Well, it looks like I'm back into the waiting game. I just got a letter from Van's that they are not going to ship my wing kit next week. One of the key items--the main wing spars--have been problematic for them to obtain. Today, they got their shipment of spars and found them non-airworthy. From their letter...
WHAT HAPPENED
A large batch of RV-15 spar webs were returned from the anodizing process with both cosmetic and structural defects that make them unsuitable for use in your airframe. We rejected the entire affected lot.
The letter went on to say that I have the option of getting my partial kit shipped next week and the spars "later", but it will cost me about an additional $700 in shipping. On the other hand, they are taking orders for Tail Kits and are pretty optimistic that those will start shipping "in May" at a rate of 2/day. They explicitly stated that it was possible that Tail Kits might hit the door prior to complete Wing Kits.
I just ordered the Tail Kit (by pulling funds from the recently opened HELOC) and will wait to see when they publish an estimated shipping date, and possibly an updated ship date for the wing kit. I doubt the latter, as they said that they're not even sure when they're going to get another batch of wing spars (from a different provider.)
While I was typing this entry, I've been debating what do do with my options for the wing kit. I finally realized that I want to get going on this project since I've been waiting ever since July of last year. I'll spend the $700 for the spar shipment when it's ready. There's a reasonable amount of work that can be done w/o the spars (e.g., inventory, demurring, assembly of the ailerons and flaps) while waiting for the spars. If needed, I'll work on the tail kit if the spars still are delayed excessively (which I doubt.)
Let's go!
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