Category: Event

Builders:

Here is a look at the 2015 Corvair College Schedule:

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Corvair College #32

San Marcos Texas. 27 Feb – 1 Mar, Local Hosts Shelley Tumino and Kevin Purtee. Same location as CC #28, Sign up active just after 1 Nov. 2014.

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Corvair College #33

Palatka Florida 17 -19 April, Local hosts Grace, William and ScoobE, Same location as CC#23. sign up active in January 2015.

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Corvair College #34

Mexico Missouri Mid September, the Tues.-Weds.- Thurs. before the Zenith Open House. Local Hosts Sebastien Heintz and crew at Zenith. Same location as CC#26 and #30. Sign up goes live just before Oshkosh.

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Corvair College #35

Barnwell South Carolina, 6-8 November, Local hosts ‘PF Beck and friends’. Same location as CC#19, #21, #24, #27 and #31. Sign up goes live just before Oshkosh.

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Corvair College in California 2015?

West coast builders: We are strongly considering a California College in 2015. We held CC#5 in Hanford, #11 In Cloverdale, and #13 and #18 in Livermore. For 2015, I am split between using Chino or holding another college in Cloverdale. The options look like this:

1) College in Chino,  2) College in Cloverdale, 3)One day fly-in and heavy tech seminar on Saturday at Chino, 3 ‘night school’ stops in the middle, and one day fly-in and tech seminar following Saturday at Cloverdale.

I am inclined toward #3, but I am interested in feed back on this, please use the comments section and specify which month you prefer. Before anyone votes for the end of July, let me remind them of a small gathering I am required to attend called “Oshkosh.”

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Corvair College Links:

Corvair College reference page

Corvair College History….in photos

College engine build options for closing the case

Basic Corvair College Skills, examples of learning

College Tech

Running an Engine at a College, required items. #2

Running an Engine at a College, required items. #1

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Pietenpol builder Mark Chouinard savoring the prop blast of the Corvair engine he assembled Corvair College #30. This has a lot more pride and meaning than buying an engine or doing the minimum amount to work to a flymart relic to get it going. This is a fully overhauled, zero-timed aircraft engine. But the real product in the picture is the change in capability and perspective of the man that chooses to learn and build rather than to simply buy. -ww.

 

Builders,

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Below are a few more photos from the Zenith Open house that followed Corvair College#30. Again, mostly people photos, but builders are the major part of what makes such events memorable. As you look, note that there is no ‘Corvair Type’; it is a diverse cast of characters with room for many new types. The common bond is espousing the traditional homebuilding values of Learn Build and Fly.

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Above, three of the birds that flew in on Corvair power: L-R, The Hoyt’s 2700cc 601XL-B w/650 canopy from MN.,(read more about it at this link: Patrick Hoyt, new Zenith 601XL, now flying, N-63PZ), Ron Lendon’s 2850cc 601XL-B imported from Detroit, and Lynn Dingfelder’s 2700cc 601XL-B from Corry PA. This is also a good view of how peaceful and well kept the Mexico MO airport is.

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If you are building a plane and looking forward to flying it places to enjoy it with other builders, catch this idea: Mexico MO is about 1% as stressful as flying into Oshkosh. Personally, I would look forward to flying to CC#34 and next year’s open house, but I can’t say that flying into Oshkosh is something that a personally look forward to doing. The quieter the airport, the better I like flying there.

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I keep a comprehensive introduction to the Zenith 601/650 combination at this link: Zenith 601/650 – Corvair reference page November 2013, please feel free to share it with other builders interested in the combination.

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Above, Pat and Mary Hoyt keep an eye on ScoobE. He has seen them at enough events that he can recognize them in a crowd. In the background, Corvair Zenith builder Ken Smith relaxes on the Zenith golf cart.

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A closer look at Ron Lendon’s 601. Note that his plane has a one of a kind, hand formed sheet metal nose bowl patterned after our #4102 fiberglass nose bowl. Ron is a metal smith, and wanted to give it a try. The plane is plans built, not a kit.

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Phyllis McDaniel stands beside her 650. This was the very first amateur built 650 to be registered as a flying plane with the FAA. She and her husband Shane also have a Corvair powered 601XL. You can see it with many other Corvair-Zeniths at this link: 16 Flying Corvair powered Zenith 601/ 650s

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Edi Bickford is a walking, flying breath of fresh air and a relentlessly positive person. Even at a College, in a hangar full of interesting characters, she is a stand out.

