The Limiting Agent: Motivated Builders.

If anyone reading this is offended, bear in mind I just write these things to keep from being invited to weddings and to keep my Christmas card list short. – love, ww.

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Builders;

Every year at Oshkosh, the most common question asked is “What if you run out of Corvair engines to rebuild? I get this same question 25-50 times a day, all week, and I have been politely answering it all week for 25 years.  “We will never run out of Corvairs, they made nearly 2 million, even if 2% are left, it dwarfs the amount of serious homebuilders.”

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Almost invariably, the person asking this is an EAA member, loves homebuilts, is certain he is going to build one someday, but if quizzed, he hasn’t made up his mind, they all look good but he is waiting to see how a new and exciting kit he read about in a press release is doing (as an industry insider, I already know in most cases they have already filed for bankruptcy) I will often see the same person, year after year. If you listen close, he always tells you some story of how he didn’t build X or Y because when he looked into it, he found the flaw

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The “Someday” homebuilder thinks he has discovered an issue with the Corvair, because they were built long ago, there must be almost none left. Doesn’t matter that I can rationally demonstrate that 90% of a 3.3L or a 3.0L EIB engine is all new parts, and the other 10% could be made if needed, but it will never be needed because there are 100,000 left, about 5 for every real builder in the EAA, It doesn’t matter rebuildable cores are so cheap I give one away at Oshkosh every year.

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None of my reasons matter because “Mr. Someday” isn’t asking for planning purposes or even to understand availability; what he is looking for is a plausible reason he can  yet again,  tell everyone in his EAA chapter the ‘flaw’ or the ‘issue’ he ‘discovered’ that he can tell his friends about, which he will offer as the reason he didn’t get started building anything again this year. Such a person isn’t likely to even buy a finished homebuilt, as he doesn’t really love homebuilding, certainly not enough to sacrifice nor work for it…..what he really loves is the idea of being perceived as a homebuilder. 

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Above, a milk crate of Corvair forged connecting rods in my shop. This is 7 rows deep, 14 rods in each row. If these were O-200 rods, the crate would be worth more than $5,000, because they are scarce. Because they are Corvair rods, and GM made 12 million Corvair rods, the crate is worth about $12, the going value of 94 pounds of high grade scrap steel. 5 years ago the crate was worth about $500, but today no one buys Corvair used rods because new billet ones are available for less money that it would cost to rebuild these. There is no ‘availability’ issue with Corvairs, there never has been, and there never will be.

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The real ‘shortage’ is actual motivated homebuilders. The EAA has plenty of ‘Mr. Someday”s, the ranks have become swolen with spectators and posers in search of another excuse for not getting in the arena, but the actual number of real traditional builders is much smaller than you think. Someone is going to point out the number of RV aircraft at Oshkosh, but follow this microcosm: we have 10 RV’s at our little airport, exactly ONE of the ten is being flown by the guy who bought the kit and built it. All the rest are second owners, and many of their planes are the work of serial RV builders who have churned out many planes for profit. The percentage will vary at your airport, but understand that 10 RV aircraft doesn’t indicate the presence of 10  traditional builders. At my airport it means 1 builder, 1 finisher, and 8 retired airline pilots with money to spend, but unwilling to build.  I don’t think of that last group as homebuilders. To paraphrase Jeff Cooper, Owning a homebuilt built by someone else doesn’t make anyone a homebuilder any more than owning a guitar makes someone a musician. 

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Here is the Good News:  If you are a real homebuilder, and to me, you don’t need a plane to be one, you just need to be motivated and willing to learn and build, and have a plan in your mind that you are advancing on, then understand I am here to serve you, and their are far less people competing for my time than you are imagining. Want to learn? Want to build? Good, because I am here to share what I have learned with people who will use that knowledge.

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When I go to Oshkosh, I am looking to find just 50 new serious builders each year. Thats it.  I have several hundred active builders, but I try to add 50-70 new, motivated builders per year. This is a lot harder to find than rebuildable Corvair engines. Builders are the limiting agent, not just with Corvairs, but with the EAA in general. If this wasn’t true, the EAA would not have added the other divisions like aerobatics or warbirds, and hire writers who are aiming their output at spectators not builders.  If you are reading this and you have a dream of really learning and building, then you are not only a rarer breed than you think, you also happen to be the type of person the EAA was founded on, real homebuilders.  The shortage isn’t metal parts, its actual motivated builders. If you mistakenly think that my commentary here just applies to Corvairs, walk over to the Zenith booth at Oshkosh and ask them if their factories potential kit output is the limiting factor or if the number of people unwilling to settle for spectator status is the real limiting factor. It isn’t metal, it’s people. 

