SECTION 05: General Information
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Before You Start
- The current Section 5 is Revision 2 and can be found here.
- Revision 2 does not incorporate any changes for the RV-15 as of yet.
General Build Notes
- Updates: Always download the latest PDF for each section before starting. Van's updates digital sections frequently; revisions may not be announced separately.
- Check for more recent updates here
- Van's builder email whitelist: Van's builder update emails come from [email protected]. This address frequently goes to spam. Add it to your safe-senders list immediately to ensure you receive stop-work alerts and part replacement notices.
- Conflicts: When KAI text and drawings conflict, the drawings take precedence.
- Tackle box dividers: Apply a drop of hot glue to secure each divider in its groove before starting the build. Dividers are loose and prone to cross-contamination if a box is dropped.
- QR codes: The QR codes on part bags and bin labels link directly to Van's — scan them if you find an error.
- Rivet Quantities: Count items under 100 individually. For quantities over 100, count 100 then weigh the remainder to extrapolate.
- Count each rivet length separately — mixed batches (e.g., AN470AD4-4.5 and -5.5 combined) have been found in the tail kit.
- Check all rivets for proper length before installing — do not assume the bag matches the label.
- Position factory heads (rivet heads) on the most visible/exterior-facing side for best appearance.
- For many solid rivets (rudder, VS, HS), bucking is often easier than constantly readjusting the squeezer — especially around tight clearances like the rudder horn.
- Check rivet length before setting each rivet. If a called-for rivet doesn't meet gauge length, going one half-size longer is acceptable. Per Mil-Spec, the priority is achieving a good shop head shape — meeting the specified length exactly is secondary.
- Bin labels vs. inventory sheets: The quantity on bin labels (next to QR code) may differ from your paper inventory sheets. Van's intentionally includes extra hardware or measures in weight instead of quantity in some bins. Always go by the paper inventory sheets, not the bin label when doing inventory.
- KAIs: The KAI diagrams show the left wing only. Building both wings concurrently lets you check mirror image parts against each other and reduces L/R errors.
- You may also find it helpful to have a mirror image of the KAI's printed for the right wing. This can help with orientation of parts.
- Read ahead: Read 2–3 KAI sections ahead before starting any new section. Several builders permanently riveted pieces that then had to be drilled out because an adjacent part could not be installed afterward. When in doubt, leave it clecoed.
- Keep original crates: They double as auxiliary work surfaces and storage throughout the entire build.
- LE skin storage: 1/2" pipe insulation slides snugly inside the leading edge curve and prevents dings and dents on skins stored for extended periods.
- Part labeling strategy: write abbreviated part numbers directly on parts with a Sharpie marker early in the build process, before any surface prep. Makes tracking and assembly significantly easier throughout the build. Write numbers where the will not be seen after riveting.
- Technique Batch Work: Prep all parts (countersink, drill, ream) across multiple sections BEFORE priming. Batching the metalwork is more efficient than doing one section at a time. Potentially adjust countersink depth for primer ~.001". (Technique: Download and combine all kit sections into one pdf file, then search key words(e.g. countersink) to find all areas in the kit the require that search word.)
- Technique - Wet-priming nut plates: If you are following a minimal-prime strategy (priming only where dissimilar materials meet), the nut plates can be wet-primed on the nut-plate side rather than the aluminum side for a cleaner finished look. A short piece of woven split loom makes a handle and protects the threads while priming.
Electrical Connectors (CPC)
Van's uses TE/AMP Circular Plastic Connectors (CPC), Series 1 throughout the RV-15 wiring harnesses. The KAI does not explain the part-numbering.
- Reference: TE Circular Plastic Connectors Series 1 catalog — the place to start on the numbering vernacular.
- Plug vs. receptacle: connector gender is set by the pin gender, and the mating arrangement is often the reverse of what you'd expect — hence TE's use of "plug" and "receptacle." Check the pin gender, not the shell. Source
- Wing-root connectors (AMP CPC Series 1): left side 206838-1, right side 206036-1. Source
- Contacts: Series 1 uses .062 pins rated to 13 A. The pins/sockets appear to be 66099-x (pin) and 66101-x (socket) — size 20 contacts, the suffix denoting plating/material. Verify wire-gauge compatibility and whether you need standard or high-density contacts before crimping a batch: the shells look identical but the contact series differ. Source
- Extraction tool: TE 305183 removes these contacts from CPC housings. Contact spec sheet: TE document 408-1379. Source
- Spare pins: the stock wing connector has nine unused positions — handy for added circuits, but you'll need the matching contacts and the extraction tool. Source