The vast majority of airplanes built in the last 70 years have been constructed of aluminum. There are good reasons for this: Aluminum is light, strong, easy to work, very adaptable and inexpensive. It does not require a controlled climate, does not need adhesives and causes no health problems other than an occasional case of being "sick and tired" of working with it.

RV kits are very complete. All necessary aluminum forming is done; all welding is completed at the factory. Molded canopies and fiberglass parts are supplied. All the hardware is included. Many of the steel parts are powder coated. In RV-7/8/9/10 kits, rivet and bolt holes are pre-punched into all the parts. It is hard to overstate just how much labor and difficulty matched-hole pre-punching saves. All part alignments, fastener spacings and measurements are set at the factory. When the builder aligns the holes, the parts must be in the correct position. An RV builder is assembling an airplane, not building one from scratch.

Many prospective builders are understandably anxious about the skills involved in constructing an airplane. Riveting, in particular, seems formidable, probably because it is not a usual home shop skill like woodworking or welding. When you consider the history of aircraft construction it becomes less intimidating. In WW2, America suddenly needed thousands of sturdy airplanes. There was no time to train skilled workers, so the industry developed a method that allowed workers with absolutely no mechanical background to assemble airplanes at rates that have never been equaled. That method turned out to be riveted aluminum. Riveting was skill that virtually anyone could learn their first day on the job.

While there is no such thing as too big a shop, most RVs are built in the equivalent of a two-car garage. Many have been built in smaller spaces…some of them in much smaller spaces. At least as important as the size of the space is the quality of the space. Good light, air conditioning or heat as the climate requires, good ventilation and good organization are essential. An uncomfortable place to work means hurried, often poor, work.

This space should be as close to home as possible. Driving any distance at all to work on the airplane will drive the time to build up by unimaginable amounts – one RV builder estimated that having to drive only four miles to work on his project doubled his construction time. Hangars, in particular, are usually miserable places to build airplanes. They rarely have climate control or enough light to work in the evening or sufficient electrical power. And they are usually are a long way from home.

Still, even a distant shop is better than no shop, and organization and determination can overcome almost any obstacle.

How much time will it take an RV? We estimate about 2000 "person-hours" for an RV-3 or RV-4. Significantly less time is involved in the matched-hole kits used to construct the RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A and RV-9/9A. Our estimate for these airplanes is about 1500 hours. The larger RV-10 might take 2000. These estimates presuppose a basic airplane, inside and out. Complex avionics, instruments and fancy interiors or paint jobs can add hundreds of hours to the project.

In the real world, the total time to build is largely dependent on the individual builder and his or her habits, efficiency and dedication. It is not uncommon to see two finished RVs at an airshow, comparably equipped, with listed building times that differ by 50-80%.

Even these numbers are suspect, because few builders accurately log shop time. Everyone knows the day they started and the day they flew. RVs are usually finished in 20-30 months elapsed time. The current world record for a Standard Kit (an RV-6 with no pre-punching) is 85 days! Several early RV-3 builders are currently vying for the title of "longest project." If the object of the project is to have a flying airplane in the shortest possible time, nothing will help achieve that goal as well as a QuickBuild Kit.
QuickBuild Kits are available for the RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-9/9A and RV-10 (but not for the RV-3 or RV-4). About 75% of the riveting is already done on the wings and fuselage when the builder receives the kit. We estimate a QB will save about thirty-five percent of construction time -- maybe more.

Other options, such as the Firewall Forward Kit, will also reduce building time by significant amounts.

Most RVs are built by people who have never built an airplane before. Many have been built by people who have never built anything before. Building an RV does not require any special skill, but it does demand attention, commitment and perseverance. It is a large project that will put you through every imaginable emotion. It is unlikely that you will do everything you are doing today and build an airplane, too. It will require some sacrifice, but when you finish, you will have a unique high-performance airplane that you understand completely. Many builders describe building and flying an RV as one of the most satisfying things they have ever done.