Category: Event

Builders,

I have spent the first weeks of this year focused on shop work and shipping parts, and thus writing has been on the back burner. But I did want to post this note about Colleges. The sign up links for Corvair Colleges #36, #37 , #38 and #39 has been up for ten days, you can read the story here: 2016 Corvair College registration pages.

.

The Colleges are steadily filling, and be advised not to delay signing up if you are considering attending. A quick look at the numbers:

.

Texas College 35% full, sign up closes when it is full, or on 1st of March, which ever happens first;

.

Chino College: 40% full

.

Cloverdale College 30% full (be advised, limited space means it can fill much quicker than other Colleges)

.

November College in Barnwell, 20%

.

————————————————-

.

One of the goals of the tour is to meet as many builders as possible. Beyond the colleges, I want to have at least 10 “Night Schools”, like we did on this tour:  : A decade later: Midwest tour, winter 2005.  I also plan to visit many builders projects like this House Call on Pat Green’s 1,000 Hour Pietenpol and this Corvair House Call, Range: 335 miles. Below are some of the proposed stops the driving legs. If you are not too far off the route, and considering hosting a night school or would like a house call, write it in the comments section, or send me an email with “Tour” in the subject line.

.

The travel route and some of the proposed stops:

.

Leg One: Austin to Chino, April 5-20

Santa Fe NM

Yuma AZ

.

Leg Two: Chino to Cloverdale April 25-May 5

Hanford CA

San Jose CA

Vacaville CA

.

Leg Three: Cloverdale to Portland OR. May 10-15

Spencer Rice’s shop, Portland OR.

.

Leg Four: Portland to North Dakota.

.

Leg Five: North Dakota to Mexico MO

.

———————————————-

.

 .

Real grass roots homebuilding: Above is the collection of Iowa builders who showed up for the Night School in Dr. Steve’s Minart’s garage on a very chilly night in the winter of 2005. While most experimental aviation companies tout their ‘customer service’, there probably isn’t another company in experimental aviation that can match our decades long tradition of meeting homebuilders in the field to teach what we have learned. Although I am a prolific writer of both websites and paper books, I can conclusively state that I have taught more builders important techniques in person than with words. Builders need both, but almost no companies offer hands on training at many locations each year, and none of them do it for free like I do.

.

….BTW, Steve has been flying the engine in the picture for nine years.

.

ww.

Builders,

Here are the individual links for the 2016 College sign up pages. The sign ups are open now, if the link is active, there are workspaces available at the event.

.

————————————————

.

CC #36 April 1-3, San Marcos Texas:

https://corviarcollegeregistration.wufoo.com/forms/cc36/

.

Website story: Outlook 2016, College #36 and Western building tour

.

————————————————-

.

CC #37, April 22-25 Chino California:

https://corviarcollegeregistration.wufoo.com/forms/cc37/

.

website story: Outlook 2016, Corvair College #37 Chino CA, 4/22/16

.

————————————-

.

CC #38, May 6-8 Cloverdale California:

https://corviarcollegeregistration.wufoo.com/forms/cc38/

.

Website story: Outlook 2016, Corvair College #38, Cloverdale CA, 5/6/16

.

——————————————

.

CC #39, November 11-13, Barnwell South Carolina:

https://corviarcollegeregistration.wufoo.com/forms/cc39/

.

Website story: Outlook 2016, Corvair College #39, Barnwell SC, 11/11/16

.

——————–

.

-ww.

Builders:

I have been speaking with Shelley Tumino, and we are going to have the on line sign up for the 2016 Corvair Colleges open on 1/10/16. We will post the info on this website that day.

.

In addition to co-hosting 4 colleges and being awarded The Cherry Grove Trophy, Shelley has also run the on-line sign up for many Colleges. She has offered to cover this same task for the 2016 season.  She made a good case that we should have a dedicated, year round, web location for this, as we had previously run the sign up through a site we rented by the month. Having our own site will actually lower the overhead cost of this, while having longer sign up periods. If that explanation wasn’t clear, try this one “Things will be smoother in 2016 because Shelley is in charge” 

.

