College and western tour update #2

Builders:

Last week I posted this update: College and Western Tour update, about the sign up rate for our 2016 Corvair Colleges, showing that they are steadily filling, and noting that the first sign up, for College #36 in Texas, will close in slightly over  a month.  I have always given our regular builders first shot at signing up before widening net to new builders, primarily by releasing the College sign up information to the EAA’s membership division. After this weekend, I am going to take that step, so if you planning on attending a College, but have not signed up, I suggest doing so before Monday.

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 The sign up links for Corvair Colleges #36, #37 , #38 and #39 has been up for 18 days, you can read the story here: 2016 Corvair College registration pages.

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Spectator or Builder? Last night, this webpage past 1,200,000 page reads. I balance the idea of this being a small, but steady and significant readership of the stories, concepts and ideas here, with the reality that any idiot celebrity with a ‘reality’ tv show could accomplish the same thing in 36 hours rather than 36 months. I am glad we have a steady readership, but I feel pretty well protected against becoming mainstream, even in the tiny segment of aviation.

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While I am glad to have anyone here who gets something out of reading the ideas, including disagreeing with many of them, the question remains, what should people do with these thoughts? My suggestion is simple: If you have read the stories and found yourself identifying with the self-reliant learn build and fly message that we offer a great number of ways to explore and express, but you are not yet sure of making the move to start physically building a plane and an engine, then sign up for a college. You can read a lot, but this is no substitute for attending a college, wading in among builders, and finding out in person if you feel a strong calling to learn, build and fly. It is your life, and if you have the feeling that you might act on this ‘one day’, I suggest that you should know that the  sooner, and with greater certainty you know, the better off you will be. The simple solution for knowing is to sign up for and attend a College in 2016.

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While I have written a few things critical of the decisions of the very top management off the EAA, I want everyone to understand that I have, and continue to support the mission of the EAA. I am a loyal member since 1989, and my previous comments should be taken as trying to get the membership to consider and express what the basic mission of their membership organization should be. If anyone mistook me for being negative on the EAA, I suggest reading my words on it’s founder: Speaking of Paul Poberezny.

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The EAA, particularly it’s director of homebuilt services Charlie Becker, have been very supportive of Corvairs, and the best example of this is when they flew in a film crew to Corvair College #27 to make this film. Make sure you watch the last minute and consider the words of Barton Reddit on the human value homebuilding.

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New EAA video on Corvair College#27, Barnwell 2013.

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From Oshkosh 2015: Above, Zenith 750 builder Joe Sarcione, The EAA’s Charlie Becker and Grace hanging out at our tent for the night airshow. Charlie is the director of the homebuilt elements of the EAA. He very effectively represents and serves the interests of everyone who self-identifies as a “homebuilder”. He is the key man behind important projects such as the “One week wonder”.  Although he is a skilled pilot and a real homebuilder, my respect for him and his work on behalf of homebuilding is centered on his exemplary personal integrity.

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-ww.