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At a big show like Oshkosh, you meet several hundred people in a day, it is just an endless stream. Many are memorable in a good way, but I would be less than truthful if I didn’t also say that there are a number of negative people that also work to make themselves memorable, just not in a good way. After 25 years of airshows, I am a little tired, not of questions, but negative people and those who want to tell you all about things they know nothing about.

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But I have a small trick that I quietly use in the presence of such people to remind me that everything considered, the good people I have met vastly outweigh the bad, and if I had chosen some other path in life, I would know a tiny fraction of the good people I have met through doing our work in the public arena. My trick is simple, when I am having to tolerate some ‘special’ person for a few minutes at an airshow, I just look over to the corner of our white display box, and there is Edi’s nametag from some long past event she attended. It has been there for a long time. It is a reminder that negative people may pass through for a minute, but good people stay around to enrich the world of Corvairs and all the good times ahead. Look at the photo and see that Edi’s current nametag is right by her old one.

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If you are reading this and have never met me in person, it may be hard for me to accurately convey what I am moved by in the human condition and the variety of experiences life offers. If I had to pick one story about humans I wrote to try to express this, it would be this one: A thought on Easter….. It isn’t a particularly about the holy day, it is a reflection on what people are thankful for in life. The builders comments at the bottom are a good indication of the quality of humans which the Corvair movement attracts.-ww.

Builders,

 Below are several photos of Corvair College#30 at the Zenith factory. We selected them because they offer a glimpse of what makes being a Corvair builder a different path. If you have not been to a College, look at them and read the captions, and picture yourself at the same setting.

In my first 10 years in homebuilding I learned a lot and accomplished much, but always felt an ‘outsider’ to the ever more consumer/conspicuous consumption era that was covered in magazines in the 1990s. I longingly looked at 1960s Sport Aviation and felt that I had missed the boat on the golden ago of homebuilding, where creativity, camaraderie  and craftsmanship were far more important than the thickness of a man’s wallet. I had a personal ‘moment of awareness’ that I had personally participated in degrading homebuilding in 1999. If you have 15 minutes to read something revealing, read this link: 2,500 words about levels of aircraft finsh……

Slowly I came to understand several truths: Magazine content and proportional coverage have little to do with what grass roots builders are focused on; There were many other builders interested in traditional homebuilding values such as learning and craftsmanship; and there were a number of builders who wanted to be part of a group that espoused, fun, skills and positive attitudes, but found this lacking at their local EAA chapter and the fly in events they attended. All of these factors steered us toward the cure, Corvair Colleges. College are focused on engines, but they are really about people. At these events, much is learned and progress is made, but it is all done in a setting of fellowship. There isn’t just ‘one kind of person who fits in. The Colleges are for anyone drawn top the original EAA motto of “Learn, Build and fly.” Corvairs are not for everyone, but they are an excellent match for people looking for more than the minimum experience in aviation.

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Above, my favorite photo and story from #30. On the right, Dick Navratil. These two guys worked on Dick’s engine and had a great time together. I have known Dick for 10 years (He has built 7 or 8 Pietenpols) and just assumed that the fun they were having was because they must have known each other since high school…..It took until the end of the second day for me to learn that before the first day of the college, they had never met each other. This is the kind of friendship and fun that naturally happens when two builders have the same values in a fun productive setting. The friendship these two guys struck up makes me feel the Colleges are worth all the effort put in.

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Required Gratuitous dog photo: Grace felt Scoob E was very excited about spending his puppyhood birthday in Mexico MO. again this year. A long time ago, Grace decided that she never wanted him to get older, so he is perpetually said to be “two years old.” (Funny, but no one ever questions this.)  Someone pointed out to Grace that 2 would make him 14 in dog years, so she now decided that he will now be turning 1 month old every September. If only someone had decided that I had to be 24 years old my whole life, I’d feel better right now.

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Packed in the trailer, ready for anytime we cross paths with Pietenpol builder Kevin Purtee, is the sock monkey “Hat of Power.”  Kevin, a 25 year attack Helicopter pilot, wears it with a ‘Hello Kitty’ tee shirt to demonstrate that he is a total bad-ass no mater how he is clothed. Above, fellow Piet builder, 6’5″ Mark Chouinard donned the hat right after his engine ran to test the hat’s ‘magic.’ Although Mark is a tough guy (his Facebook page has testimonials from numerous friends about his outstanding skills with belt-fed weapons in the Army), the Hat of power didn’t have the same effect on him as it does with Kevin. Mark remained his friendly self. With Kevin, it is like meeting captain ‘Quint’ from the film Jaws.

