Video of rebuild and run of Corvair, from a 13 year old.

Builders:

Pietenpol builder Bill Reynolds wrote a story on our “Piet-Vair” discussion group, about the 3,000 cc Corvair he and his son Jack rebuilt and just test ran at our first “Corvair Finishing School”. Included with the note is a link to the 8 minute film that Jack made, documenting the process from start to finish. It is an impressive visual story, even before you consider that Jack is just 13 years old. 

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Bill and Jack have attended three Corvair Colleges, and many people have gotten to know them. We have a great number of father/son teams building, and even at Grandfather/father/son team, but the Reynolds are still standouts.  They have an infectious sense of fun and positive attitude, but they also both really learned their chosen engine inside and out.

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I have taken countless opportunities to explain to people why the Corvair is a completely different engine option, but perhaps this short film explains what is available from a Corvair that you will never find with a “buy it in a box” consumer product engine like a Rotax.  Look at the start of the video, from 2 years ago, and see that Jack is a very sharp kid, and at the end of the process, he is obviously a young man. That credit goes to his parents and to Jack, but I think about how, many years from now, Bill and Jack will be out flying in their Pietenpol, and the engine powering it will be a running testimony to the time they spent together on it……. and that my fellow builders, is something that can not be purchased in an imported ‘box motor’ with a tag that says “No user serviceable parts inside.”

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From Bill Reynolds:

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“The satisfaction of being able to put together a great engine with my own hands cannot be overstated and to share this experience with my son Jack makes it all the better. I currently have 400,000 miles on my 7.3 liter F-250 but I know infinitely more about my 3 liter Corvair because we had to learn about and assemble every component ourselves.
With regard to the team of folks that helped make our success possible, let me say that working with William and Grace has been something other than the standard consumer experience. Many builders go into a build with William, possessing a point,click, buy and install mentality. If you are even marginally awake, you will soon enough figure out that is not the way this works. Unlike parts suppliers who will happily take your money then show you the door , William actually has expectations of the people he sells parts to, he expects you to learn something and do things right and this takes a little time and patience.”

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ4nwUg9uwg

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Above, the film Jack made of the complete rebuild and test run process. Bill  is the kind of guy who comfortable speaking plainly about things which are important to him.  We are the same age, and over a few Colleges we had a chance to speak about some of these things. On the phone the other night, I said even though I am not a parent myself, sometimes  I see someone with their child, and it gives me real pause to consider what I missed.  I said to Bill that seeing him work with his son at the Corvair Finishing School was one of these times.

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Bill is on our private Pietenpol discussion group:

Piet Vair discussion group update, notes on joining

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See Bill and Jack at Barnwell College #35:

Corvair College #35 Barnwell builders video

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Bill and Jack attended 3 Colleges, CC #31 and #35 at Barnwell, and #33 At Eustis FL:

Corvair College #33, Mid Florida at Eustis Airport, April 17-19, 2015

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Barton, Charlie and Robert Reddit are our Grandfather/father/son team who built a 3,000 cc Corvair for their Zenith 750. The EAA made this video about Corvair College #27, and the centerpiece of the film is the Reddit’s experience. Watch for the part where Charlie explains that building the engine together was the best way he could think of for his son Robert to really understand how special his grandfather Barton really is. The Film closes with Barton’s observation on what makes a life meaningful:

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

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-ww.

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