UPDATE: Included at the bottom in red is a thank you note sent from Spencer. I would like to point out that he didn’t ask nor have any expectation of this type of generosity of spirit. He wrote me a personal note saying how stunned he was at the one day response. Read his letter carefully, it reveals a determination and character that are uncommon these days, and unheard of in 15 year olds. I’d say we have the right young man here.-ww
Builders:
Good news, a few hours after the request went out for assistance with finding a core for Spencer Rice, JRB (Jr. Ranking Builder). Pietenpol builder Terry Hand wrote in to say that he has a good core that he is willing to donate, and he came back with the idea of having a pay-pal account so that other builders could contribute to the shipping cost, and perhaps give Spenser a bit of a budget to make some solid progress on his engine and plane. Terry’s letter was followed up by two from Curt Cowley, who was tracking down a west cost core just as Terry offered his. It was a lot of quick action, as many Corvair builders found out about Spenser’s story of hard work on his project.
.Above, Terry Hand with his steel tube Pietenpol at CC#24
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Terry wanted to point out that most of this engine was actually given to him by Pietenpol builder/flyer and Cherry Grove trophy recipient Kevin Purtee. Generosity is a powerful and lasting force. The account that Terry set up has the title:
I know Terry personally, and his is a classy guy who will put this into action smoothly and professionally. I look forward to hearing from Spenser that the engine arrived, and he is cleared for progress. If anyone has other ideas on assisting Spenser’s progress, feel free to write them in or contact Spenser. For Builders who wish to directly contact Spenser and offer him encouragement in his building, his Email address is
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Below is a sample of the letters we received on this topic:
Contact magazine Editor Pat Panzera wrote:
Send me his info and I’ll send him all the Corvair back issues as well as a subscription.
Pat
Builder Marcus Wegmeyer wrote:
Hi William, I’m willing to write a check for $100, hopefully to be added to others who do the same, to further Spensers endeavor. Do I make it out to Spenser and where do I send it?
Zenith 750 builder Blaine Schwartz wrote:
William, I do not have a complete core, but I have some extra engine parts that I will contribute. I think I can find an engine case at the junkyard my buddy has. If enough of us can contribute a few parts, maybe this will help get Spenser a complete engine?
Builder ‘Jacksno’ wrote:
Sure, I’ll have a piece of that. 25 years a teacher and just this year a study buddy with a Hispanic 15 now 16 year old that was going down the tubes due to a joyride taken in the depths of depression who blew the doors off everyone else’s expectations this year- No better high I ever found than encouraging a young person to be who they really are. Your Mr. Kreiss just went to the top of my hero page. You were blessed by the One Who Cares!
A Northern builder writes:
William, I owe a man named Al Buco. In his memory, and more important, in his spirit, I would like to help Spenser fund his project. Preferably anonymously, maybe you just call it a Corvair College Scholarship.
I have been very moved by the letters that builders wrote on this subject. They each are examples of the diversity of individuals we have in the Corvair movement, but they also speak of the common values of generosity and community spirit. Well done, builders.-ww
Letter from Spenser Rice:
William could you please post this on my behalf:
I was extremely moved by the response from Corvair builders to your post and I would like express my gratitude to each of them. I really love aviation and the people I have met in the aviation community. Not being able to apply for scholarships till I’m 16 has put my dream of aviation on hold until I can financially afford all the things I want to do. I took flight lessons for 6 months until I ran out of money but then I decided that building a plane was at least a little more attainable at my age. Having to be 17 to get my license has been very discouraging and building has helped me overcome that disappointment and gives me a goal to work towards. I want to sincerely thank each and everyone who has had a part in encouraging me to go after what I love. I thank Terry, Curt, Pat, Marcus, Blaine, Jacksno, William and others who want to remain anonymous. I also have to thank my mentor and Young Eagles pilot Roy Thoma for encouraging me to fly, build and for the countless hours he has given me.
With the utmost gratitude, Spencer
Builders;
We received a number of positive comments about the new information board for Zenith/Corvair builders. Notably, one of these was from Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith. People who have been involved in homebuilding for a long time all understand that reliable and specific information and guidelines, developed directly from testing and field data are the foundation of real risk management in operations.
One of the things that a number of builders missed in the story is the very specific qualification for an invitation to join the group. Only people who have a completed Corvair powered Zenith, and Zenith builders who have a Running Corvair engine are qualified. We received a number of requests from builders that met these specific qualifications, but we also had a number from builders who either didn’t read the original story closely, or wanted some type of exception to be made for them. I would like to politely point out that we have a number of good reasons for the qualifications, and we are going to stick with them.