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At Colleges, a modest fee covers all the food and drinks for the entire event. at #30, we had a excellent local family cater the event. Having everyone share meals together is a big part of getting to know fellow builders. It is also much better use of time than having every one leave for food several times a day. People who stopped by often asked “Can a new builder really assemble and run an engine in 3 days?” The answer is Yes, as long as the days are 15 hours long and the time is used wisely. Having the meals brought in is a big help with this.

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Above, Jerry Parker of Texas. Jerry has a long list of achievements in aviation that are the result of hard sustained work and enthusiasm. I largely suspect that he could buy any engine on the market for his plane. Yet Jerry chooses to work with the Corvair, because the Corvair movement best fits his own person sense of Homebuilding. This is for everyone to evaluate for themselves, but it is worth considering the very high percentage of ‘old school’ EAA builders of great experience we have working with Corvairs. These people have seen a lot of facets of aviation, but find a unique setting with Corvair building.

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Left, Mark Petinunias of Falcon cylinder head fame, (aka”Petz” because most people aren’t good with Lithuanian pronunciations) has something funny to say. He has a wicked sense of humor for a guy who grew up on a farm in rural Wisconsin.  He is an A&P who has worked his entire life in the mechanical world, but you can still see vestiges of his agrarian childhood, like his ability to compare caloric value of living things, both animal and vegetable, as if we might be plunged into a Donner Party situation at any time. He is part of a dwindling number of Americans who understand that food does not originate in supermarkets.

Standing behind me is Roy from Roy’s Garage. Both Mark and Roy were very helpful technical assistants at the college.

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Above, Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft speaks with Mike McGowan. Sebastien stopped by several times to check in with builders. It speaks volumes about his families’ long standing commitment to all homebuilding that he goes out of his way to welcome all builders to the College at Mexico MO, not just Zenith builders. While other aircraft presidents might be talked into this, with Sebastien there was never any consideration that it would be any other way. That is a perspective which is not common enough in the commercial side of our industry.

Mike is a 1960s graduate of America’s oldest licensed aviation university, Parks. (They hold the coveted FAA air certificate #1) He has extensive knowledge of piston engine airliner operation and practical aeronautical engineering. He always as an interesting take on any aviation subject, most often formed from direct personal experience.

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. Above Dick Navratil works on his engine while conversing with ‘old school’ EAA builder and pilot Bob Heiser from Texas, who is building a Zenith 750 Cruiser. Bob and his wife Carol have had a lifetime of adventures in light planes, but they are working to add a new chapter to their story. I take it as a great compliment that our work appeals to aviators like Bob and Carol.

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Above, Pietenpol builder Edi Bickford demonstrates that just like the rest of life, in aviation women are far more likely to actually read the directions before getting started.

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Grace pointed out that she too gave thanks before every wonderful meal The Steinmans and their crew served. I pointed out that Larry is praying that his engine will fire up and run well.  It worked, evidently the divine hand favors the builder who reads directions and does good work. Larry is building a 601XL back in Texas. He showed up early for the College and was great help to Grace and I with prep work.

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Above, about 560 hp worth of Corvair engines on one table. Most other engines are only available from the importer in one configuration. There are three different displacement engine in the photo, two different 5th bearing styles, two different head configurations, Several compression ratios, One engine that came from our workshop complete, one built with assistance and another that started as a short block. It is a large number of options that allow each engine to custom match the builders needs, skills, time and budget.

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The Chow line formed 3 times a day. There is a real ‘motorhead’ quality to dining among engine assemblies. Many people wish to be perceived as knowing something about engines. Corvair college is about actually learning and knowing these things, not to impress others, but to satisfy yourself that you are the master of the power plant and not the servant of the importers service department.

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Above, Dick Johnson and Mark Petz stand beside Dick’s 3,000cc Corvair destined for his Zenith 650. Sharp eyes will note that this engine is equipped with our new #2401L ultra light weight starter, coming in 3 pounds lighter than our traditional system.

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Mary and Pat Hoyt sent in this photo of their flight to the College from Minnesota in their Zenith 601XLB. They are first class people, and very well known and admired in the Corvair world. Their plane is not cosmetically perfect, nor is Pat going to challenge Bob Hoover for greatest stick and rudder man of all time. I think the root of the Hoyt’s popularity is attributable to their very friendly nature combined with the fact that he is an outstanding role model for most Corvair Builders, very effectively demonstration how to get the most out of one’s efforts in experimental aviation. Besides this, our dog, an impeccable judge of character, loves the Hoyts.

