N418TX (We Think)

Per Julia's request, these are pictures of the airplane I am building with two friends. Our latest idea for the "tail number" is the title of this post: N = US aircraft, 4 = D for Deane, 18 = R for Russell, T for Tom, X for Experimental (no more than two digits other than initial N can be letters, and they have to be at the end).

You are seeing the fuselage and wings, which come with the "Quick Build" kit. We recently finished the "tail feathers" ie the stabilizers and control surfaces at the aft end. Now we are working on finishing details of the wings, such as fuel, electical, air data, etc. There is a lot of little stuff to do on the fuselage before we start assembling things together. Then, we will have to hang an engine on the front. An optimistic goal is to be flying in summer 2008, but it may take longer.

This is a Van's RV-7A, one of the most popular airplane kits in the world. One or more kits are being shipped every day now. It has two seats, tops out at about 200 mph, and can do aerobatics. The total cost is about 1/3 of a similar manufactured airplane (still too much for me to afford if we weren't splitting it 3 ways).