I have done some work to update many of the links on the main college page. When you look all the way down, it has many linked stories on how to get the most out of colleges. Get a coffee and give it a long look:

Corvair College reference page

.

——————————————————-

.

 

From our Oshkosh 2015 coverage: “Above, Shelley Tumino, Co-host of Corvair Colleges #22, 25 and 32, stands in front of the tear drop trailer she hand crafted at Brodhead.  Nearly everything in the picture was packed into the trailer for the trip from Texas. The woman is seriously into organization, logistics and deployment. Shelley had a long career in the Armed Forces.  Shelley takes having fun and camping more seriously than some countries take mobilizing for conflicts.”

.

_ww.

Builders,

I am just putting this out as a long distance place holder now. Right after CC#35 in November, I had a personal meeting with P.F.Beck, the leader of the local teams that have hosted 6 colleges at Barnwell, and he told me to put his team down for a 7th event in November of 2016. It will fall on November 11-13th. I will further update this page in 2016, you can expect the sign up to open just before Oshkosh in July.

.

.

Above, Bob Lester’s Corvair powered Pietenpol sits on the ramp at Barnwell at sunset on Saturday night at Corvair College #31.

There are many links to Corvair College stories here: Corvair College reference page.

For a look at the 2015 Barnwell College, check this out: Corvair College #35 Barnwell builders video.

For a look at the EAA film about the 2013 Barnwell College, click here: New EAA video on Corvair College#27, Barnwell 2013.

.

-ww.

Builders,

Here are a few photos from Corvair College #34, which was at the Zenith Aircraft factory in Mexico MO, this last September. As cool weather sets in throughout most of the northern US, it is good to look back to a great event held on a very sunny week,….and decide now, that 2016 will be your year in aviation, and that you will be in next years sets of photos, in the Arena, having a great time with like minded friends. You will note that most pictures are of people, not engines; this is because Colleges are about people, learning and building among friends.

.

Above, Dr. Steve Minart flew in with his 601XL from Iowa.  Would you like to see a picture of the two of us 10 years before with the plane as a project in Steve’s garage? Read this: A decade later: Midwest tour, winter 2005

.

Above, We elected to hold the College in a very large industrial tent, right next to the Zenith Factory. This made it easy to plumb in power and compressed air, and have acess to tools like drill presses. This was our third College with the Zenith Aircraft crew as local hosts, and it was a great event. For space reasons we limit the Mexico MO colleges to 60 builders, and the #34 sign up filled up about 45 days before the event.

.

Above, Paul Visk’s Corvair comes to life. It is destined for his KR-2S. Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith aircraft, welcomes all homebuilders to colleges we hold at his facility, not just Zenith builders. It is a demonstration of his family’s across the board support for homebuilding through 2 generations.

.

Above, A look at the great weather, and the fact that we eat all together, all of the meals at colleges are catered and fully paid for by the modest fee charged at sign up. The events are educational, not profit making exercises.  When you consider the cost of expenses like tent rental, an accountant would question the value of the College, but as an educator, homebuilder and friend, I find these events to be priceless, and beyond putting a dollar figure on.

.

Above, A look at the low calorie, fat free, ‘vegan’, low cholesterol dining provided by Steinman’s catering in Mexico MO. At least that is what I told myself. We work long hours at Colleges, you have a chance to burn the calories.

.

Above, We ran from 7am until 11 PM most nights. The evening weather was just as pleasant as the days. He is a look at Mike Maury, last guy in the hangar on the second night. The white tent was surprisingly bright at night when lit up with halogen lights.

.

Above, Two new friends. These two did not know each other before the college. If you find yourself at aviation events, and don’t feel like you ‘fit in’ because you are an ‘old school’ homebuilder, then come find your home in homebuilding among the tradition homebuilders at Colleges.

.

Above, Sometimes people who have never been to a college ask about the nature of the events, mistakenly assuming from a few politicaly incorrect photos that the Colleges are not civil events: Here is reality: The of the better halves, comfortably enjoying the afternoon. I am willing to bet we have a far higher percentage of women builders than nearly any group in experimental aviation.