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Above the Bowen brothers of Idaho are all smiles after the test run of their 3,000cc Corvair, destined for their Dragonfly.

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The Hoyt’s 601 on the ramp. note how many people are attracted to the plane to get a good look and ask some questions.

Pat and Mary brought the plane to Oshkosh 2013 where they met a friend of ours from our home airport in Florida, Ron Thomas. Ron is an absolute salt of the earth guy, a Cajun who has earned a life long living as a rock drummer. Ron owns an Ercoupe and is a pilot, but has limited knowledge of homebuilt designs. He was on his first trip to Oshkosh, and above all else, he came away sure that Pat and Mary were the nicest people at the show.

A year later, Ron returned to Oshkosh and on his way in, saw a film crew standing in front of a polished low wing plane with a yellow nose, which he mistook as the Hoyts 601.  Excited at the possibility of seeing them again, Ron blurted out to the film crew “Where are Pat and Mary? and “Dude, these Corvair 601’s rock!” The camera crew was annoyed with him, and they guy they were interviewing got mad and walked off. Ron came by our booth and said he didn’t want to ruffle any feathers, but didn’t see why everyone was so upset…… I walked over to look at the plane and it was a Van’s RV-12 with a Rotax….I then quietly walked Ron down to the Van’s aircraft booth and pointed to a specific guy and asked Ron if it was the angry guy. Ron said it was and asked me why I thought the guy was so crabby. I said “For starters, his name is Richard VanGrunsven, and ……”

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Above, Lynn Dingfelder’s 2700cc 601XL. It has been flying for a number of years, and it has made a number of appearances at Colleges, the Zenith open house, Sun n Fun and other airshows. It is a great feeling to bring your creation, something that few people understood far less supported through the construction, to a location where kindred spirits applaud your efforts and want top shake your hand.-ww.

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Builders,

Here is a look forward over the next few weeks: Right now I am in NJ, taking a watch, caring for my Father. I will be here through Oct. 3rd. Dad is doing a lot better since the summer. Thank you to all the people who sent thoughts on this. I wrote something about Dad below.

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If anyone has a pressing tech question, please send it by email, and If you can, include a phone number that I may call you on in the evening. Often the explanations are easier on the phone. I don’t have access to all records here, so don’t assume I have your number.

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We are now just 5 weeks out from Corvair College #31. I have spoken with Ken Pavlou about the date we are going to cut off the sign up and the upper limit of builders we can have. I suspect that we are going to hit the max number before the 30 day out mark. If you are planning on attending, but have not actually signed up, please do so now. Corvair College #31 will be in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th. Click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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Grace is still in Florida and is mailing out orders. Upon my return, she is taking a brief break to be with family. If you have an order in mind, Grace can likely cover this before my return.

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We have nose bowls packaged and ready to go now, on the shelf, for the first time in a year, there is no wait on an order. We are also going to do a large batch of Pietenpol,  Zenith 601/650, and 750 mounts before CC#31. If you would like to pick one up at the event and save the shipping, please let us know soon. -ww.

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Through a titanic effort of logistics, my brother and his eldest son were able to take my Mother and Father to Dad’s 65th Naval Academy Reunion in Annapolis last week. This lifted my Fathers spirits beyond measure.  For the 60th reunion of the Class of 1949 there were more than 500 of the original class of 1,200 on hand. My brother reported that there were only 46 classmates this year. The number drew to mind MacArthur’s words on ‘old soldiers.’

The Class of ’49 started at Annapolis before WWII ended.  In a significant shift, the entrance exams were opened to Enlisted men from the fleet, and 92% of the starting class were prior Enlisted men, my Father among them.  They were often older than the 1st classmen, and many of them had seen the war first hand. When an upperclassman harassed one of these men, the man simply pointed out that on D-day the upperclassman had been at the academy, while he had landed on Omaha Beach. He concluded with the somber statement: “I have killed better men than you.”

For all these decades, my Father has been very proud to stand in the ranks of such men. When JFK spoke of ” A new generation of Americans–born in this century, tempered by war” These were the kind of people he was speaking of.  Yesterday, I sat beside my father as he watched a few minutes of the evening news. I thought of how difficult it must be for men of his generation and calling, who literally offered their lives to defend western civilization from genuine evil, to see how little we have done with this gift that was bequeathed to us at a staggering cost.