For the people who didn’t read the story closely, let me say that I write this stuff very carefully, and many of the things I write contain critical technical information on procedures. If you don’t have the time to read things, or your just glancing at it on a smart phone while driving, consider changing the way you approach information gathering on aviation subjects. I will read the newspaper when I am half asleep, but then it comes to reading things from aviation, AD’s instructions, POH’s, FAR’s NOTAMs, etc, it’s all brain cells on deck, no distractions, and taking notes if necessary. In day-to-day life there is no penalty for poor reading comprehension. In aviation, 90% reading comprehension is still a failing score. It is two different worlds, and you have to discipline yourself to treat them differently. Less than 100% reading comprehension has some expensive consequences here. If you missed the part on qualifications, think of it as something of a very valuable wake up call.
For people who asked for an exception, please understand that we are not making any. First, when I asked the original Flyers to join, I said that the board I was asking them to join would only have people on it that met these qualifications. To make an exception is to unilaterally change my agreement with the people who have already joined and shared a lot of their operational data. A number of these people have never written into any other internet discussion group precisely because they didn’t want to have ‘John Q. Cyberspace’ and every other guy with a keyboard telling them they were ‘doing it wrong.’ They agreed to share their information with people who are very likely to use it, and have worked enough to appreciate the accomplishment of a builder with a flying plane. I have many faults as a person, but one thing I don’t do is unilaterally decide to change agreements with people.
Second, this is a ‘board’ in the same sense that the NTSB is a board, meaning that it is a specific group of qualified individuals that are tasked with collecting data on a specific subject. When the NTSB looks into something, they gather data, analyze it, and then put out a finding. Aviators understand and trust the process, and understand why they don’t have every person with a pilot’s licence invited to comment during the process. Likewise, having builders with just a rudder kit and a Corvair core engine in the group would not serve the mission. As well-meaning and interested as these people are, they don’t have their own data to contribute, and they don’t need the operations data before they have a running engine. If you want to be part of the group, chart a plan on how to finish your engine in the next few months. I will be glad to add you to the group. When your work pays off and you are in, you will be glad to be operating in a unit that will never have a guy chime in and say “I am going to put an ignition from a go-cart and a Hartzel constant speed prop on my 601XL so it will do 200 mph in cruise at flight level 25, that is just as soon as I pull my first rivet and get a student pilot certificate.” Your work on your own real engine will set you apart from such people.
If you are a builder of another airframe for your Corvair engine, there are other paths we are working on. Pietenpols are our #2 most popular installation. because of the highly individual nature of each Piet, and the fact that the Piet community already has a fairly good on-line communication network, my goal this year for Piet/Corvair builders is to compile a ‘notebook’ of all the data that we have on the building and operation of the combination, including weight and Ballance data, mount information, cowling designs, prop info, etc. We have most of this already, it just needs editing. The raw material we have looks like it will distill to a 200-250 page notebook. Getting this together is my main writing goal for the period between Sun n Fun and Brodhead this year.
There is a good number of Corvair powered KR’s, but there is not a call for a board like we now have for Zeniths. First, they are already served by the KR net and other sites. Second, KR’s are unique among Corvair powered planes that less than 50% of the flying ones utilize what we call a pure “ww Conversion.” Almost all of the flying KR’s have some piece on them which we made, an ignition, a mount, an exhaust or a hub, and I like to think that these builders all benefited from things that we worked on, but there are very few KR’s that have a complete engine installation that looks like the ones we teach people to build.
The only prominent examples of our style of engines and installations on KR’s are Dan Heath’s and Steve Makish’s. Most of the others still have rear starters, do not have Gold Oil systems. The goal of our Zenith board is to develop and log a lot of standardized data for follow on builders to use. The individual nature of the majority of KR installations doesn’t easily fit the same goal, and I am not in a position to test nor comment on systems we don’t work with nor sell. KR guys are pretty technical savvy and already share a lot of info, and there isn’t a big contribution that I can make to that particular combination on the information front. I am glad to sell the parts that those builders are willing to use, but an information board for them would not be productive.
The modern KR/Corvair era started when we went to the 1999 KR gathering, and a lot of productive interest began at that point. We did not start our work with Zeniths until almost 5 years later. There are actually more KR builders in the EAA than Zenith builders. Yet in spite of a 5 year jump-start, we have six times as many Corvair powered Zeniths in the fleet than Corvair powered KR’s. To my perspective this is mostly due to the fact that almost every KR guy wants to build a ‘unique’ installation. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t get nearly as many planes done as builder selecting a more proven path. People may argue that there are other factors at play on the completion rate, but look at the fact we have had about 30 Pietenpols completed in recent years, and Piet builders have a lot of things in common with KR builders (plans built, orphan design, same time to build, same average budget, individualized planes) but ahead of the firewall, almost all Piet builders have engines that are closely following our guide lines.
For builders of other designs, keep in mind that I am still your primary resource when it comes to putting your Corvair on your plane. We can answer most any question you have, and I am glad to do so. I am obviously going to continue to print a lot of information right here, and there are many other ways we share info with builders, like airshows and Colleges. In most parts of the country, the flying season is just beginning. All it take to make this year productive, fun and rewarding is your own personal decision, right now, that this is your year, and you will make it count. Decide this right now, and you will find me glad to play any supporting role.-ww
