the fuselage
essentially ready to put on the gear. All drilled, corrosion proofed,
riveted etc. I mean the thing is pretty much done to the point that the
engine could be hung on the firewall, as the studs for the mount are in
place. The leather interior (came with it) is ready to go in. I can
already sit in it and make engine noise, but I wont until its on the gear.
Think that would save any time?
Most, though not all of the remaining pieces have holes drilled in them, so
if they dont line up, youre putting the part in wrong and you need to
check again. If it fits, its probably right, and ready for a quick brush
of Core-tec, cleco, and rivet. The wings were put together on a jig,
drilled, clecod, and taken apart again for shipping, so they are much more
finished than the regular kit as well.
The above being true, there is still a whole lot of work left. I will need
to corrosion proof the wing parts and put them together. Lots of wiring,
plumbing, avionics (what I can afford) engine installation etc. to do. It
also appears that many of the parts have been zinc chromate coated on the
mating surfaces too, so Im not sure how much corrosion proofing I will have
to do.
I know that some feel the QB kit is not a real kit plane building
experience. There are plans builders that think the standard kit is not a
real building experience either. Im 40, and have two kids. I want to
build the plane in my lifetime without having my kids hate me or my wife
divorce me, so I went with the QB kit. Hey, the difference for the QB is a
LOT cheaper than a divorce. I figure however long it takes me to build the
plane, I will be flying YEARS ahead of where I would with the standard kit.
Yes, you can buy a plane to fly right away for less money. It will however,
be MUCH more expensive to fly and maintain. Ive wanted to build since I
was about three, and have been collecting kit aviation magazines since I was
very young. All forms of building, and aircraft rental or ownership for
that matter, have trade offs. The QB kit seemed the best choice for me.
By the way, the quality of the parts and building appears to be excellent.
The rivet lines and spacing are very uniform. Most of the standard builders
would hate me if they saw the QB kit and realized the time it would save.
That being said, it did cost more.
Regards,
Allen Ricks
Beaverton (Portland) OR.
Quick Build link:
http://www.zenithair.com/zodiac/xl/xl-qbk.html
I have read several posts that indicate the building process is much more
complicated and time consuming than what is advertised by zenith and this
really scares me away from the "kit build process." About the three years
ago I purchased the rudder for the 701 and was able to finish it with no
major problems in about 25 hours, but since then I have been on a three year
deployment with the military.
I am curious to know how much of the "new builder mistakes and
frustrations" might be aleviated by the quick build 601 xl kit? I am a new
and timid builder with little and long ago builder experience.
Any advice offered would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Mike Pedri,
US Army
---------------------------------
Brings words and photos together (easily) with
| | - The Matronics Zenith-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
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allenricks(at)verizon.net
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:15 pm Post subject: quick build 601 XL (long) |
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Hi Mike,
Unfortunately progress has been slower than I would like due to a
combination of holiday, family and weather issues. Granddad (95) broke a
leg
(He's doing better now, he just asked my dad to refill his Viagra Rx. You
go Granddad).
I also needed to create some more work space in my garage, as all of the
quick build kit takes up a LOT of space.
It rained for more than a month straight here in Oregon, and
I needed a couple of good days that I was not working to pull stuff
out and re-arrange. I did that last week, and have a few more things
to re-arrange this week. I am also realizing that the quick build is
done to a point that I need to figure out when to have things inspected
before closing, as that will occurr quickly. I can sit in my fusalage
on my leather seats and make airplane noises already.
The only flat pieces of metal I can find are the main wing skins, and
they're
supposed to be flat when you put them on. Many parts are at
least partially pre-riveted. The fuselage is pretty much done. Everything
seems to have holes in it, and if it does not have rivets already, there
are pre-aligned and drilled holes with zinc chromate on most of the mating
surfaces. On the rudder kit, everything went quickly for me but the hole
location, so the rest of the kit should go relatively quickly.
I will say that there are a lot of parts to the kit, and getting them all
sorted out and stored was a project in and of itself. For me the quick
build took the project from potentially overwhelming to something that
seems really doable, especially now that I see just how complete the kit
is.
Hopefully by the end of this week, I'll be clecoing the wing parts, and
ready for
visitors that are interested in looking at the kit.
P.S. Don't underestimate the time it takes to unpack/catalog/store
everything if
you get the complete kit all at once. It's a project in and of itself. I
had to
build some additional shelving, and I still don't have everything stored as
I would
like. I envy those with barns, even if the barns have mice in them.
Allen Ricks
Beaverton, OR
--
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http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Zenith-List |
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pedfly60(at)yahoo.com
Guest
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:07 am Post subject: quick build 601 XL (long) |
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|
thank you for the reply. I hope things work out ok and if you don't mind i would like to email you every now and then to check and your progress. Thank you and good luck, Mike Pedri, Beckley, WV
Allen Ricks <allenricks(at)verizon.net> wrote:
Hi Mike,
Unfortunately progress has been slower than I would like due to a
combination of holiday, family and weather issues. Granddad (95) broke a
leg
(He's doing better now, he just asked my dad to refill his Viagra Rx. You
go Granddad).
I also needed to create some more work space in my garage, as all of the
quick build kit takes up a LOT of space.
It rained for more than a month straight here in Oregon, and
I needed a couple of good days that I was not working to pull stuff
out and re-arrange. I did that last week, and have a few more things
to re-arrange this week. I am also realizing that the quick build is
done to a point that I need to figure out when to have things inspected
before closing, as that will occurr quickly. I can sit in my fusalage
on my leather seats and make airplane noises already.