As I write this, my Father sits in the next room, carefully writing a letter about a man he knew well, another ’49er. With dulled eyesight and a slightly shaky hand, Dad writes to tell the man’s eldest son of the great fortune of having known his father, a man of great courage and character. There are a few dozen letters left to eventually be written to sons, but when the duty is done and the chapter is closed, I suspect that the custom will also fade away. We will not have men quite like these again.

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By far, the greatest joy of my Father’s life has been being married to my Mother for 64 years. The above photo was taken circa 1949 at Annapolis. They met at the New Jersey Shore just after World War II. Throughout my entire adult life, whenever I encounter anyone in difficult straights or a terrible position, my first thought is always “Without the luck of being born to my parents, that could be me.” It is not possible to overstate the positive role my parents have played in any qualities of character I may have.

 

Builders,

Here is a look at many of the 10 new engines that came to life at CC#30.  This is many more than CC#26 last year, our first College at the Zenith factory. Second events always build momentum like this, as builders have time to prep, and many people coming to their second college have a very solid plan in place for round two. Our Next College #31, will be the 5th at Barnwell SC, and we expect to run as many as 25 engines there. We have already made plans to hold CC#34 at the Zenith factory in September 2015. Sounds far off, but it just 51 weeks away.

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Nothing gets engine building in high gear like having a builder fly in right in the middle of the College. Lynn Dingfelder arrives at the College, having flown in 700 miles from Pennsylvania. If a Rotax owner flies in to an event where other Rotax owners are present, you don’t see the same reaction as above, because all the people have in common is owning the same imported product. Not much of a bond. Conversely, people who build Corvairs have not just a common set of skills, they also posses a taste for self-reliance and challenge that set them in a small and different club of individuals. There is room for everyone in experimental aviation, you need only seek the right place for you. If you look at the pictures below and feel a strong urge to build your own engine, then you are probably a Corvair guy at heart, and nothing you could buy will feel as right as the moment when your own engine comes to life.

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Above I speak with Jerry Parker of TX as the 2700/Weseman bearing engine destined for his Pietenpol does a break in run on the stand.

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The Bowen brothers on the right, watch the break in run of the 3,000 cc/ Weseman bearing engine that will power their Dragonfly.

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On the right Gene Kujawa at the break in run of his 3,000 cc/ Weseman bearing engine that will power his Zenith. I am setting the timing in the photo.

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A few minutes later with Gene’s wife Janet, and Mark Petz from Falcon. Gene and Janet took a long time to get to this day, and it was a great moment. They were not in a race with anyone, and the moved at their own pace, having fun and mastering the skills they were picking up. They were no out to simply ‘get it done’ or check some box. They truly enjoyed the process. Mark offered the assistance of his shop and guidance for some of the assembly.

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Above, I am using a digital temp gun to check the exhaust stacks on Mark Chouinard’s 2,700cc/ Roy’s Garage bearing engine destined for his 85% complete Pietenpol. This engine was begun at CC#28 in TX earlier this year.

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Mark Chouinard savoring the prop blast of his handiwork. This has a lot more pride and meaning than buying an engine or doing the minimum amount to work to a flymart relic to get it going. This is a fully overhauled, zero-timed aircraft engine converted from a very well respected automobile engine. (yes, the cars leaked oil, but they did not break.) But the real product in the picture is the change in capability and perspective of the man that chooses to learn and build rather than to simply buy.

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Larry Magruder, 601XL builder from Texas, running his 2700cc /Weseman bearing engine.

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Above, Eric Muehlberg, 650 builder from Oklahoma, films his 2700 cc/ Weseman bearing engine coming to life.

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Above, a good shot of Eric Muehlberg and his engine. Each motor get a 25-30 break in run.

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Canadian Zenith 750 builder Frank Sills runs his 2,700cc /Weseman bearing engine. He began the engine at CC#27 at Barnwell last year.

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Zenith builder Dick Johnson stands beside me the moment before his 3,000 cc /Weseman bearing engine Came to life.

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Above, Zenith 750 builder Tim Gibbs with his 2,850cc / Roy bearing engine at power on the stand.

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Another photo of Dick Johnson and his 3,000cc engine.

