What Our Members Are Building/Restoring — Ontario Van’s Aircraft RV-4 – Hangar Flying | Aviation

This piece originally ran in the June 2023 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

My RV-4 took to the air for its first test flight on March 17, 2022. Mike Skoczen, a friend who was a previous test pilot for Diamond Aircraft and builder of an RV-3 and a Harmon Rocket, along with a half-dozen other homebuilts, was chosen to do the honors. All went well with only a few adjustments made to the trailing edges of the ailerons and elevator. It’s now a “trim ship” without trim tabs.

This project started back in 2008 when I acquired a partial kit from a gentleman living outside of Celina, Ohio. It was then housed in the garage at our Cayuga, Ontario, home for the next 10 years. Nearly all the structural parts were constructed and fitted to resemble an airplane; however, in 2018 we moved to a much smaller location in Ancaster just west of Hamilton. The wings were removed, and the project was then moved to Binbrook, home of another friend, Adam Omasta, who incidentally has rebuilt several Stearmans and helped me restore my 1940 Piper J-3.

The RV-4 was metal prepped and received its primer coat. In 2019, the project was moved back to the Cayuga area and its current location thanks to another friend, Dave Bruce. The cockpit layout was completed including the wiring of all components and instruments. Prior to receiving my aircraft maintenance engineer license in 2001, I was lucky to have worked in an avionics shop picking up experience in trade practices and reading schematics. It was interesting how the wiring looked like a jungle at first, but after isolating the individual circuits and appropriate routing, the results and operation proved successful. On the engine side of things, I did the final securing of the carb heat, cabin heat, mixture, and all engine sending unit wiring at the firewall openings. Duct work for the oil cooler along with the magneto and fuel pump received special attention. On the engine baffling I was…