.

People who wish to be offended, before they even learn about events can certainly find all the evidence they need reading a few words on my site and looking at a picture or two. I have gotten letters from people who assumed the events were drinking events for males, letters from those offended by the “No politics, no Religion, no Communism” sign,  and letters about how they assume people behave. Here is reality: The Woman in the center above is Edi Bickford, She has been to a half dozen Colleges, including the ones at Barnwell, where all evening meals are started with a Prayer of thanks. BTW, Edi is a minister, and so is her husband, and they are both comfortable with the people and atmosphere of the Colleges. Maybe people wishing to be offended have no idea what colleges are really like.

.

Above, another shot of the beautiful weather, and the outdoor setting for dining.

.

Above, Our Friend Dave Bally, on hand for the whole college, broke down many cores and brought lots of parts for builders. He went out of his way to make the event great for others, all the while doing no work on his own personal engine. Dave also showed up out of the blue the day before Oshkosh and was a ton of help setting up our booth when we were too tired to think. He is the kind of selfless guy that always puts back a bit more than he received. He is a pleasure to simply know.

.

Above, an engine, one of 15 that had their 5th bearings installed un the direct supervision of Dan Weseman and myself. Great progress was made on many engines, including a half dozen run. Don’t miss your chance to be at a college next year.

.

-ww.

Builders:

Rachel Weseman, aka: “Ms. Panther”, has put together an great video of builders who were making progress and running engines at Corvair College #35 at Barnwell South Carolina:

.

https://youtu.be/xDfX78pa6ug

.

Rachel, Dan and two of their boys were on hand for the College, along with Panther team member and Corvair builder Paul Salter. We had no formal plan to film at the college, but Rachel took the initiative to capture a lot of the event.  Due to the background noise in the hangar and an indirect microphone, some sound is suppressed, but there is a lot of information in the short film. If you look closely, these is a cross section of engines, 2700, 2775, 2850 and 3000 cc. Dan’s 3.3L is also visible next to Andy Shorter’s 3000. The film is also a good chance to see builders you may have only previously read about, like Woody Harris from California.

.

There is the accomplishment of Lane Seidel and Chris Pryce’s engines running, but also the humor of Bill Reynolds explaining how he met Albert Reinhardt, Dave McBride and Katie Fox showing off their ‘stealth Pietenpol’ engine, Tim Hansen and his ‘no unicorns’ sign, and ‘Dan-o’ Glaze speaking of bringing a shovel to a College……All good stuff that gives a glimpse of the fun setting of a Corvair College, and how these events are not typical tech seminars.

.

For a look at many of the other videos edited by Rachel, search ‘Rachel Weseman’ on youtube, and you can see a great number of professional looking films she has made. Two ones that capture the eye are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_HN–ZQVI

and:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJaTHxXrrZA

.

If you would like to drop Rachel a note of thanks for putting this together, you can contact her at this email:

Rachel@FlywithSPA.com

.

————————————–

.

.

Above, The Weseman Panther on the flight line at Barnwell.  It has been to the Barnwell college for the last 3 Colleges in a row. FYI: Dan and Rachel are very relaxed about it, but their last name is actually pronounced “Ways-man” and the name of their company is pronounced as the letters “S-P-A” instead of the word “spa” I have never seen either of them ever correct anyone, but I share it as a general courtesy. -ww.

 

Builders:

Here is a first look at a few photos from last week and CC #35 at Barnwell, S.C. More to come as we get back in gear this week.

.

.

Above, a mint 1966 Corvair Corsa that drove in from Greenville parked with Dan Weseman’s Panther. Both engines left Tonawanda, N.Y., 50 years ago, reunited for a few hours on the ramp at Barnwell Airport.

.

.

Above, Corvair Builder Don Murphy’s 2,850 going together, destined for his 650.

.

Links to College videos posted by KR-2S builder Chris Pryce, who finished and ran his 3,000 cc Corvair at CC #35

.

Setting cam timing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l85w6Bk90V4

.

Hybrid studs and safety shaft:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt529VT2WHQ

.