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Would you like to see your photo here? Click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/, it is filling up fast, and the photos here all belong to builders who previously decided that this was going to be the year in which they took decisive actorn to advance their own dreams in aviation. Remember the words of Getty Lee when he pointed out that people who decide not to choose a path are still making a choice, just not a productive one.

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Above, The builders who flew their Corvair powered planes to CC##30/The Zenith open House at Mexico MO; Shane and Phylis McDaniels (2,700/650B, MO), Lynn Dingfelder, (2,700/601XLB, PA), Dave Gardea (2,700/650B, IN) Ron Lendon (2,850 /601XLB, MI) and Pat and Mary Hoyt (2,700/601XLB with 650 canopy, MN). The picture above captures all 5 aircraft on the ramp in front of the Zenith Factory at The Mexico MO airport. The builders are standing between myself on one end and Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft on the other. This was one of the moments that make years of work in the hangar a very good investment.

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We have just returned from 10 days in the field at the combined events of Corvair College #30 and the Zenith open house. We will be covering these in several stories over the next week. If you have an email into us, we will be getting caught up over the next few days.

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Zenith has an outstanding photographer at these events, and you can look through more than 200 photos of the events on their webpages at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/zenithair.

There are many good photos of Lynn flying his 601XL in the STOL competition. His combined take off and landing distance was 662′ This gave him 6th place overall against a field of 701s and 750s, but it was the best showing by a 601 or a 650, and is a good example that low wing Zeniths are short field planes in their own right.

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We are rapidly approaching the deadline for Corvair College #31 in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th.

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You can find out more at this link click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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Builders:

Grace and I are with family today, but we will be back in the shop on the 23rd. From that point forward, we will be working in the shop every day until we depart for Corvair College #30 at the Zenith Factory in Mexico MO September 16th-18th. Sign up for #30 was open for 90 days, but is now closed. After the college we will be staying at for 2 more days for the Zenith open house before heading back to Florida. If you couldn’t make it to the college, but are thinking of heading to the open house, please attend, we will no longer be wrenching on engines but we will have a full compliment of our parts, be doing core inspections, and most of the pilots planning on flying in for the College are planning on staying through the open house. It is a good chance to meet other Corvair builders.

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If you are one of the builders who signed up for #30, we will be shortly sending a series of emails with more information. This is standard procedure for colleges. We send the bulk of the prep work info after the sign up closes because we send it as a block email to everyone and if builders have questions we cover the answers in a FAQ page for everyone to read.

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Corvair College #31 will be in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th. Be aware that the sign up is more than half full already, and November sounds like a long way off, but it isn’t. I have no definite date to close the sign up, but I would be surprised if it doesn’t fill up by the end of the Zenith Open house September 20th. Last year after CC#26, we attended the open house the next day, and there was a large number of people who heard about the College and signed up for #27 that day. If you have plans to attend Barnwell, do not get shut out, sign up today, here is the link:

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https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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Barnwell is always our year end event, it is the classiest show of the year. If you are considering bringing your spouse or family to any event, Barnwell is perhaps the best one on the calendar. We always have a very special dinner and award the Cherry Grove trophy to the aviator who has made the greatest contribution to Corvair powered flight that year. P.F. Beck and his crew make the event classy, and this year will be their 5th consecutive event at Barnwell. Don’t miss it.

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Get a look at this link: The Cherry Grove Trophy

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American Hank Wharton, legendary arms smuggler, who used planes like the Lockheed Constellation above on repeated missions to fly food to starving Biafrans through Nigerian jet air defenses in 1968-69. A ‘Humanitarian’ with solid brass balls. There is a fair chance that a man standing in parents home in NJ today survived on food that came off this aircraft.

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I write this from my parents home in NJ. Traditionally we stop here for a few days on our way home from Oshkosh, a 1,000 mile detour we also use to make summer house calls. This year we have extended the stop to 14 days because my Father broke his leg in a fall just before Oshkosh. Grace the dog and I are now taking a turn caring for him at home, following all the other children who have been here already to relieve my brother and his wife who have done the lion’s share of the work thus far. Dad is doing much better, and Grace and I will drive back to the shop in Florida and be at work by the 23rd.

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Over the years I have shared a number of stories about my father because I am very blessed to be his son, but I has always been my hope that these stories were a catalyst for friends to consider how all of our Fathers who made us who we are. Countless builders have also shared stories of their own Fathers in letters and in person, and I have listened to them all with admiration for the love they contained.

