Operational: POH and checklist behind-the-seat pocket.

My POH is extensive and contains a lot of information that can be useful during flight.  However, it can be really hard to reach back into the baggage area to grab it when I'm in the air.  So I wanted to put the POH, checklist and other avionics manuals behind the passenger seat.  This would let me more easily reach around and grab what I need without much undue effort.

Thus, I bought some polypropylene, Velcro binder pockets and attached one to the rear of the passenger seat.  Now it's as easy as reaching behind, flipping up the cover and grabbing what I need.  In the picture below, you can also see the

• Red polypropylene, Velcro binder pocket behind the seat with the POH, checklists and other manuals.
• Zipper binder pocket affixed to the side of the baggage area on the right holding the operating limitations.
• My low-profile wheel chocks Velcro'd to the C-01438 Canopy Latch Torque Tube (hey, it's a convenient and out-of-the-way place to store them!).

This photo is taken from the baggage area, pointed forward at the base of the passenger seat.

Operational: Light gun signal cheat sheet placard.

I keep forgetting the light gun signals and find myself relearning them prior to my flight reviews.  I figured it was time to put a cheat sheet in the plane.  Here's what I came up with using PowerPoint.  The background of the placard matches the interior paint color, similar to my fuse block legend.

Here's where I put it.  When I fly at night, I wear a headlamp in case I lose power and need to see my panel's steam gauges.  That will also let me read the placard at night too.

Operational: Rudder gust lock.

I fashioned a quick and inexpensive rudder gust lock.  It's slightly different than other similar designs I've seen:  Rather than using an extension that secures the gust lock in place, mine is lodged into place between the F-01435 Cover Base and F-01483 Forward Bottom Skin.

The gust lock stays in place, even when manipulating the rudder rather authoritatively.  The aft tee is the key to keeping the whole contraption lodged in place.  There is some flex when the rudder is providing a lot of force.  If that becomes a problem, a thick dowel inserted into the pipe(s) would help alleviate that issue. 

It's important to place the aft tee where a F-01438 Cover Rib is located to provide something rigid for the gust lock to be pushed into when the rudder is moving.  Otherwise the Cover Base is at risk of being bent.

I use one on each side, in case either dislodges or fails.

Parts list from Lowe's for one gust lock:

• Two 22693 1/2"x1/2"x3/4" reducer tees (cut to fit over the WD-655 Rudder Pedal frames).
• Two 23874 3/4" tees.
• Two 23868 3/4" elbows.
• One 23972 5' section 3/4" pipe cut into the following lengths:
• Two 2" lengths to go from the center tee to the elbows.
• Two 4" lengths to go from the elbows to the reducer tees.
• One cut to length as required to get a snug fit into the joint between the Cover Base and Forward Bottom Skin.

My total cost for a pair:  $15.40.

Modification: Canopy lock.

When I bought my ignition switch, I got the one with the lock set.  My plan was to drill through the F-01470-L Fuselage Side Skin similar to what other folks do.  But, I eventually balked at that as there is a definite...finality...to that approach that I couldn't stomach.

Instead, I thought I could fit a padlock through the C-609 Canopy Latch and C-607 Latch Handle.  Below gives an idea of the available dimensions for the purpose.

Center-to-center, at the outboard edges of the Canopy Latch and Latch Handle, the two parts are 3/4" apart.  So I needed a lock with the same center-to-center shackle width.  The Master 4130 fit the bill.  Dimensions are A:3/16", B:9/16", C:9/16" with a width of 9/8", which gives that 3/4" center-to-center spacing I needed.  Although the shackle diameter is larger than I wanted, it will work.

A #11 (0.191") hole was drilled into the C-106 part and a 7/32" (0.219") hole was drilled into the C-107 part.  One hole has to be larger to accommodate the curvature of the shackle during insertion.

The lock then fits in very snug.  It cannot move even on a windy day.

Maintenance: My inflight toolbox.

The nice thing (if there is one) about building your own plane and having the repairman's certificate for it too, is that you know how, and are able, to fix nearly anything, anywhere, anyplace.  So I carry a set of tools in the baggage area.  I use little padded lunchboxes since, if they bounce around, they won't cause too much grief back there banging things.

