When I walked in Saturday morning, it was clear that the Van’s crew had reached a point that gave them confidence that the One Week Wonder project would achieve its goal of getting an RV-12iS built and ready to taxi in 6.5 days. Their core group of employees had worked into the wee hours of the morning to do the things they felt necessary to ensure success.
Over the last two days, work has evolved from using five Van’s employees and about 15-20 volunteers each four hour shift (not including the folks who come by to pull a rivet or two) to only about a half-dozen light-blue-shirted volunteers and more Van’s employees. The work is now physically limited to only a couple of concentrated places and mostly involved detailed work not conducive to supervising several other people.
After the afternoon session finished and the crew had broken for dinner, they pulled the plane outside the tent, put the wings on, and fired the engine up. Success!
The biggest item that needs attention appears to be fiberglassing the canopy and the Van’s evening elves will be working on that project as well as other nits that still need attention. But, a successful taxi Sunday afternoon is pretty much ensured. First flight by Vic Syracuse is planned for Tuesday.