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To assist with the care at night, the family has brought in skilled CNAs. One of them named ‘Remmy’, was very moved that in our family he could not differentiate children from spouses by watching us; everyone calls my father ‘Dad’, and my mother and father treat us all the same.  He took a moment to explain that he had emigrated to the US, but his childhood was in Africa, and he said “This kind of family, it is the strength and the riches of Nigeria.” He went on to explain that he was from the eastern half of the country which was Biafra, and he was a three year old during the war, surviving what many others did not. When a man born into war in one of the poorest countries on Earth takes a moment to remind you that the greatest poverty is not the absence of wealth, nor even of sustenance, but it is the absence of family and love, his words are worth considering at length. -ww.

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Builders:

Here are a few photos from Oshkosh this year. We have a lot more, but these will give some flavor of the event, along with comments to give some idea of what I still find interesting about Oshkosh, even after making 24 trips there.

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Above, myself, Grace and the legendary Chris Heintz, inside the “One week wonder” tent where the Zenith 750 was built in a single week. Chris is autographing a copy of his design book to Grace and myself. I consider this man on a plateau with Bernard Pietenpol and Steve Wittman.

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The norm in experimental aviation is that very talented designers start by making affordable designs for rank and file EAA members, and after they are known, they ‘progress’ to just making ultra-expensive toys for the wealthy. Rutan is an easy example, going from the Vari-Eze and Long-Eze to working with Richard Brandson on ‘affordable’ spaceflight. A “Lancer 200”, (the first Lancair), was a neat affordable plane, and a long way from a turbine IVP.  To a lesser extent, An RV-3 is not the same idea as an RV-12 nor RV-14. There are a wealth of products for the wealthy not just because you make more money selling them, but it is actually easier to design things for people with bigger budgets. The simplest product requires the cleverest designer.

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 There have been only handful of designers who have continued to meet the far tougher challenge of designing  good planes for people with a tighter budgets. As a servant of the rank and file EAA builder,  Chris Heintz has produced 14 commercially successful affordable designs in succession. He is ‘retired’ today, and makes the trip from his home in rural France to Oshkosh infrequently. He made it this year to participate in the “One week wonder” build. This was a recreation on a grand scale of Chris and a small crew building an early Zenith kit at Oshkosh in the 1970s in a single week.

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Chris is by far the most approachable of all the well known experimental designers. I have met many of them, and respect them all for different reasons. In recent years, many of these designers  wrote their memoirs. Almost all the other books were a look back at their work for people to admire. Conversely, when Chris wrote his book, it was a design textbook, because first and foremost, he is a teacher.

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Above, a Martin RB-57F flying for NASA at Oshkosh. This is a good example of something you can only see at Oshkosh. This aircraft was the predecessor to the U-2. Want to know what really exacting engineering with slide rules was? To get performance, the wing was engineered with a 500 hr fatigue life span. It did not have one spare ounce of weight in it. There is modified B-57 on static display at Warner-Robbins AFB, but nothing is like seeing the plane fly in person. This particular one spent 41 years in storage at Davis-Monthan before being brought back to service. This is the record for longest storage a return to flight from the D-M bone yard.

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Above, the EAA is actually investing in homebuilding education. I had a strong attachment to the low wooden workshop buildings because I gave nearly 20 years of forums there, but these have been torn down and replaced by first class buildings on the same site. Mark Forss, who does an outstanding job of organizing all the forums at Airventure, set us up with several in the new buildings. They were well attended and lively.

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Above, Our booth was packed at peak times of the week, I am standing on the display conducting a Q&A on Corvairs for a large group of builders, Inside the tent, we have a large amount of educational information. This year, Roy brought his actual water brake dyno to display. As I said previously, most companies claim to have run their engines on a dyno, but can’t produce a single photo of the alleged test. The world of Corvair building is different: we display the dyno itself. If you look closely at the photo you can see ScoobE in the arms of 3,000cc Corvair/Kitfox builder Mike Marury. Because the dog is looking right at the camera, you can tell Grace took this photo.

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Above, Old breed EAA member Marv Hoppenworth, a class act guy who is well known among 50 year veteran EAA members. Years ago Marv designed all the pedal planes for kids seen at Oshkosh. He took his wife on their first date in an L-4. For Oshkosh this year, Marv made a special hand powered trike to get him around, He will not let advanced years keep him from getting around and staying in shape. For at moving father-son story, read the last photo down on this 11 year old link  http://www.flycorvair.com/osh2003.html ,it is about Marv and his son Jay. As much as I love planes, it is the people who love planes that make aviation captivating.

