Panther Sport Aircraft Forums

Thanks guys. I am scheduled for the Corvair College in November in SC. I am unaware of any builders near me (MD/DC), but coming to visit you sometime would be a good excuse for a day trip in the Arrow!

Chris

ynkster wrote:Welcome Chris-
I am a first time builder #46. We have a great group of builders. When-ever I get stuck I ask questions, and I usually get answers within a few minutes. Tony, Brent, Paul, Dan and a bunch of others usually are there for us. I am about 80% on my build. I built a 3.0 Corvair, and ran it at the Corvair College last fall. It sounded great, no leaks, and nothing fell off! If you can I would recommend a visit to one of the other builders, you will see whats going on and you will answer a lot of questions that you have.
I am in Greer, SC just off Exit 58, I-85. C'mon down.
ynkster@aol.com

Wow, thank you everyone! After reading about rolling and bending aluminum aside with all the rivet-related knowledge, I got a little intimidated and thought maybe a "metal kitplanes for dummies" was in order for me. I'll start perusing these links and documents when I get home from work tonight!

I had been tossing around the idea of a Sonex, but when i first saw the Panther I thought it looked like a good first build. I also convinced my better half that building a Panther is a good idea because it will be "practice" for building the cougar once that's available

Thanks again everyone!

P.S. If anyone is building a Panther in Wisconsin and wouldn't mind if I stopped over and bothered you with questions and looked over your shoulder, let me know!

Van's section 5 goes over priming, deburring, dimpling, riveting, fluting, etc. It's similar to section 1, "Getting Started," of the Panther build manual, which should definitely be read and digested as well.

Link to Van's section 5:
http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/materials.pdf

Welcome Chris-
I am a first time builder #46. We have a great group of builders. When-ever I get stuck I ask questions, and I usually get answers within a few minutes. Tony, Brent, Paul, Dan and a bunch of others usually are there for us. I am about 80% on my build. I built a 3.0 Corvair, and ran it at the Corvair College last fall. It sounded great, no leaks, and nothing fell off! If you can I would recommend a visit to one of the other builders, you will see whats going on and you will answer a lot of questions that you have.
I am in Greer, SC just off Exit 58, I-85. C'mon down.
ynkster@aol.com

Great Job Chris keep up the good work.

My first post on this forum! I received my kit in April and have been busy ever since. You can see my progress at http://pantherkit.wordpress.com

I found this book to be useful reading when deciding whether to build a kit plane.
https://www.amazon.com/Kit-Airplane-Con ... +airplanes

My wife sent me to the EAA Sheet Metal Workshop before I decided to buy the Panther kit. It is a little pricey and mostly focused on solid rivets but it was a great learning experience. The class exposed me to how to properly use the tools and gave me confidence that I could do this. I still maintain contact with my building partner in the class.
http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation-educ ... 4A3AD&_z=z

I flew to Oshkosh this year and sat through as many classes as I could in 2.5 days. I also joined a local EAA chapter. It never hurts to have people to call on for help.

Chris

Hi David,

EAA hints for homebuilders is a great resource:

http://eaavideo.org/channel.aspx?ch=ch_hints

EAA Chapter 93 is only 20 miles from you. If you're not already a member, then join. http://93.eaachapter.org/

Sign up for one of these:

http://www.eaa.org/eaa/event/09-27-16_S ... E6532D349C

http://www.eaa.org/eaa/event/11-01-16_S ... DDBB638123

Tony

Hey David, this may not be the most comprehensive but it's free. I know it includes guidance on identification of good/bad rivets, how to determine grips, etc.

It's an FAA Advisory Circular. The book can be purchased pretty cheaply or the PDF downloaded here:

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies ... ntid/99861

It may be a good start.

Hey all,

What's some good reading material for understanding riveting, dimpling, and the basic skills necessary to build an airplane like the Panther?

I've rebuilt a few engines over the years and plan on building a Corvair (ordered the manual but still trying to find a donor engine) but the only thing I know about riveting was a little workshop I attended at Airventure a couple years back and watching random videos on youtube.

Just wondering if there are some good books to pick up to help me understand more about what skills I would need to build a Panther.


Thanks in advance!

David