Builders:

Here are a few photos from Oshkosh this year. We have a lot more, but these will give some flavor of the event, along with comments to give some idea of what I still find interesting about Oshkosh, even after making 24 trips there.

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Above, myself, Grace and the legendary Chris Heintz, inside the “One week wonder” tent where the Zenith 750 was built in a single week. Chris is autographing a copy of his design book to Grace and myself. I consider this man on a plateau with Bernard Pietenpol and Steve Wittman.

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The norm in experimental aviation is that very talented designers start by making affordable designs for rank and file EAA members, and after they are known, they ‘progress’ to just making ultra-expensive toys for the wealthy. Rutan is an easy example, going from the Vari-Eze and Long-Eze to working with Richard Brandson on ‘affordable’ spaceflight. A “Lancer 200″, (the first Lancair), was a neat affordable plane, and a long way from a turbine IVP.  To a lesser extent, An RV-3 is not the same idea as an RV-12 nor RV-14. There are a wealth of products for the wealthy not just because you make more money selling them, but it is actually easier to design things for people with bigger budgets. The simplest product requires the cleverest designer.

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 There have been only handful of designers who have continued to meet the far tougher challenge of designing  good planes for people with a tighter budgets. As a servant of the rank and file EAA builder,  Chris Heintz has produced 14 commercially successful affordable designs in succession. He is ‘retired’ today, and makes the trip from his home in rural France to Oshkosh infrequently. He made it this year to participate in the “One week wonder” build. This was a recreation on a grand scale of Chris and a small crew building an early Zenith kit at Oshkosh in the 1970s in a single week.

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Chris is by far the most approachable of all the well known experimental designers. I have met many of them, and respect them all for different reasons. In recent years, many of these designers  wrote their memoirs. Almost all the other books were a look back at their work for people to admire. Conversely, when Chris wrote his book, it was a design textbook, because first and foremost, he is a teacher.

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Above, a Martin WRB-57D flying for NASA at Oshkosh. This is a good example of something you can only see at Oshkosh. This aircraft was the predecessor to the U-2. Want to know what really exacting engineering with slide rules was? To get performance, the wing was engineered with a 500 hr fatigue life span. It did not have one spare ounce of weight in it. There is modified B-57 on static display at Warner-Robbins AFB that claims it carried a 1,000 kg payload to 100,000′, but nothing is like seeing the plane fly in person. This particular one spent 41 years in storage at Davis-Monthan before being brought back to service. This is the record for longest storage a return to flight from the D-M bone yard.

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Above, the EAA is actually investing in homebuilding education. I had a strong attachment to the low wooden workshop buildings because I gave nearly 20 years of forums there, but these have been torn down and replaced by first class buildings on the same site. Mark Forss, who does an outstanding job of organizing all the forums at Airventure, set us up with several in the new buildings. They were well attended and lively.

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Above, Our booth was packed at peak times of the week, I am standing on the display conducting a Q&A on Corvairs for a large group of builders, Inside the tent, we have a large amount of educational information. This year, Roy brought his actual water brake dyno to display. As I said previously, most companies claim to have run their engines on a dyno, but can’t produce a single photo of the alleged test. The world of Corvair building is different: we display the dyno itself. If you look closely at the photo you can see ScoobE in the arms of 3,000cc Corvair/Kitfox builder Mike Marury. Because the dog is looking right at the camera, you can tell Grace took this photo.

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Above, Old breed EAA member Marv Hoppenworth, a class act guy who is well known among 50 year veteran EAA members. Years ago Marv designed all the pedal planes for kids seen at Oshkosh. He took his wife on their first date in an L-4. For Oshkosh this year, Marv made a special hand powered trike to get him around, He will not let advanced years keep him from getting around and staying in shape. For at moving father-son story, read the last photo down on this 11 year old link  http://www.flycorvair.com/osh2003.html ,it is about Marv and his son Jay. As much as I love planes, it is the people who love planes that make aviation captivating.

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Above, To balance all the rotten things I have said about the Internet over the years, here is something good: The couple above stopped by my booth to talk about Corvairs, but particularly mentioned things I had written here, singling out the story I wrote in June about a friend of mine who died at 23. The length of their trip is worth noting; they are from New Zealand.  I am well aware that we present a lot of things here that are beyond the scope of ‘technical Corvair details and sales’, things that don’t belong on proper business sites.  I try to keep Flycorvair.com more business like, and then have this site flexible enough to cover thoughts and ideas that compliment building and flying.  As I said before, no one is required to read it all, far less agree with it. At best, I hope it is thought provoking, and I never intend for it to be thought providing.  Not every story or perspective will appeal to everyone, and some of the most unusual stories have the smallest group to connect with, but if you are one of those people, the connection can be very strong, even if you live half way around the world in New Zealand.

