Builders,
Pictured below are a batch of starter brackets, fresh from the anodizer, being packaged today.
These come with Group 2400 starter kits. They are aluminum, machined on very accurate CNC equipment.
Hear is a link to starter kits: https://flycorvair.net/product/2400l-ultra-light-weight-starter-kit/
William
Builders,
I picked these up at the printer this afternoon, and they are in my inventory system now, ready for immediate shipment.
The picture on my shopping page shows a 2014 manual, but I have been sending out 2022 manuals since July of 2022.
If you have a 2014 manual AND a MOP manual, you do not need to upgrade to a 2022 manual. The primary updates to the 2014 manual were making it agree with the 2019 MOP manual. New builders should also get a MOP manual, I just didn’t like having discrepancies between the 2014 manual and the MOP manual.
Thank you,
William.
Builders,
Pictured below are a dozen new Short Gold hubs, fresh back from anodizing.
His part is the hub used with both Gen 1 and Gen 2 SPA/Weseman 5th bearings.
This is an inventory increase, the design has remained unchanged, and continuously available for 16 years. and is retrofittable to all engines dating back to 1992.
Thanks, William.
Builders,
This is advanced notice to the Corvair Community of the availability of this Zenith.
It was built and flown my my close friend Woody Harris. He passed away at the end of last summer. The plane has 500 hours on it. It has flown to 25 states, including 3 corners of the US, and to Oshkosh and Kitty Hawk. It is powered by a 2,850 cc Corvair, and the installation is 100% by my book. Woodys life work was in international auto racing, driving and fabricating, and the plane reflects his mechanical experience.
The plane has a fresh annual, and is currently being flown. Videos of the plane are available to potential buyers, the aircraft is located at the Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville CA, near Sacramento.
His family is putting the plane on Barnstormers for $42,000 in 10 days. Before then, they are offering it to people who already have an interest in Corvair powered planes, as it will be less questions. Before going to Barnstormers, the price is Reduced to $40,000.
If you have a technical question on the plane, text me, 904-806-8143.
If you would like to arrange to see the plane, you should text Woodys daughter Amy Choi, 707-430-7092. She is an ATP who knows flying and machines, and will handle all aspects of the sale.
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Personal note: Woody was a very important person in my life, and I am close with his family. Let me forewarn compulsive bargain hunters who view another family’s tragedy as an opportunity for them to make a low ball offer and try to cash in flipping the plane, I have the memory of an elephant, I’m well known in the Zenith community, and I will make sure anyone trying this becomes a pariah, just for trying it. I’m not reluctant to publish their picture and home address on the internet. Woody was a great friend, and someone who wouldn’t protect the interests of the family of a deceased friend is worthless, and never deserved the man’s trust in the first place.
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Thank You
William.
Builders
Peter Eiberger has just recently started flying his Zenith 750 cruiser. I spoke with him today, and he shared these photos and a link to his you tube channel. The project was 21 months taking the workshop class at the factory to having it signed off for flight. Keep in mind Peter has never built a plane before, is in his 30’s, married, and works full time, and yes he built the engine himself in that time span also.
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His plane is powered with a 2,850cc Corvair, 112hp, with a Rotec 34mm MK II carb. The fuel system is a simple gravity feed. It is fitted with a Sensenich 64 x 35 prop, with is a standard prop on a Stop, and a very strong climb prop on a cruiser. Instrumentation is by Grand Rapids, with an auto pilot.
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I’m glad to have all types of builders, but I have to say that Peter’s easy going manner made working with him a pleasure. He had setbacks like anyone else, but he never go discouraged, he just wanted to know the best way to get back on track and keep going. My golden rule of Homebuilding is “Persistence Pays”, and this combined with a very positive attitude adds up to a really good build.
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A good side view of Peter’s plane. It has the option for large tires, 21′ on the mains. As of today, the plane has 6 hours on it. The flight testing has been completely uneventful , and Peter is going to keep it that way by using a combination of the flight test program in my MOP manual and the one published by the EAA. More info to come as phase one continues.
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Head on view, showing the Corvair is only 28″ wide, The cowl I sell was specifically designed for Zenith airframes.
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A clean, simple installation.
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The sweet sound of a smooth Corvair, Even people who are not fans of auto conversions have to admit the love the sound of this engine.
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Enjoy this for a few minutes, and head back to your shop and make some progress on your own bird. Let this top off your motivation tank.
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WW
Builders;
The achievement of building and flying the first Corvair powered Murphy Rebel goes to Rob Schaum of Connecticut. He put the plane through a flawless one hour first flight this afternoon.
Above, Rob’s plane. It was a 120hp Corvair and a warp drive prop.
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Rob is on the left. On the right 800 hour Corvair/601XL pilot Ken Pavlou, who acted as Rob’s immediate support on verifying that his engine was in tip top shape.
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Do you occasionally get discouraged because your project isn’t advancing as fast as others claim theirs is? Focus in on this thought: The only competition you are in is with the forces which discourage you. They only win if you quit.
Get a look at the picture above. The guy the arrow is pointing to is Rob Schaum. This picture was taken at a Corvair Night School I held in the shop of Dr. Gary Ray in Michigan……..It was February 14th, 2005. Yes, Rob was working on his plane nearly 18 years ago.
This tells you two important facts: Rob Schaum does not quit easily, he understands my saying: “In Homebuilding, Persistence Pays”, and it also tell you that I’m here for the long run, and will be there to support you when you take your plane for its first flight.
