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/307497
4 Vol.3 No.5 / May 2014 NO ONE IS BORN knowing how to build an aircraft. You have to start your learning somewhere. One of the best places to start is our annual EAA convention—EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Each day, hands-on workshops are held to show how to work with wood, composites, sheet metal, and how to do gas and TIG welding and fabric covering. These workshops are open to anyone wanting to learn, and they are free to anyone on the grounds. Workshops have been a part of EAA's annual conven- tion since its early days. Some of the first structures built in the convention's move from Rockford to Oshkosh were the workshop buildings. Unfortunately, things wear out, and that is the case for our workshop buildings. If buildings have an expiration date, we are about 10 years past it. The good news is your organization is making a major financial commitment to upgrade the workshop buildings at AirVenture Oshkosh. We are going to remove the old, worn-out workshop buildings and replace them with new buildings similar in design to our existing forums buildings. This changeover will provide us with one additional venue in which to teach people how to use their hands and mind to build aircraft. We are going to dedicate that building to providing "live" Hints for Homebuilders , patterned after our successful video series. If you want to meet some of the "stars" of our video series, come on by and attend one of the live sessions. The new buildings will be an impressive sight and will make the workshop area look great. But at the end of the day, they are just buildings. It is the volunteers who breathe life into the workshop area and create the real value for those wanting to build an aircraft. It is the volunteers who show up early to cut material, set up workbenches, and organize the tools. It is the volunteers who dedicate their time at Oshkosh to teach the classes on composites, wood, sheet metal, fabric covering, gas and TIG welding, and more. It is the volunteers who assist the students as they drive their first rivet, run their first weld bead, or glue their first fabric seam. And it is the volunteers who clean up when it is done. We have more than 100 volunteers that devote more than 3,500 hours to make the workshops at Oshkosh a destination for thousands of people each year. Many of those people who attend the workshops go home inspired and confident that they can build an aircraft. And that is exactly why the volun- teers do it! Building Upgrades + Volunteers = Great workshops at Oshkosh 2014 BY CHARLIE BECKER HOMEBUILDER'S CORNER Volunteer Jim Martin (blue vest) helps members practice covering techniques. Photography by Melody Wollangk E A A E X P _ M a y 1 4 . i n d d 4 EAAEXP_May14.indd 4 5 / 5 / 1 4 3 : 1 1 P M 5/5/14 3:11 PM