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Above, the turtle deck of Ken Pavlou’s  2700 cc powered 601XL-B. Some explanation is in order: The autograph is that of Chris Heintz, who paid a personal visit to Ken’s plane; the 2014 decal is for flying into Oshkosh; Our logo is a thank you note from Ken. The Speedo bathing suit logo is part of a joke around Ken’s friends. A year ago, Ken said that if he didn’t get his plane done and fly it to Oshkosh in 2014, he was going to come to Airventure wearing only a blue speedo suit (not a pretty picture of a 260 lb Greek guy). Ken is a man of his word, and this motivated him to work like a dog the last 12 months.  Many of Ken’s friends stopped by the booth of the first day to find out if Ken made the dead line. Upon seeing his plane the most common expression was “Oh, thank God!” Having averted a visual image that would have been very difficult to later block out of the mind.

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Above, a look at Ken’s dual Dynon cockpit. Although I like simple old school panels, I will be the first to admit that this is a very nice, well executed glass cockpit. Corvairs are fully compatible with just about any type of instrumentation. If you compare the price of a top end Corvair build with an imported engine like a Rotax 912si or a UL-350, you can basically have the panel above with a very nice Corvair for the same price of the imported engine alone. That is a very, very large cost savings for anyone will to put in some effort to attain their goals in flight.

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Above, Ken with his plane.  All week, it was parked with Lynn Dingfelder’s 2700cc 601XL and Pat and Mary Hoyts 2700cc 601XL right behind our tent. It was very nice to say to any Zenith builder, “Follow me behind the tent, where I can show you a 3D, real time, interactive display representation of just the plane you are thinking of building.” Having these four on hand was a lot of fun and a very good look at the diversity of people that consider the Corvair movement as their “Home in Homebuilding.”

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Pat and Mary Hoyt’s 601XL (it has a 650 canopy) on the flight line at night. Our booth was a focal point of fun and conversation until late into the night. This was the most fun I have had at Oshkosh in many years.

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Above, Grace snapped this photo of four of the F-16’s of the Thunderbirds in action. I may have seen my lifetime quota of T-6’s in airshows, but for just about anything else flying in the show I will spend a few minutes looking up. What I like best about the Jets in afterburner: It drowns out the at yelling announcer voices.  I would much prefer to listen to any aircraft, even the supersonic prop tips on a T-6, than to listen to the shouting announcers on a PA system. For a long time, the silent aerobatic glider routine of Manfred Radius set to classical music was my favorite act, and one day I realized that a big part of the appeal was the lack of narration in voices borrowed from used car commercials.

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Above, Roys dyno in action. The day after Oshkosh we drove the 8 hours to Roy’s in Michigan to complete a break in on a 2,850cc engine.  In the photo Roy is leaning forward checking the discharge from the pump. The dark blue box is a very large squirrel cage fan used to pump cooling air (because this does not have a prop for a load.) Roy spend a lot of time and bucks to set the unit up to work with Corvair flight engines. It is very heavily instrumented and has data collection by lap top. A very useful device for fine tuning and R&D. Measurement,testing learning and teaching are core elements in the world of Corvair powered flight. It isn’t for everyone, but if you got into Experimental aviation to Learn, Build and Fly, than we have an outstanding opportunity for you. -ww.

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Builders:

Grace and I are with family today, but we will be back in the shop on the 23rd. From that point forward, we will be working in the shop every day until we depart for Corvair College #30 at the Zenith Factory in Mexico MO September 16th-18th. Sign up for #30 was open for 90 days, but is now closed. After the college we will be staying at for 2 more days for the Zenith open house before heading back to Florida. If you couldn’t make it to the college, but are thinking of heading to the open house, please attend, we will no longer be wrenching on engines but we will have a full compliment of our parts, be doing core inspections, and most of the pilots planning on flying in for the College are planning on staying through the open house. It is a good chance to meet other Corvair builders.

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If you are one of the builders who signed up for #30, we will be shortly sending a series of emails with more information. This is standard procedure for colleges. We send the bulk of the prep work info after the sign up closes because we send it as a block email to everyone and if builders have questions we cover the answers in a FAQ page for everyone to read.

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Corvair College #31 will be in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th. Be aware that the sign up is more than half full already, and November sounds like a long way off, but it isn’t. I have no definite date to close the sign up, but I would be surprised if it doesn’t fill up by the end of the Zenith Open house September 20th. Last year after CC#26, we attended the open house the next day, and there was a large number of people who heard about the College and signed up for #27 that day. If you have plans to attend Barnwell, do not get shut out, sign up today, here is the link:

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https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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Barnwell is always our year end event, it is the classiest show of the year. If you are considering bringing your spouse or family to any event, Barnwell is perhaps the best one on the calendar. We always have a very special dinner and award the Cherry Grove trophy to the aviator who has made the greatest contribution to Corvair powered flight that year. P.F. Beck and his crew make the event classy, and this year will be their 5th consecutive event at Barnwell. Don’t miss it.

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Get a look at this link: The Cherry Grove Trophy

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American Hank Wharton, legendary arms smuggler, who used the Lockheed Constellation above on repeated missions to fly food to starving Biafrans through Nigerian jet air defenses in 1968-69. A ‘Humanitarian’ with solid brass balls. There is a fair chance that a man standing in parents home in NJ today survived on food that came off this aircraft.

