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/418587
4 Vol.3 No.11 / November 2014 HOMEBUILDER'S CORNER Chapter Build Projects A good idea? BY CHARLIE BECKER FOR SOME TIME NOW, your EAA staff has been discussing the idea of promoting chapter build projects and teen build proj- ects. We feel that this is an area in which a program that provides a bit of structure might generate a sound payback in terms of educational opportunities, fellowship, personal accomplishment, fun, and the promotion of homebuilding and aviation. We don't have any hard data, but it seems like there is renewed interest in this group-build concept. In many ways, this is just the original idea of chapters coming full circle. Chapters started out in the early days of EAA with a much heavier focus on homebuilding. Over the years, they have evolved, just as EAA has, to offer a wider variety of activities, such as Young Eagles rallies and pancake breakfasts. For- tunately, homebuilding has stayed at the forefront of most EAA members' interests. I believe the success of group-build projects like the One Week Wonder at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 and EAA Chapter 640's completion of Paul's Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace replica has caused many EAA members to reconsider the idea for their chapter. Nothing like watching an aircraft be built in a week to inspire you! By way of background, chapters are allowed to build aircraft. However, a chapter is not allowed to operate an aircraft. So once a project is complete, the aircraft needs to be sold. It is unfortunate that EAA has this rule, but it is one of necessity. We just recently re-examined this rule and confirmed that the extra insurance cost to allow a chapter to operate an aircraft, while protecting the assets of EAA, would be more than $8,000 per aircraft per year. This is a staggering amount of money, but it reflects the reality of the legal liability system here in the United States. The insurers know that any aircraft operated with EAA's good name on it, even if it is by a chapter, will result in EAA being named in the lawsuit if anything goes wrong. It doesn't matter if EAA headquarters had nothing to do with the project, there would still be the need to defend EAA and get released from the lawsuit. It doesn't take too many hours of legal time to burn up $8,000. I for one only want EAA involved in areas that can make aviation easier and more affordable, not more expensive and costly. So we have to recognize that chapters owning and operating aircraft is off the table. The good news is that the aircraft could be owned, either from the start or later, by a group of local EAA members. Wouldn't it be satisfying to know that the aircraft your chap- ter built gave birth to a flying club made up of EAA mem- bers in your local area? This is exactly how Chapter 1279 at French Valley Airport, California, handled its Pietenpol build. Steve Williamson, the chapter president, and a few other members funded the project and owned the aircraft, yet every Saturday was an open building session for anyone in the chapter who was interested in learning to build. In fact, Steve even cataloged the build in a book, Starting With Nothing: The Building of Pietenpol Air Camper NX1279Z . The aircraft project generated a lot of activity for the chapter and now is its mascot. If you would like to start doing some planning around how you might form a flying club, I recommend you down- load EAA's flying club guide here . If your chapter has firsthand experience or has a proj- ect under construction, I'd like to hear from you. Or if you simply have an opinion as to whether this is a good path for EAA to pursue, please drop me a line at cbecker@eaa.org or call 920-426-6850. I will keep everyone updated on this as things progress.