Martin Guinn’s RV-14A | Southport, North Carolina RV-14A #140676

Congratulations to Martin! He writes:

N818PP took her initial flight on a spring-like Christmas Eve day from Cape Fear Regional Jetport in Southport, NC. She circled the airport three times at 3000 ft then flew 60 NM to KCTZ and back at 75% power at a top IAS of 154 kts and 180 kts ground speed. Throughout the flight she handled and performed superbly, a testament to outstanding engineering and design of the RV-14A.

I decided on the RV-14A as a good way to transition into retirement with a challenging project which would yield in the end a fast and capable airplane for exploring this vast and beautiful country we all share. I can honestly say, I enjoyed every moment and looked forward to starting each day, learning and honing new skills and seeing these many, many parts transformed by my hands into a sleek, beautiful machine that I would someday fly.

The process of building N818PP has opened the door to many new friendships with fellow pilots and RV builders and equipment suppliers. My journey began attending Troy Grover’s weekend RV build class and I can’t thank Troy enough for teaching me the basic sheetmetal and riveting skills I would use throughout the build. I owe a debt of gratitude to John Strain at Flightline A/C for supplying the components and many discussion of how best to integrate air conditioning into the RV-14A; to Don Rivera at Airflow Performance for advice on redesigning the induction air system to accommodate the engine driven a/c compressor; and to Jeff Schans and Lycoming for providing the dual pulley flywheel. RV builders are blessed to have many great suppliers and an active RV forum. I want to mention Steve at Aircraft Specialties for the gorgeous Beringer wheel and brake system, the fuel lines and wing root filters, and for various custom fuel line hoses and to Jeremiah at Classic Aero for the awesome leather interior. A special mention must go to Stein Bruch and his fantastic team at SteinAir for a beautiful Garmin panel. I can’t recommend them enough to any current or future RV builder. Special thanks goes to my neighbor and friend Carlos Mejia, and RV-10 builder, for always having the tool or part I needed and for helping out a key points throughout the build. Finally, none of this was possible without the love and encouragement from my wife Cate who is looking forward to her first flight after I complete my 40 hr Phase 1.