A number of builders who are planning on attending CC#23 have asked for a thumbnail sketch of the schedule for the event. Here is the basic format:
Friday, June 8th,
11am; Check in begins, this goes on all day, and some people will arrive later in the event. When you arrive, the first stop should be at the desk to get your credentials and so that we know who is on hand.
12 noon; Work starts. Because a great number of people travel to the college on Friday, we have a gradual start between noon and dinner. I use this time to get a first had look at each builders project and get them launched. I get a rough idea of the order that the engines will be going on the test stand.
2pm: After things are started, we begin engine runs. We almost always start each college with an engine already on the stand. We get a crew of 3-5 people who are not working on their own engine at the college to be the ‘run crew.’ This is usually headed by a guy who has already run his engine at a previous college, (Dan Glaze, your nominated), This crew will do the bulk of the work removing and installing the engines on the run stand. An engine takes about 15 minutes to install, and 25 minutes to remove (work is slower when the parts are hot). Many more people and the builder of each engine are going to jump in on later tests, but I start with a nucleus group that gets a review on the nuts and bolts and safety procedures.
2pm to 6pm; While builders are getting started, we will prep and run any engines that arrive at the college assembled. In small groups I will show builders the pre- run inspection, pre oiling, valve adjustment, distributor installation and static timing.
6pm to 7pm; This is a “hard stop.” At this point, we will take a break for dinner. We usually have several dozen pizzas brought in. During a hard stop I need everyone to put don all the tools and take a break. At this point we will have opening remarks and introductions, and some tactical notes. Having everyone stop is important because I need to make sure that everyone hears the plans and safety brief.
7pm to 9:00; Back to work. Note; the running of engines stops at sunset. If you like to drink beer, I politely ask that you hold off until after sunset, as it’s a bad mix with running engines. The airport we are using is a city owned facility, and the manager is going out of his way to help us. Out of respect this means that we make his life easier by drinking beer out of cups and removing all the empties. (It goes without saying that anyone sipping a beer is going to be taking a break from any of the engine run action.)
9:30 pm Host and tech crew stops. Builders will be welcome to work as late as they like. The host and tech crew stops at this point. If we have a builders component that needs a weld, a special repair or a test or on the spot machining in order for his project to advance, we head back to our personal hangars to accomplish this. We also have our own day one debrief and make minor adjustments for day 2. I always plan on getting this wrapped up by midnight, but it often takes until the wee hours of the morning, which is why it is important that we actually switch gears at 9pm.
Saturday June 9th
8am, Get started. Breakfast will be on hand, and builders are welcome to start before this, but we will not run anything before this.
12 noon ‘Hard stop’ Group photo and lunch, introduction of pilots and more notes;
1:00 back to work. Through out the afternoon, a will be breaking of builders in groups of 4-5 people and giving them hands on instruction in individual aspects of the engines prep. Mark from Falcon will be on hand doing the same thing. Dan Weseman will be giving several demonstrations of how his bearing is installed. If there is a specific thing you would like to see, let me know when you check in. Most of these tasks will happen many times at the event, so you will have numerous chances to see it done and participate. During the event, Grace will be on hand to get everyone parts organized and Rachel Weseman will be overall event coordinator. We are all there to help you get the most out of the event. This begins with every builder showing up with a positive attitude. In 22 colleges, I have had nearly 200 engines run. The people who got it done all came with some prep work and a positive attitude. Working at home alone in a sequential manner is drinking little 8oz. bottles of water. The college is like drinking from a firehose. It is far more messy, and it requires some attitude adjustment, but in the end the rate of transfer is much better and builders realize that the small adjustment is well worth the progress.
6pm to 730 Hard stop for Dinner. Main meal of the event. We want to have everyone take the time to recognize the people who have flown in and people who have come to the college solely to volunteer.
7:30 back to work. On saturday night, work proceeds at a slower pace, as 50% of the people on hand use these hours as social time. We do not run engines after 6pm on saturday to keep the noise down. The tech crew will be on hand until 9pm, but builders are invited to work as late as they like.
Sunday, June 10
Work starts at 8am. Again, builders can start before, but we don’t run engines before this. Breakfast will be on hand. work will continue steadily. Traditionally, things wind down after 12 noon because most people are heading back home after a few hours in the morning. Although we begin cleaning up at noon, the tech crew will be on hand to help anyone finish up an engine that is close to running. We generally aim to get things wrapped up by 4pm. In the past we have worked long into Sunday night, but I am making a real effort to discourage our friends from starting a 6,8, or 10 hour drive home at 10pm on Sunday. We pack enough stuff into the 50 hours of the college that even stong coffee won’t keep you awake for long on Sunday night.-ww
