I was asked what I meant by, “Do some research.” It’s a common phrase that I use when I’m stuck. Which is frequently. Daily, nearly.
But what is my research process. It’s become a fairly routine procedure, and I’m happy to share my steps, in order:
1.) Search the instructions. I mean, search. I have two electronic copies, one is the PDF from Van’s and one is the same that has been exported to Word. I use the search function on both. Typically I search the part number that I’m working on, to bring up all instances–all references to that part number.
I’ve been caught more than once by “split” work on a part, a preparation or installation process that’s two-part. Then find all instances of the parts on the plans, and scrutinize them. Reading up on all mentions of the part number central to my quandary often solves the problem. If not…
2.) Search Van’s Airforce. The central forum for Van’s aircraft owners, Van’s Airforce will answer many questions, often much more thoroughly than the instructions and plans. I similarly search the part numbers that are causing confusion, but also will search utilizing more descriptive keywords.
A tip on Van’s Airforce that many helpful folks will show you: The search function isn’t always the greatest, so sometimes it is necessary to point Google’s search capabilities at it by searching “{keywords/phrases} site:vansairforce.com”. This will limit search results to only those found at that domain.
I really don’t post much. I’ve asked a few questions. I mainly lurk and search. Most of what I’m looking for is on there, so there isn’t a need to ask again.
3.) Unless you’re serial number 1, you’re not charting unknown territory. And luckily there are folks who have documented their builds via video and blogs. Now, as contradictory as it may seem, I don’t like watching videos to search for answers. I hate it actually. I watch videos to be entertained, and I hope people find mine more entertaining than informative–or maybe equally. Regardless, I have a few blogs bookmarked to review how they attacked certain elements:
4.) Last resort is Van’s help line. The only reason it is a “last resort” is due to the time it takes to receive a response. It’ll eat up a few days, so I tend to save this one for the real conundrums.
When you do receive a call back, the answers are typically top-notch. I’ve never walked away with questions unanswered. They’ll even answer the questions that are next in line that they know you’ll be back with–a time saver for both parties, I’m sure.
If you wanted to add a fifth option, you can always reach out and contact me if it’s any easy question. Contact form is on this site. But I’ll warn you–I know far less than others roaming around on the forums or with similar web pages, and am really just stealing my answers off their tests…
RM