.
Above Bob Lester and Steve Makish. These two old friends attended a number of early Colleges in a pair of Corvair powered KR-2s. Today Bob has his Corvair in his Pietenpol.  They have known each other through 30 years of flying.

.

.

Above, the great satisfaction of an engine personally created with your own hands.  Builder Mike Newman savors the hour following a perfect break in run on his engine. The 2,700 cc engine will power his Pietenpol.

.

The Panther and Ken Pavlou’s 601XL are both in the background. Although it was rainy on Sunday, most of the weather at the College looked like this and was much warmer than years past.

.

Above, Gratuitous Dog Photo: Scoob E resting in his traveling bed at the College. Notice he has his own pet dog. Ron Burgundy shirt belongs to Grace: “Don’t Just Have A Great Night, Have An American Night.”

.

-ww.

.

Builders,

Yesterday brought the somber news that Steve Bennett, the man behind Great Plains VW engines, has passed from this earth. It is 4:30 am now, and I have spent the last few hours sipping beer and thinking of how I could explain to someone who joined the EAA in the last few years how extraordinary Steve was, what kind of a person we have lost. I keep coming back to the conclusion that it can’t be done, that the scope and depth of his influence is too great, but maybe a few points might be an acceptable start.

.

Steve was contrary to everything people who work in experimental aviation are unfortunately known for: In a field of salesmen without expertise, Steve was the world’s leading expert on VW flight engines; In a field of egos, Steve was a very modest guy; In a field where people bring too much emotion, Steve as always stoic and calm. In a field were everyone chases the money, Steve pursued affordable products so working people would have options other than being a spectator. In a field full of males, Steve always had Linda present as a partner, confidant and best friend.

.

In all the hours of all the years I spent with him, Steve never reminded me of anyone else. Thirty years in the homebuilt industry did not erode nor tarnish the qualities of character he had. He always had a clear head, and a good take on any issue or event; I never saw him change course because of flattery nor praise, he only responded to logical cause. He was always like this, and he remained so to the last time I saw him. He had something most do not, a steady hand on the helm of his own life.

.

To balance that image, let me share the first time I spoke with him. We were at a KR gathering, he was an established legend and I was transitioning from ‘nobody’ to ‘Johnny come lately’ status. In the general form, I guy I had never met stood up and said he has been a VW guy and he had liked Steve, but he now knew VW’s were bad, and he was going to be a Corvair guy now. I was mortified, and at the end I went over to explain to “Mr Bennett” that I didn’t know that guy at all. Steve saw me, but patiently answered every builders question first. When he was done, he walked over and cracked a smile and put his arm on my shoulder and said “Congratulations sport, he is all yours now. This year you are his hero, but next year, if you have any luck, he will hate you and announce he is moving on to Subarus.”

.

It was the start of a long friendship with Steve and Linda. Even though I was very small potatoes for many years, They always treated Grace and myself as friends and colleagues. Steve went out of his way to share with me things he had painstakingly learned about builders, the media and our industry. Time proved his counsel was 100% correct. I freely admit that many of the approaches to Corvair I use are directly patterned after things Steve did with VW’s first.  I often told Steve that, but he always shrugged it off with a bit of embarrassment. I am guessing he was most comfortable being himself, and didn’t like even the idea of being anyone else’s role model. He could like it or not, it didn’t change the fact that in this industry, he was mine.

.

Steve retired a few years ago. When he was done, he had set a record. No other alternative engine guy had continuously been in business, serving builders for longer. I kidded him saying it was about time, because no matter when he stopped, I still had to work 8 more years to match his record. Tonight is the first time I realize just how much his thoughts mattered to me, because if I am able match his record, all I really wanted was to have him there to say ” Good Job”.  The opinion of no other person in our industry would matter to me nearly as much.

.

Let me offer one more voice of thanks to the thousands of others over the years, offering my gratitude for the contribution Steve made to homebuilding, contributions that live on in the skills and understanding he gave to others, that they would be able to follow their dreams. As much as I will miss him, I remain grateful for every hour spent in his company.

.

Steve, May you have only blue skies and tailwinds.