Experimenter

March 2013

Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.

Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/113663

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Multimedia Specialist Brady Lane shows Events Manager John Dorgan how to insert a cleco. Brady and Caleb Ihrig are also scratchbuilding a tube-andfabric Bearhawk. You can follow their progress here. that day's assignment, I'd have absolutely no idea what to do when an even slightly different problem came along. There are lots of "whys" in homebuilding. Why do I keep painting this stuff on the fabric? Why did I put these things together only to take them apart again? These holes are already drilled; why do I have to drill them again? I can coat fabric, assemble and disassemble parts, and drill holes whether or not I know why I'm doing it. However, when I can keep one eye on the big picture and really understand what I'm doing and why, then my work is of much higher quality and I enjoy it that much more. In effect, it's the difference between using a tool and being one. Remind Me About Resources I recently took Jim and Dondi Miller's excellent SportAir Workshop on fabric covering. Two things that really struck me about the class were Jim's encyclopedic knowledge of aircraft types and his frequent reminders to use him as a resource after the class. He had some bit of very specific advice for everyone in the room, rattling off things like "Oh, you're building a Tubman 601? Okay, when you're covering the turtle deck, call me because there's a little flange between the 16th and 17th longeron that makes kind of a 'w' shape; and I've got a neat trick I can talk you through…" In this case, Jim is just offering customer support, impressive as it is, but the message is simple: Photography by Jason Toney You're not alone! When I was attending this workshop, there was a small fear nagging at the back of my mind: How much of this was I going to remember when the time came that I needed it? That's when a promise like Jim's becomes invaluable. That simple suggestion to give him a call erased that fear fully and completely. Not necessarily because of the specific offer to help, though that's valuable on its own, but because it was a reminder that help is available, period. Whether that help comes from a vendor or a friend or a (temporary) stranger at your local EAA chapter, it's out there. As an EAA member, you also have technical counselors at your service, volunteer experts who will visit your project, answer questions, and offer advice and encouragement. And this being the 21st century, there are all kinds of resources available online, from archived EAA publications to Hints for Homebuilders videos, not to mention the active discussion boards at EAA Forums. So, if you want someone like me to learn how to build an airplane, just start simple, explain the context, and make sure he knows that help is always available. Show me those three things, and I can do the rest. Hal Bryan is EAA's social media manager and a first-time airplane builder. EAA Experimenter 49

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