Build Log
From kit parts to fastback.
Browse the construction notes, choices, mistakes, fixes, and hour-by-hour progress that turned aluminum into N22UP.
Enter the build logPapa Lima Bravo
RV-8 Fastback / N22UP
A practical logbook for building, flying, and maintaining a Van's RV-8 fastback. Peter Barrett keeps the notes here for builders, pilots, and aviation-curious people who like the useful details more than the brochure version.
What this is
A practical RV-8 build, flight, and maintenance log.
Papa Lima Bravo follows N22UP from kit parts and workshop choices into test flying, trips, maintenance, and the steady education that comes with owning what you built.
Hours Summary
- Build
- 2027.5
- Maintenance
- 51
- Flight
- 192.6
Flying
The airplane doing airplane things.
Flight notes, trips, performance observations, and the post-build education that only starts after first flight.
Browse flying notes
Maintenance
Ownership, troubleshooting, and oil on the towels.
Squawks, inspections, tuning, oil changes, and the practical notes that keep the airplane honest.
Read maintenance notesLogbook
Latest Posts
Showplanes Fastback — Lessons Learned
Sixty build sessions, one structural mistake, one instrument panel bent in the wrong order, and a lot of composite work. Here is what I would want to know before starting the Showp
Two Year Anniversary!
I haven't barely posted since the first 6 months flying this airplane. But she has nearly 200 hours on her now and has flown all the way across the country
Sunrise Over Manhattan: Flying the Hudson River Corridor
Flying the Hudson River Corridor at sunrise delivered jaw dropping views of Manhattan—and a top tier RV 8 memory.
Cross Country by RV-8: A Farewell Flight Before Foreign Service
A 21 day cross country adventure in the RV 8, from Maryland to Zion and back, filled with friends, flight challenges, and unforgettable views.
Stall Testing
RV-8 stall testing notes from the early test-flight period.
Oil Change and Misc Maintenance
Oil change and miscellaneous RV-8 maintenance notes from July 2023.
New here?
Start with the map, not the pile of rivets.
Use the Start Here page for the shortest path through the build story, the useful indexes, the hour totals, and the pages that deserve a first click.