The only flat pieces of metal I can find are the main wing skins, and
they're
supposed to be flat when you put them on. Many parts are at
least partially pre-riveted. The fuselage is pretty much done. Everything
seems to have holes in it, and if it does not have rivets already, there
are pre-aligned and drilled holes with zinc chromate on most of the mating
surfaces. On the rudder kit, everything went quickly for me but the hole
location, so the rest of the kit should go relatively quickly.
I will say that there are a lot of parts to the kit, and getting them all
sorted out and stored was a project in and of itself. For me the quick
build took the project from potentially overwhelming to something that
seems really doable, especially now that I see just how complete the kit
is.
Hopefully by the end of this week, I'll be clecoing the wing parts, and
ready for
visitors that are interested in looking at the kit.
P.S. Don't underestimate the time it takes to unpack/catalog/store
everything if
you get the complete kit all at once. It's a project in and of itself. I
had to
build some additional shelving, and I still don't have everything stored as
I would
like. I envy those with barns, even if the barns have mice in them.
Allen Ricks
Beaverton, OR
--
| | - The Matronics Zenith-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Zenith-List |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pedfly60(at)yahoo.com
Guest
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:07 am Post subject: quick build 601 XL (long) |
|
|
thank you for the reply. I hope things work out ok and if you don't mind i would like to email you every now and then to check and your progress. Thank you and good luck, Mike Pedri, Beckley, WV
Allen Ricks <allenricks(at)verizon.net> wrote:
Hi Mike,
Unfortunately progress has been slower than I would like due to a
combination of holiday, family and weather issues. Granddad (95) broke a
leg
(He's doing better now, he just asked my dad to refill his Viagra Rx. You
go Granddad).
I also needed to create some more work space in my garage, as all of the
quick build kit takes up a LOT of space.
It rained for more than a month straight here in Oregon, and
I needed a couple of good days that I was not working to pull stuff
out and re-arrange. I did that last week, and have a few more things
to re-arrange this week. I am also realizing that the quick build is
done to a point that I need to figure out when to have things inspected
before closing, as that will occurr quickly. I can sit in my fusalage
on my leather seats and make airplane noises already.
The only flat pieces of metal I can find are the main wing skins, and
they're
supposed to be flat when you put them on. Many parts are at
least partially pre-riveted. The fuselage is pretty much done. Everything
seems to have holes in it, and if it does not have rivets already, there
are pre-aligned and drilled holes with zinc chromate on most of the mating
surfaces. On the rudder kit, everything went quickly for me but the hole
location, so the rest of the kit should go relatively quickly.
I will say that there are a lot of parts to the kit, and getting them all
sorted out and stored was a project in and of itself. For me the quick
build took the project from potentially overwhelming to something that
seems really doable, especially now that I see just how complete the kit
is.
Hopefully by the end of this week, I'll be clecoing the wing parts, and
ready for
visitors that are interested in looking at the kit.
P.S. Don't underestimate the time it takes to unpack/catalog/store
everything if
you get the complete kit all at once. It's a project in and of itself. I
had to
build some additional shelving, and I still don't have everything stored as
I would
like. I envy those with barns, even if the barns have mice in them.
Allen Ricks
Beaverton, OR
--
| | - The Matronics Zenith-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Zenith-List |
|
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|
| Back to top |
|
|
pedfly60(at)yahoo.com
Guest
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:07 am Post subject: quick build 601 XL (long) |
|
|
thank you for the reply. I hope things work out ok and if you don't mind i would like to email you every now and then to check and your progress. Thank you and good luck, Mike Pedri, Beckley, WV
Allen Ricks <allenricks(at)verizon.net> wrote:
Hi Mike,
Unfortunately progress has been slower than I would like due to a
combination of holiday, family and weather issues. Granddad (95) broke a
leg
(He's doing better now, he just asked my dad to refill his Viagra Rx. You
go Granddad).
I also needed to create some more work space in my garage, as all of the
quick build kit takes up a LOT of space.
It rained for more than a month straight here in Oregon, and
I needed a couple of good days that I was not working to pull stuff
out and re-arrange. I did that last week, and have a few more things
to re-arrange this week. I am also realizing that the quick build is
done to a point that I need to figure out when to have things inspected
before closing, as that will occurr quickly. I can sit in my fusalage
on my leather seats and make airplane noises already.
The only flat pieces of metal I can find are the main wing skins, and
they're
supposed to be flat when you put them on. Many parts are at
least partially pre-riveted. The fuselage is pretty much done. Everything
seems to have holes in it, and if it does not have rivets already, there
are pre-aligned and drilled holes with zinc chromate on most of the mating
surfaces. On the rudder kit, everything went quickly for me but the hole
location, so the rest of the kit should go relatively quickly.
I will say that there are a lot of parts to the kit, and getting them all
sorted out and stored was a project in and of itself. For me the quick
build took the project from potentially overwhelming to something that
seems really doable, especially now that I see just how complete the kit
is.
Hopefully by the end of this week, I'll be clecoing the wing parts, and
ready for
visitors that are interested in looking at the kit.
P.S. Don't underestimate the time it takes to unpack/catalog/store
everything if
you get the complete kit all at once. It's a project in and of itself. I
had to
build some additional shelving, and I still don't have everything stored as
I would
like. I envy those with barns, even if the barns have mice in them.
Allen Ricks
Beaverton, OR
--
| | - The Matronics Zenith-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Zenith-List |
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