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Would you like to make this year actually count for you? Decide right now that you will invest $750 in yourself this year. For this money, you can buy a conversion manual of mine and DVD’s, buy a good Core motor in your area, and even later in the year attend one of my smaller group colleges and learn all about your engine. You will be choosing the path of traditional homebuilding, you will be identifying yourself as one of the 50, one of this year’s serious builders.  If you stop coming up with all the reasons why you shouldn’t get started, I will gladly, in one day, show you all the reasons why you will wish you started years ago. 

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Wewjr.

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shop.flycorvair.com/shop/

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16 Replies to “The Limiting Agent: Motivated Builders.”

  1. This is excellent. I’d like to be included in the “real builders” group. If there is a small group college in the Wisconsin/Illinois/Iowa area this summer, I would definitely go.

    One question I would sensitively like to ask however is this: What will happen to the world of corvair powered aircraft after William Wynne? Have the knowledge and the development resources been secured in such a way that building and maintaining corvair aircraft can continue into another generation?

    Have no fear, this won’t stop me from building. It’s a good deal right now no matter what. But the question has crossed my mind.

    1. Theoretically, if I spend all my time teaching people, we will not need anyone to lead the parade.Practically, Im only 56 and Dan is 13 years younger than me, so will will not have to look at this for along time. People build Pietenpol’s now more and ever, and although it isn’t efficiently done and many modern Piet builders miss core elements of his wisdom, the show goes on.

    1. Offended people from 49 states – no problems, have a nice day……Offended a person from NJ?…. time to check your brake lines and hire a food taster.

  2. William,
    Is it an indictment of my character that every time you preface a post with “If anyone reading this is offended” I KNOW that I’m going to like it?

    I’m trying to ratchet up the desperation to get into the arena in 2019.

  3. Owning a homebuilt, built by someone else, doesn’t make anyone a homebuilder any more than owning a guitar makes someone a luthier.

    1. There is an abundance of unfinished kits available. Rebuildable projects are everywhere. Many opportunities to become a homebuilder!!
      That said, buying a homebuilt and learning to maintain it….close!!

  4. I always value your insights and comments on them. There is something I find disturbing though:

    I am 58 and have never been considered stupid and could absorb complex material on one reading or observation. Am I the only one who’s brain has gone from being a sponge to a leaky boat?? When you talk about learning it is a bit stressful for me because I simply cannot retain the details like I used to, but I WANT to!

    I think this is the reason checklists are important to me and the reason I place so much value in plans and straight forward manuals. If, in the future, I end up as an example in one of your blogs of what not to do, please be kind and value the fact that I showed up for you and Dan and the other experienced guys to shine a light on my mistakes.

    I’m thinking I may not be the only one out there in this leaky boat??

    Invitation for you to visit Colorado is still here, just let me know how many people and resources (Beer, smoked red meat, open minds, misc Corvair parts, beautiful scenery, and cash) it would take to get you moving in this direction.)

  5. What you have written William is so true! Up here in Nova Scotia homebuilders are few and far between. Corvair cores however, are not a problem to get. If you have a “serious” homebuilder, in eastern Canada, unable to find a core, have him send me an email.
    He MUST however have a copy of your conversion manual in hand! (I have one, signed by you in Oshkosh).
    Anyway William, keep up the great work!
    Zenith601HDS
    Zenith601XL(not assembled, scratchbuilt)
    Evans VP2

    Debert, Nova Scotia

  6. The only cure I have found for a leaky brain is to practice practice practice your skills and that is not a permanent cure because as soon as you stop practicing it all leaks out again. So these motivational blogs of William always motivate me more to practice my building skills by building my airplane. Its a vicious circle. But hey someone has to do it and use all those non existent corvair engines? Thanks for offending and motivating William,

    1. Some people are, but if you’re not one of those people, you should have the option for a different path, like the Corvair. There is arguably a safety to knowing as much as possible about every element of your aircraft, including the power plant

  7. Who cares if the original engines run out. From what I can tell the only part of the corvair that has not been remade from scratch is the crankcase and if it becomes necessary that can be made too.

  8. That’s what led me deeper into your writings and ultimately to decide that I want to build around a Corvair. It’s important to have people that will speak candidly to you. When the decision is made to step thru that doorway to making the dreams become real it is imperative, particularly to aviation, to be honest and discerning as you make your choices. I can violate the laws of Physics, Chemistry and Gravity on one side of the that doorway, but not on the other. While we pursue aviation for a myriad of good reasons, each our own, this is serious stuff with severe penalties paid by many, not just the guilty, if we delude ourselves even once.

    I appreciate your willingness to live and operate by a code of honor. Please extend my appreciation to your Mother for me.

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