The complete list of what I carry is at the bottom of this post.  Here are the pictures.

First box's contents are shown below.

Second box's contents are shown below (not shown, spark plug socket).

Not shown, in a separate lunch box, are several quarts of oil.

These items ride freely, without a box:  Light canopy cover from Bruce's Custom Covers, cowl and NACA plugs and my cheaply fashioned, lightweight and low-profile wheel chocks.

Interior, between the seats, are my sunglasses, USB charging cables, headlamp, FM radio, Wet Ones for cleaning hands after fueling and a little pick. 

Those items above are kept here in this little red case from Hango.  "Insert before flight" keychain available from eBay and Amazon.

The full list below.

• Tools
• Socket and ratchet set
• Air pressure gauge
• Ignition wrenches
• 6-piece mini pliers set
• Prop wrench
• 6" inch adjustable wrench
• Ratcheting screwdriver
• #2 Phillips stubby screwdriver
• Mini ratchet right angle screwdriver
• Micro ratchet
• 6" safety wire pliers
• 5 mm hex key for starter solenoid
• 5/16" hex key for nose gear
• Boelube
• LEMO to dual plugs adapter
• Fuel tester
• Pocket knife 
• Spark plug socket

• Spares
• Spark plug
• Alternator belt
• Contactor
• Extra fuel caps
• Fuses
• Inner tubes
• Starter solenoid

• Other
• Valve stem extensions
• Tie down anchors
• Tie down ropes
• Wire ties
• Tube patch kit
• Friction tape
• Oil
• Headlamp
• Cowl and NACA plugs
• Pitot covers
• Left wing
• Right wing
• Fuel vent covers
• Brake pads
• Safety wire
• Wheel chocks
• Toilet paper (unattended FBOs can be in short supply).

• Hardware
• Exteriorly exposed hardware
• Flaps
• AN4-8
• NAS1149F0432P
• NAS1149F0463P
• MS24665-151
• Rudder cables    
• AN23-11
• NAS1149F0332P
• AN310-3
• MS24665-132
• Elevator trim
• Inside
• MS20392-1C11
• NAS1149FN432P
• MS24665-132
• Outside
• MS20392-1C9
• NAS1149FN432P
• MS24665-132
• Screws
• Empennage and rudder fairings, gap covers
• AN507C632R4
• AN507C632R6
• AN507C632R8
• Cowl screws
• AN525-832R8
• Wing tips 
• AN507-6R6/MS24693S26
• Dynon heated pitot
• AN507-6R4/MS24963S24
• Tinnerman washers, #6 and #8
• Nylon washers for cowl
• 5610-18-31
• Elastic stop nuts
• AN365-632A
• AN365-832A
• Pinch-nuts
• MS21042-3
• MS21042-4
• Spark plug and oil screen crush washers
• AN900-10/MS35769-11
• AN900-16/MS35769-21

Operational: Super light wheel chocks.

The first time I got fuel away from my home drome, when I parked the plane in front of the pump, I walked over to grab a set of the available chocks.  All of them were way too high to fit under the wheel fairings.  It was clear I needed to provision and carry my own.  Here's what I came up with.

There are lots of low-profile chocks options available.  All of them are rather expensive, in my view.  I sought to find a cheaper alternative.  Alas, I found one.  It's made from ISOFR (isopthaloic polyester fire retardant resin) Fiberglas 1/8" thick, 1"x1" angle.  A 5' section cost me $10.75 and let me make 3 pairs of 10" chocks which works out to $3.58 each pair.  The material is rated for a temperature range of -100°F to 150°F with a tensile strength of 30,000 psi.

After cutting up the 5' section into three pairs, I drilled holes to accommodate some string to hold a pair together.  The chocks, with string, weigh 4.6 oz.  And since it's not metal, it won't scratch any paint in the baggage area or on the fairings.

Maintenance: Cowl and NACA plugs.

Custom cut cowl plugs are very expensive.  Bruce's Custom Covers sells a set for $145.  Van's says that their $59.95 plugs for the RV-6/7/8/9 will fit the the RV-14.  Aircraft Spruce sells a set of cut-to-fit universal plugs for $38.80.  One miserly fellow made his plugs out of some packing foam.

