The RV Builder's Newsletter is a free e-mail newsletter distributed every Friday afternoon or Saturday morning to those who have subscribed. It contains information about building and flying the RV series of experimental aircraft from Van's Aircraft Inc., of Aurora, OR. Is not endorsed by, nor affiliated with, Van's Aircraft. To subscribe, just click this link.

It is not another Web site seeking to be the end all for RV news. Indeed, the goal of the Hotline is to send you to other Web sites. It's here to select the most interesting parts of other Web sites and newsletters and present them to you. The Hotline, for the most part, aggregates information about the RV series of aircraft from a variety of sources and depends on its subscribers to refer us to that information. It is then judged on suitability and interest for inclusion in the Hotline. These sources include builders' Web sites, forums and bulletin boards, newspapers, EAA chapter newsletters and any experiences you may have during the course of your RV experience. Have you been to a workshop? Had your first flight? Picked up an interesting tip. Know someone we should talk to? Just send it along.

The Hotline is entirely free. There is no advertising in the Hotline itself, which is e-mailed. There may occasionally be a small advertisement on the archive Web site.

The Hotline is owned and edited by Bob Collins, a senior online editor for Minnesota Public Radio, who has been building an RV-7A in his garage in Woodbury, Minnesota (St. Paul) since 2001. Bob is a member of the Minnesota Wing of Van's Air Force and also hosts the annual RV Builder's BBQ at Camp Scholler at Oshkosh each year.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Is this ever going to cost anything?
A: Not a chance. There's some folks out there doing a great job and it actually costs them money to do it - Matt Dralle and Doug Reeves come to mind. If you're inclined to donate to anyone, those are the two guys to start with.

Q: How do I subscribe?
A: Just click here.

Q: What's the best way to view this?
A: The newsletter is sent by e-mail. Starting in mid-September 2006, the email will be produced so that the appropriate version -- html or plain text -- will be delivered to you automatically. However, the plain text version is not the complete version; far from it. So we recommend you set your e-mail program to accept html e-mails.

The Web site will also post the latest version of the newsletter and provide access to all previous newsletters.

Q: Can I advertise my stuff?
A: Probably not. I don't think I'm interested in display advertising. And I wouldn't know what to charge anyway. Maybe at some point a single "brought to you by" message at the bottom but that would be it. And, besides, the standard rate for that is a penny an eyeball. Not worth gumming up the page, imho. We do have a small Google ad that, hopefully, contains RV content. That provides a small -- VERY small -- amount of money to cover a few expenses, allowing the newsletter to be free.

Q: Are there back issues available?
A: Yes. Back issues are organized both by subject and by date on the archive page of the RV Builder's Hotline Web site.

Q: Where do you find the time?
A: The secret is in a consistent production schedule that doesn't interfere with my RV building... too much. I start on Sunday night, perusing chapter and builder newsletters. Each day during the week, I'm monitoring the message boards anyway, so if a thread strikes me as interesting, I just copy the link and title. Each day I check the FAA databases and monitor mainstream press for RV-related information. By Tuesday I have an idea what the "top" feature will be and start collecting information. The "story" (if there is one) is written on Thursday morning. On Wednesday the calendar is inserted. Spellchecking, link-checking and general visual housekeeping happens Thursday evening and by Friday morning the files are uploaded to the online server and the e-mail distribution is performed with a "send" time of 11 p.m. The Web site is changed by 11:30 p.m. The PDF file is created and links inserted Friday evening. And on Saturday morning I check for bouncebacks and process the new "subscriptions" that come in. And on Sunday morning it starts over again. Total time each week is probably 10-12 hours. Oh, and I've cut down on my TV watching.

Q: What can I do to insure the continuation of the Hotline?
A: Since the Hotline aggregates information that's out there, you're the Hotline's eyes and ears for what's out there? As you peruse Web sites or builder group newsletters and see something useful, drop the Hotline a note too. Some folks feel moved to write full articles for the Hotline, and I wouldn't discourage that either. The Hotline is going to be as informative as its subscribers want it to be. So feel free to pitch in.

The other thing you can do, of course, is just tell others about the Hotline. If you're in an EAA chapter, please let your Web site editor and chapter newsletter editor know.

Q: I haven't received an e-mail newsletter in a few weeks, why?

A: Rest assured, the Hotline is being produced and is being sent. However, the chances are your e-mail client/Internet Service Provider has categorized it as SPAM and has sent it to another folder. If you're using Web-based mail -- such as Yahoo -- check the "bulk" folder, and you'll probably find it there. Put a checkmark next to it and then click the "not spam" button at the top of the page. That should solve the problem.

For AOL subscribers, it's important that you add the address rvhotline@expercraft.com to your address book. Otherwise, AOL will filter it as SPAM.

If you use Hotmail, you need to log into the web-based mail client , then click the "mail" tab at the top. That'll load the e-mail interface. On the left side, you'll see a list of folders. Click the one that says "junk" and you'll probably see the Hotline listed. Put a checkmark in the box next to it, then click the "not junk" tab just above the list of e-mail. That will put up a confirmation screen that rvhotline@expercraft.com has been added to your "safe senders list."

On the right side, click the "options" link. First, click on the "delete junk mail" link. And set it to "deliver to junk e-mail folder and delete later." It'll delete stuff after 5 days. Hit OK. Then click on the "block senders" link. Make sure either rvhotline@expercraft.com or rvnewsletter@comcast.net are not listed in the right side. If so, remove them and click OK. Then click on the "safe" list and add both of the above addresses if they're not already there.

For users of Outlook: Check to be sure that either one of those addresses aren't on the blocked senders list. I can't remember exactly where it is on Outlook Express, but on regular Outlook it's under the Actions tab, .then select the "Junk E-mail" drop down and then "junk e-mail options." Click the "safe senders" tab and add both addresses listed above. Click OK. Then go to the "blocked senders" tab and see if either of the addresses is listed there. If so, highlight each one and then click "remove." Click OK.

For Comcast customers. Even if you use Outlook, there is some SPAM filtering that takes place at Comcast. To check, go to http://comcast.net and log-in using your username and password. Click the icon at the top (and also on the side) that says "mail." The Web interface will load and along the left side you'll see a folder that says "screened mail." If there is any, there'll be a number next to it corresponding to the number of screened messages that are there. Click on the folder and see if the Hotline is among those listed.

If it is, open the message and click the "Not SPAM" link at the top of the page.

If you no longer wish to receive the Hotline, it would be easy for everyone if you would send an e-mail to Bob Collins and ask to be taken off the list. There is also an "unsubscribe" button in the lower left corner of all e-mailed newsletters.