Builders,
If you have been following all the developments under the title “Outlook 2016”, you have seen a lot of improved systems brought out, all aimed directly at giving builders better access to a more rewarding experience understanding, building and flying their Corvair engine. In this story, I will show how all of these separate elements are interconnected to work for the builders who choose the Corvair.
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For an example of how this works, lets look at a new builder’s path through 2016, and illustrate how having all the information connected will work to improve the new builder’s experience, and keep them focused on learning and progress. While we have many people contributing to the Corvair movement, let me take a moment to highlight two people who make things work smoothly, who’s understanding of IT work allows this new system to function for builders: Shelley Tumino and Rachel Weseman.
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Above, Kevin Purtee and Shelley Tumino receive The Cherry Grove Trophy at Corvair College #24. Shelley runs all of our on line sign ups for Corvair Colleges, further developing the system pioneered by 601XL builder/pilot Ken Pavlou. The sign up system is much more than a simple list; Shelley handles all the websites, banking, disburses the funds to local hosts, and most importantly, has a system that supplies us at Flycorvair, the Weseman’s at SPA and the local hosts with both spreadsheets on builder information, but also daily updates on new sign ups for each college. Kevin and Shelley have also hosted four Corvair Colleges in Texas, and are very well known in the Pietenpol Community
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Above, Rachel Weseman from SPA. Among many other things, she is the organization and information at SPA. She works with builders every day, has attended a half dozen colleges, and co-hosted #23 and the Corvair Finishing School. In the field of communications she is particular skilled at making professional videos, which bring the ‘in person’ experience to larger groups of builders. Rachel is obviously known to every Panther builder, but also well known in the Sonex/Cleanex Community.
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A sequential overview of our information network in action for a builder:
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Picture our builder selecting an engine. Perhaps he read a reprint of my incendiary story about the dirty little secret of experimental engines:
Selecting an engine for your experimental aircraft
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From there, he looks at our website:
http://flycorvair.com/
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And gets a look at some of the 750 stories on this blog:
– http://flycorvair.net/
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focusing on the latest ones:
Outlook 2016 – Reference page
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The builder has a few questions about his application, so he sends a question to my new email address:
Outlook 2016 – New Email address for Corvair Communications.
Because this new address is also accessible to Rachel and Dan Weseman, they can step in and cover a tech question if I am not available.
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With his question covered, our builder decides to buy my conversion manual, and goes to our new products page:
Outlook 2016, New order page and distribution method.
Because orders are now covered by SPA, he gets an instant order confirmation, and it heads right out. Both Rachel, Dan and myself can review the order and tech support from any location, so I don’t have to be in the same state to be on the same page.
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If our new builder is a Zenith guy, he will likely join our private Zenvair list, or Pietvair if he is a Pietenpol builder:
“Zen-vair” and “Piet-vair” Discussion Groups, your resource.
These lists are run by Phil Maxson and Terry Hand, and they stay on top of them with an active hand. We set up the lists together, and if any tech issue arrives beyond the scope of normal stuff, Phil or Terry alert me with a call, so I can assist directly. Both Phil and Terry have been to many Colleges, and they know most of the people on their lists from meeting them in person.
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Of course if our new builder is a Panther guy, SPA will direct him to their group through their website:
http://flywithspa.com/
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Lets say our new builder decides to sign up for a Corvair College. He would do so through this page, which is run by Shelley Tumino:
2016 Corvair College registration pages.
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and lets say he decides to sign up for CC #37 in Chino California, hosted by Steve Glover:
Outlook 2016, Corvair College #37 Chino CA, 4/22/16
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The sign up sheet asks a few questions to know if the builder is bringing an engine, and to know what stage in the process he is as, and what his goals are. Watch this: This information is relayed immediately from Shelley to Both myself, Rachel at SPA, and to Steve Glover. With this information, we can coordinate much better, making sure that the builder has everything he needs, from directions, to parts, table space and a warm welcome.
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In the past, we did a good job, but it heavily relied on the builder coordinating the separate elements. Before 2015, I had our previous Cylinder head suppler and an alternative 5th bearing guy at many Colleges, but they had a mixed track record of having builder’s parts ready for the events, and they were never going to participate in joint efforts. I did the four 2015 colleges without them, Covering the Colleges like #34 and #35 with Dan Weseman’s support. It worked out great:
Photos from Corvair College #34 at Zenith A/C and Corvair College #35 Barnwell builders video
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Today, We have moved from the four ‘Corvair all stars’ to having just Ourselves and SPA supply every part builders need, and it has worked to get all the suppliers and hosts on the same page:
Sources Reference Page
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Now the builder can stay focused on learning and progress, and we can stay coordinated in support of his work. Since both SPA Corvair parts and our parts come through the same order and warehouse system, 2016 will see a dramatic improvement is accessibility of the Corvair for homebuilders
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To stay on top of the new about Colleges in a discussion format, Shelley Tumino runs a very popular open Face Book Page for all the aspects of Corvair Colleges. You can find it here:
https://www.facebook.com/CorvairCollege/
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Grace and I always attend Oshkosh, and every year we have the same booth, #616 in the north aircraft display area:
Corvairs at Oshkosh 2015 – Colleges #34 and #35 sign up info – Unicorns for sale.
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This is right next to Dan and Rachel with the SPA booth in #615. Over a number of years we have coordinated to inspect and pick cores there, and deliver builder’s parts. Rachel always organizes the builder cook out after hours. It is one more small element of how builders benefit from having us work in a coordinated, joint approach.
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We are still in the planning stages of the Fall air tour: Outlook 2016 – Fall Corv-air-tour, but one of the elements that will have a great impact on the success of the event, is having it covered in real time, and making many of the stops accessible to area builders. This is exactly the kind of task that Shelley and Rachel with their logistical skills can do very well, and the tour will reach many more people because of it.
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The Corvair season in 2016 will wrap up with our 7th college in Barnwell: Outlook 2016, Corvair College #39, Barnwell SC, 11/11/16. Like the three other colleges in 2016, this one will also be fully coordinated between all the people working on it.
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While we have had many good seasons in the past, I am personally looking forward to having a very good year in 2016, because the developments we have put in place will not only make things go much smoother for builders, but myself also. At my core, I am just another homebuilder, exactly like our builders, with the same thoughts, ideas, goals and dreams. Grace and I are very lucky to have many supporting people who make the Corvair movement much more than it could be just run by us.
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If you are reading this, and the operation sounds like it will serve your personal goals in homebuilding, I say welcome aboard, make the Corvair movement your home in Homebuilding.
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-ww.
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