Friends,
It has been a very busy season. Starting with CC#22 in Texas, then Sun n Fun, then CC#23 in Florida, Brodhead and Oshkosh, and the Zenith open house, we have put in a lot of work and travel beyond our regular production schedule. Along the way we have updated builders with the essential news, but I don’t have the same time to write that I do in the winter season. Consequently we are going to have a few retospective pieces from events of this season covered now. If you were not there, get a good look at the builders in the photos and honestly ask yourself if you were part of enough fun in the 2012 flying season. If the answer is probably not, then the solution is five weeks away in Barnwell SC, where we will be holding Corvair College #24. Below are a handful of photos we took at CC#23 this summer. We already covered engines that were built at the event, but Colleges are far more than a count of running engines. They are a story of builders making friends and progress at all levels. #23 was a medium-sized event, the first in its location, held in a hot season. #24 is different, it is a third year event, which has always had excellent, if cool weather. We already have more people signed up for #24 than attended #23 total. While smaller colleges fill a vital role of getting people into the movement, Big events like #24 have a decided productivity advantage, draw more corvair powered planes, and have more people to meet. Our local host PF Beck and his crew do an outstanding job of organization, and I am looking forward to #24 with anticipation of fun and productivity. Get a look at these picture of good times from #23 and decide today that you will not miss out on #24.
Above, most of the gang from #23. In the background, Jim and Rhonda Weseman’s Celebrity biplane. The City of Palatka rented us the 60×70 hangar for a week for the event, a decision that confirmed their support of innovative ideas at their location.
Above, Rhonda and Jim, and a better look at their plane. It has a 3100cc Corvair, and of course, one of their 5th bearings. Both Jim and Rhonda know a lot about aircraft construction, Jim is an IA and had a long career in US Navy piston engine maintenance. They work out of their hangar and produce very fine Corvair baffling kits and the sheet metal portion of our Zenith cowls. This said, I personal think that their greatest contribution to aviation is Dan, their son sitting in the cockpit of their plane. This was a very nice family moment.
Above, Corvair Waiex builder Greg Crouchley, stands with Grace and ScoobE at the College. Greg is headed to #24 to assemble and run a 3000cc Corvair with the best of all parts, including a new billet made in the USA crankshaft, a Weseman Bearing, Falcon Heads and all our Gold conversion parts. The build will be one of the centerpieces of learning experience at #24. Note Scoob E’s name badge, a souvenir of attending CC#17.
Above, four of the people who worked to make the modern Corvair movent: Mark Petinunas of Falconmachine.net, Dan Weseman, yours truely, and Spenser Gould. Spenser worked with us on a number of CAD and enginnnering projects, mostly on the gold series of components and our 5th bearing. His day job is working for Pratt-Whittney in south Florida. In the forground is his 2700cc Dan bearing engine destined to power his unique design, the SP-500. The engine was assembled at #23 and ran like a banshee.
