Video was very helpful and informative. Huge thank you for your insights. Really looking forward to more. The simple practical guidance is much appreciated!!!
I am just about to assemble my VS also. I have a couple more ribs to prime and then will be ready to assemble. I did not need to use a strap to pull the leading edge skin into place, but then I noticed that it appears you have the original style ribs that had a full nose on them. Mine are the newer style that have the noses removed and I suspect that is why my leading edge skin went into place easily. I decided to bite the bullet and buy a spray gun at the outset as I plan to attempt to paint my plane myself. I am using the Stewart Systems Ekoprime and it works great. It is not nearly as conventional as a rattle can, but with practice I can thin the paint and load the gun in 5 minutes or so. I am priming all interior surfaces including the skins so the fun makes it pretty fast compared to a can for the larger areas. And the Stewart primer is tough as nails and dries quickly, at least in the low humidity we have had of late in PA. I found out just how tough it is when I failed to place the viscosity cup into water immediately after using it. I thought I could lay it in the sink and clean it up when I cleaned the gun. Big mistake. In the 20 minutes or so that I took to spray a couple coats on my parts, the primer hardened quite nicely on the stainless steel viscosity cup. It took much scrubbing to get it off! I have been having the same debate about the tips. I will probably go ahead and do mine right away as I want to get some practice working with the ABS parts and also want to get the tip rib drilled and primed so I need to do the fitting to do that. Looks like it may be interesting. RANS says to cut to the trim line, but my tip has three different lines on it. I am pretty sure they mean the line where the mold flare starts, but I expect it will be obvious once held up next to the completed VS.
I have used Ekoprime on a past project. Very easy stuff! RANS is constantly improving parts, not surprised the VS ribs were modified. It was not difficult to build, but those nose ribs were a bit of a pain to get them cinched up to the leading edge of the skin.
Great video with good commentary. Looking forward to the build and your comments. Why did you choose Rans rather than Vans since you had a history with Vans? Also, did you consider the Zenith 750, which is very similar to your Rans?
The S-21 is the perfect balance of STOL performance, good cruise speed, easy build and good looks. Vans has no high wing back country aircraft and I wanted a tailwheel, so the 750 wasn't considered.
Video was very helpful and informative. Huge thank you for your insights. Really looking forward to more. The simple practical guidance is much appreciated!!!
Thank you for an informative video. Just at this step in our build now.
Great video sir! I’m working on my vertical stab right now. It’s useful to watch someone else doing the same thing just before attempting it myself👍
Thanks for the videos! We're just starting our build, so it's nice to see what's coming up.
I am just about to assemble my VS also. I have a couple more ribs to prime and then will be ready to assemble. I did not need to use a strap to pull the leading edge skin into place, but then I noticed that it appears you have the original style ribs that had a full nose on them. Mine are the newer style that have the noses removed and I suspect that is why my leading edge skin went into place easily.
I decided to bite the bullet and buy a spray gun at the outset as I plan to attempt to paint my plane myself. I am using the Stewart Systems Ekoprime and it works great. It is not nearly as conventional as a rattle can, but with practice I can thin the paint and load the gun in 5 minutes or so. I am priming all interior surfaces including the skins so the fun makes it pretty fast compared to a can for the larger areas. And the Stewart primer is tough as nails and dries quickly, at least in the low humidity we have had of late in PA. I found out just how tough it is when I failed to place the viscosity cup into water immediately after using it. I thought I could lay it in the sink and clean it up when I cleaned the gun. Big mistake. In the 20 minutes or so that I took to spray a couple coats on my parts, the primer hardened quite nicely on the stainless steel viscosity cup. It took much scrubbing to get it off!
I have been having the same debate about the tips. I will probably go ahead and do mine right away as I want to get some practice working with the ABS parts and also want to get the tip rib drilled and primed so I need to do the fitting to do that. Looks like it may be interesting. RANS says to cut to the trim line, but my tip has three different lines on it. I am pretty sure they mean the line where the mold flare starts, but I expect it will be obvious once held up next to the completed VS.
I have used Ekoprime on a past project. Very easy stuff! RANS is constantly improving parts, not surprised the VS ribs were modified. It was not difficult to build, but those nose ribs were a bit of a pain to get them cinched up to the leading edge of the skin.
Thanks for posting some helpful hints!
Thanks for the tips!
Great video with good commentary. Looking forward to the build and your comments.
Why did you choose Rans rather than Vans since you had a history with Vans? Also, did you consider the Zenith 750, which is very similar to your Rans?
The S-21 is the perfect balance of STOL performance, good cruise speed, easy build and good looks. Vans has no high wing back country aircraft and I wanted a tailwheel, so the 750 wasn't considered.