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Above, To balance all the rotten things I have said about the Internet over the years, here is something good: The couple above stopped by my booth to talk about Corvairs, but particularly mentioned things I had written here, singling out the story I wrote in June about a friend of mine who died at 23. The length of their trip is worth noting; they are from New Zealand.  I am well aware that we present a lot of things here that are beyond the scope of ‘technical Corvair details and sales’, things that don’t belong on proper business sites.  I try to keep Flycorvair.com more business like, and then have this site flexible enough to cover thoughts and ideas that compliment building and flying.  As I said before, no one is required to read it all, far less agree with it. At best, I hope it is thought provoking, and I never intend for it to be thought providing.  Not every story or perspective will appeal to everyone, and some of the most unusual stories have the smallest group to connect with, but if you are one of those people, the connection can be very strong, even if you live half way around the world in New Zealand.

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Above, the turtle deck of Ken Pavlou’s  2700 cc powered 601XL-B. Some explanation is in order: The autograph is that of Chris Heintz, who paid a personal visit to Ken’s plane; the 2014 decal is for flying into Oshkosh; Our logo is a thank you note from Ken. The Speedo bathing suit logo is part of a joke around Ken’s friends. A year ago, Ken said that if he didn’t get his plane done and fly it to Oshkosh in 2014, he was going to come to Airventure wearing only a blue speedo suit (not a pretty picture of a 260 lb Greek guy). Ken is a man of his word, and this motivated him to work like a dog the last 12 months.  Many of Ken’s friends stopped by the booth of the first day to find out if Ken made the dead line. Upon seeing his plane the most common expression was “Oh, thank God!” Having averted a visual image that would have been very difficult to later block out of the mind.

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Above, a look at Ken’s dual Dynon cockpit. Although I like simple old school panels, I will be the first to admit that this is a very nice, well executed glass cockpit. Corvairs are fully compatible with just about any type of instrumentation. If you compare the price of a top end Corvair build with an imported engine like a Rotax 912si or a UL-350, you can basically have the panel above with a very nice Corvair for the same price of the imported engine alone. That is a very, very large cost savings for anyone will to put in some effort to attain their goals in flight.

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Above, Ken with his plane.  All week, it was parked with Lynn Dingfelder’s 2700cc 601XL and Pat and Mary Hoyts 2700cc 601XL right behind our tent. It was very nice to say to any Zenith builder, “Follow me behind the tent, where I can show you a 3D, real time, interactive display representation of just the plane you are thinking of building.” Having these four on hand was a lot of fun and a very good look at the diversity of people that consider the Corvair movement as their “Home in Homebuilding.”

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Pat and Mary Hoyt’s 601XL (it has a 650 canopy) on the flight line at night. Our booth was a focal point of fun and conversation until late into the night. This was the most fun I have had at Oshkosh in many years.

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Above, Grace snapped this photo of four of the F-16’s of the Thunderbirds in action. I may have seen my lifetime quota of T-6’s in airshows, but for just about anything else flying in the show I will spend a few minutes looking up. What I like best about the Jets in afterburner: It drowns out the at yelling announcer voices.  I would much prefer to listen to any aircraft, even the supersonic prop tips on a T-6, than to listen to the shouting announcers on a PA system. For a long time, the silent aerobatic glider routine of Manfred Radius set to classical music was my favorite act, and one day I realized that a big part of the appeal was the lack of narration in voices borrowed from used car commercials.

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Above, Roys dyno. The day after Oshkosh we drove the 8 hours to Roy’s in Michigan to complete a break in on a 2,850cc engine.  In the photo Roy is leaning forward checking the discharge from the pump. The dark blue box is a very large squirrel cage fan used to pump cooling air (because this does not have a prop for a load.)

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Builders,

If you are planning on attending the College #30 in Mexico MO in September, we are now just 36 hours from the sign up deadline. I am closing the sign up sheet Friday night at midnight, from that point the college is just one month away.

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For more information on the sign-up click on this link below:

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Corvair College #30 and #31 sign up now open

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Blast from the past 2005: Sebastien Heintz, Grace and myself at the Zenith factory in Mexico MO in 2005. It was a stop on our Midwest night school tour that year.  Over the last 11 years we have had two ‘Corvair days’ and two Corvair Colleges at Zenith’s facilities. We have purchased both 601 and 701 kits from the Heintz family and enjoyed a long standing cooperative working relationship that directly benefited countless builders.

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