This is me, the first time I ever saw an RV-8 in person. This is the Van's Aircraft demo plane.

This is an interior shot of an RV-8. We're installing the engine monitoring device seen on the far right of the panel...very cool!

Detail of another interior, noting the blocks on the rudder pedals. They're not standard, but a good idea to prevent involuntary brake application.

Another angle of the same interior

A whole field full of RV airplanes...a beautiful thing!

Me, Mom and Dad standing in front of a Corsair.

The gate to the flight line.

Me meeting the legendary Bob Hoover.

Having a barbecue and a wonderful chat with Richard "Van" VanGrunsven (right), the man who designed the entire line of RV planes.

Rutan's Boomerang...strange looking machine. Note the TWA Connie in the background.

Patty Wagstaff's Extra 300

I don't know WHAT this thing was...flapping wings, a sputtering diesel engine and piloted by "Vikings." This contraption drew quite a crowd.

Rutan's ROCKET powered Long EZ

Patty Wagstaff doing a knife-edge low pass

Hanging on the prop...this plane did some amazing low and slow maneuvers.

Now on to our project. This is the horizontal stabilizer skeleton, clamped in the construction jig.

The horizontal stabilizer, clecoed and ready to rivet.

The vertical stabilizer skeleton in the jig.

The vertical stabilizer, ready to be riveted.

This is the rudder. Instead of a skeleton, it's got stiffeners which form square tubes when the skin is closed.

The fuselage and wings in their cradles.

This is the cockpit floor, the control column is temporarily installed. The control sticks attach to this column.

The entire empennage has been drilled to the fuselage and temporarily installed. The next time they go on, it will be permenant.

Another view of the complete empennage.

That's me, sitting in our plane for the first time. The control stick makes the elevator move--and in the correct direction!

Attaching the wings for the first time.

Setting and drilling the wing's angle of incidence to the fuselage...big step! Once this drill hole is made, the angle is set forever.

The wings were removed to finish work on the interiors. This is a close-up of our wing spar (gold) and the aileron bellcrank and push tubes.

The right wing, just hung the aileron.

Here's the same view, but with the wing skin held on with clecoes (those pins you see sticking up). The skin still has blue protective plastic on it.

Here, Dad is squeezing the #3 rivets which fasten the wing skin, flap brace and flap hinge together.

Dad is drilling holes for the nutplates, which will receive the screws that hold the inspection plate in place. Lots of nutplates in this plane!

Here's the right wing, upside down, nearly finished. We still have to install the lights, pitot tube and fuel plumbing.

Another view of the right wing, nearly finished

We spent a lot of time measuring and re-measuring to ensure a clean line along the trailing edge between the aileron and flap. We succeeded!

Here's a close-up of the Whelen strobe power supply. We mounted them out in the wingtips to avoid sending high-voltage wiring past the fuel tanks.