Ken reported that Rob was really elated today. It was well deserved. Over the years I had many people tell me they were going to build a Rebel with a Corvair, but to this date, just one man refused to quit, and now he owns the sky. A just reward for his persistence.
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WW
Builders ;
Here is a quick look at thje seven Corvair powered planes which flew into Zenith Aircraft’s event in Mexico MO.
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Above, Cliff Mattson, from WI, with his 800 hr 601XL, the rare tailwheel potion.
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Above, Mark Baenen’s 750 STOL, flew in from WI
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Above, Bob Clarke with his Cruiser, flew in from MO.
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Above, Billy Stewart, from GA, flew in with his 601XL (with a 650 canopy).
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Above, John McIntire flew in with his VA based 601XL. The plane’s first trip to the home coming was 13 years ago,
Above, Fred Thomas from IL, flew in with his 750 STOL
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Dan Glaze, in the brown shirt, veteran of 23 Corvair Colleges, came in with his 750 STOL from OH.
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WW
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Builders,
This Friday and Saturday, the 16th and 17th, Zenith Aircraft will be holding their 30th Homecoming at the Factory in Mexico MO, about 100 miles west of St. Louis. It will be a great event, and all homebuilders are welcome, not just Zenith builders. You do not need reservations, but I suggest getting a pair of dinner tickets early.
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I will be there for the 19th consecutive year. It is a great event where a few hundred builders can meet component manufacturers, tour the factory, take in workshops and demonstrations, sit in on panel discussions, all in a very friendly atmosphere. There is free on site camping, and a lot of builder camaraderie last into the evenings.
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If you are a Corvair builder, bring any part with you, I will be taking parking lot inspection tours both days. We have several builders flying in, with both low wing and high wing Zeniths. I will be there both days, all day, and I’m looking forward to meeting many of you. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.
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Above, Dr. Gary Ray’s Corvair Powered Zenith 601XL-B, flying for 15 years on our favorite power plant. Gary has frown to the Homecoming several times, and has plans to do so this year given good weather.
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WW
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A life of adventure and passion closes, Woody Harris passes from our world.
Builders,
These words were some of the last Woody spoke, when he passed at home with his family by his side. He was a human being of the first order. Measured as a family man, friend, competitor or role model, he captured your respect and admiration on all of these facets of life. His life stood as an indictment of the common belief that high achievement requires mono dimensional focus. Even after decades of knowing him, an hour long car trip would produce stories of adventure not previously heard, lines of thinking not previously contemplated, Ideas to be assessed and experienced. His mind was a river of thoughts that
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I knew him as a mentor and a close friend for 20 years. Initially I was astounded by how much he knew and had done in motorsports, how much of it could be brought directly to bear on Corvair development I was working through. In short order, I understood this was just the tip of the iceberg, and the real lessons, on how a very independent minded man comports himself in a world of conformity and mediocrity, without loosing his inherent lust for life nor his sense of empathy and decency. Looking back, I can not think of a single sentence he uttered nor wrote which I ever questioned the inherent logic nor reason of. He was the kind of friend who was thoughtful enough to never point out he couldn’t offer me the same testimonial in return. He could be a harsh taskmaster when there was something important to be gained if will power and resolve were applied without reservation, but he was also the rare man who could turn that off when the hour for it had passed.
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Many aviators and Corvair builders knew Woody as “My man on the West Coast”, he covered all the events from Copper state to Arlington, when it was not financially possible for me to do so from Florida. When we held west Coast Colleges, Woody did the lion’s share of the organizing and logistics, and worked the events with me. He was more than just tech support, he was emotional support on many tough days, and he always maintained a positive outlook. He had decade is the world of international auto racing, when he counseled “This too shall pass” or “Celebrate today, it’s back to the shop tomorrow, next season started an hour ago”, you knew it all came from personal experience.
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For most of my adult life, I worked to earn the friendship of men older than myself, as they had many things to share, and a lot of wisdom which I would not have discover soon enough on my own. As the years have passed, I have lost most of them, but I have not forgotten what they shared with me. It is the only compensation for the loss of people with lives so rich it’s difficult to accept they are no longer here.
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If you have read my stories for a few years, it should be obvious that I come to terms with the loss of friends by writing about them. In moments of staggering loss, it’s understandable that most people find it very difficult to express how much they cared about the departed, but I have always found some solace in sharing stories of them, and I don’t hesitate to say they I loved them, and was very fortunate to have known them. I have never taken more than a few days to sit at the keyboard, late at night, and find a few words to capture something of their lives. Woody’s passing is a strong exception to this. He passed nearly a month ago, and I have looked at the draft of this nearly every night since, and have not been able to write this. There were plenty of starts, but in a few sentences it came to a halt, I understood there was nothing in my words which was going to capture even a shadow of a very, very bright life. Tonight is no different, I have paused a number of times and stared at the delete key. I finish this only with the admission that I can’t really describe how unique of an individual he was, nor even catalog the was he improved my life simply by being there. I will just say I loved him, I will miss him as long as I’m alive, and as much time as I spent with him it wasn’t enough.
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Above, Woody stands in front of his Corvair 2,850cc powered Zenith 601XL when it was under construction. When the plane was finished, Painted Chrome yellow and British racing Green, Woody flew it all over the western US, an epic 2011 circumnavigation of the country, and several tours through the south. He logged 499.3 hours, I believe his aircraft flew in more states than any other Corvair powered plane. I pretty good achievement for a guy who didn’t take his first flight lesson until he was in his 60’s.
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WW
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Builders,
Here is a new video, capturing the one hour talk I gave at Brodhead this year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mwNnlWEpFTI
WW.