I snagged that universal kit from Spruce.  It came with way more foam than I needed.  So I decided to make NACA covers too.

First you make templates for each piece.  Then trace it on the foam and cut it with the band saw.

 Then you sand it down until you get the fit you want.

Attach the strap and flag, label them with your N-number and call it good.

 

I originally wanted to make NACA covers that would fit the profile of the vent.  But that was proving too difficult.  So I fashioned a 1" thick block and cut a slit in the middle to accept the skin.  The block then just slides into place with the slit accepting the skin, like a tab-and-slot on a cereal box.

I got a whole lot of foam left over.  My friend with an RV-9A will use this to make his plugs.

First Flight Prep: My POH, W&B, flight and condition inspection checklists and flight test cards.

In the interest of sharing with the community, here are the first revisions of my RV-14A Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), flight and annual checklists and flight test cards.  Please note, these were assembled prior to first flight and thus I anticipate they will all change during and after Phase I.  As with all information on my site, it is being offered free for use.  Feel free to copy and modify any or all of them to suit your needs.  Links to the files are in the matrix below the image.

I used OpenOffice to create each document.  It's a free open source office suite.  Below I include the documents in PDF, OpenOffice text (.odt) and Microsoft Word (.doc) formats (the .doc files may not preserve the full fidelity of original OpenOffice formatting).  I will update the links with future versions as I write them.  Following Phase 1 testing, v1.0 will be completed.

It's best to save the .odt and .docx files directly to your computer/phone/tablet.  If you instead view them in Google Docs' native viewer, they will be mangled on your screen.

READ THIS.  No seriously, read the following:  Downloads are below.  Click the file and format you would like.  After your browser opens the link, on the top right of the window/screen select the download icon (looks like an arrow pointing down).  This will save a local copy on your computer for you to edit as you please.  You don't need to request sharing or edit access.  I get so many of those requests that I no longer respond to them.

	.pdf	.odt	.docx
POH	v1.7	v1.7	v1.7
Flight Checklist	v2.0	v2.0	v2.0
Condition Inspection Checklist	v1.6	v1.6	v1.6
Flight Test Cards	v0.2	v0.2	v0.2

	.ods	.xls
W&B	v1.0	v1.0

 

I printed out the POH, double-sided and had it bound with a comb binding.  The flight checklist was printed single-sided and laminated.  Then each page was cut down to about 8"x4", a hole was punched in the upper left of each page and a loose leaf ring holds the stack together.

 

 

Shameless plug:  I'm sharing my design, for free, with the community for the larger oil cooler to bring down oil temperature in the EXP119 engine: 

 

Concerned about high OilT with the EXP119?  Read about my installation of a larger oil cooler including the free CAD files necessary to do it yourself.  Also on that page, you'll find my free design for a smoother transition (a.k.a, shroud/duct) from the SCAT tube (both 5" and 4") to the stock oil cooler.

 

POH Updates:

5-Feb-25:  W&B has condition formatting on the CG values to indicate out-of-envelope.

1-Dec-24:  Checklist include IFR tasks.  Minor inspection checklist updates.

12-Dec-23:  My W&B updated in POH and W&B document.

11-Nov-23:  Condition inspection checklist updated.

3-Oct-23:  POH and flight checklist updated.

21-Nov-21:  POH and condition inspection checklist updated.

14-Nov-20:  Condition inspection checklist updated.

14-Sep-20:  POH and flight checklist updated.

26-Nov-19:  POH, flight checklist and condition inspection checklist updated.
21-Jan-19:  POH updated.
21-Nov-18:  Condition inspection checklist added.
10-Jan-19:  Added my W&B spreadsheet in both OpenOffice .ods and Microsoft Excel .xls formats.

 

Much of the POH structure and some of its wording were stolen from a POH written by Brian and Brandi for N42BU, an RV-10.  Most of the wording from the RV-14 plans' Chapter 2 serve as the first three subsections.

I copied much of the checklist structure and wording found in N42BU's checklist.

I copied the flight test card set offered by N169AK, modifying it as appropriate for my needs.

Tim Olson's N14YT annual checklist served as the starting point for mine.