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I write this from my parents home in NJ. Traditionally we stop here for a few days on our way home from Oshkosh, a 1,000 mile detour we also use to make summer house calls. This year we have extended the stop to 14 days because my Father broke his leg in a fall just before Oshkosh. Grace the dog and I are now taking a turn caring for him at home, following all the other children who have been here already to relieve my brother and his wife who have done the lion’s share of the work thus far. Dad is doing much better, and Grace and I will drive back to the shop in Florida and be at work by the 23rd.

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Over the years I have shared a number of stories about my father because I am very blessed to be his son, but I has always been my hope that these stories were a catalyst for friends to consider how all of our Fathers who made us who we are. Countless builders have also shared stories of their own Fathers in letters and in person, and I have listened to them all with admiration for the love they contained.

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To assist with the care at night, the family has brought in skilled CNAs. One of them named ‘Remmy’, was very moved that in our family he could not differentiate children from spouses by watching us; everyone calls my father ‘Dad’, and my mother and father treat us all the same.  He took a moment to explain that he had emigrated to the US, but his childhood was in Africa, and he said “This kind of family, it is the strength and the riches of Nigeria.” He went on to explain that he was from the eastern half of the country which was Biafra, and he was a three year old during the war, surviving what many others did not. When a man born into war in one of the poorest countries on Earth takes a moment to remind you that the greatest poverty is not the absence of wealth, nor even of sustenance, but it is the absence of family and love, his words are worth considering at length. -ww.

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Builders,

This week marks one year since the passing of the founder of the EAA, Paul Poberezny.

I stand next to EAA and SAA founder Paul Poberezny at the 2003 SAA Fly In. Paul passed away last August 22nd at age 91. The 25 years I have spent working in the field of Experimental Aviation could not have happened without this man’s tireless efforts to promote and protect our right to build and fly planes.

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At Oshkosh this year, 1,000 guests gathered in the Eagle hangar for the Lifetime member dinner. The subject of the evening was a remembrance of the life of Paul Poberezny. There were a number of very moving tributes from people who knew him well. The common thread through all the stories was that Paul was a regular guy, He was the ‘average’ EAA member.

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The Lifetime dinner is by and large, a gathering of long time members, but mixed in are a few new arrivals. Two of these were seated at our table were new to the EAA, but had opted to contribute the large sum to become a lifetime member. One of them was a Cirrus owner the other a corporate pilot. Each of them were making their first trip to Oshkosh. I listened to them because I was interested to understand their attachment to the EAA, strong enough to motivate becoming a lifetime member.

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Both of them cited the EAA style and Oshkosh as motivators. Neither of them had any exposure to Homebuilding. Although it was the Cirrus owners first trip to Oshkosh and his membership number was literally a 1,000,000 numbers higher than mine, He didn’t hesitate to say that he was OK with some homebuilders, referring to them as “Those people”  and “People who couldn’t afford a real plane.” I bit my tongue pretty hard. The icing on the cake was Mr. Cirrus offering that the current EAA president was a lot better at speaking with “those people” than the last one (Rod Hightower).

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Being polite, I told him that I actually agreed with him, but pointed out that neither man could vaguely hold a candle to Paul Poberezny when it came to speaking to “those people, “ and they never would because, Paul was one of ‘those people’, and he was very proud of it. 

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Had Paul not founded the EAA, his adventures would have been pretty good anyway, it is our lives that changed more than his because of the existence of the EAA. Yes, there were plenty of benefits to being the founder, but if I contrast what I have done in aviation to what my options would look like without the EAA, and it is a stark difference.

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I met him only a few times, Spending only a few hours in his company. However, I felt I knew something about him  because read almost all of the things he wrote over the years. He was opinionated, and I was from a different generation, but I spent more time listening to our common values than trying to find small points that illustrated that we were born 41 years apart.

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Grace and I were present at the SAA gatherings, Paul’s core group of people who he thought were the keepers of the original spirit that founded the EAA.At one of these meetings he took to the podium after dinner and gave an hour long speech. He spoke about the changes in aviation, and how newer aviators were not the same. I easily could have found it offensive, as his remarks were sharp, and about my era, but instead, I was awakened to the fact of how rare it is to see the founder of any organization, a major member of any party, any CEO, or head of any large organization stand up in public and say anything real at all. Paul was over 80, and I figured he had earned the right to speak his mind. Some people present were taken aback, but that was just because they wanted Paul to be a squeaky clean Santa Clause character. Not me, I was thankful for the real man, warts and all, a human with opinions and passions, one of “those people.”

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Grace was invited to be the first guest speaker at the first SAA Gathering. She spoke on carb ice. I also gave a Corvair presentation. The first year, the gathering was well attended. The second year terrible wet weather poured on the Midwest, and I was hesitant to drive the 1,000 miles each way in the old truck, a few weeks before Oshkosh to speak for what was sure to be a tiny group.  I was about to pick up the phone and bow out, when I went to the mailbox and found a small hand written card from Paul that contained the masterful phrase that precluded canceling. It simply said “I told my friends you are coming.”

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Our friend Jake Jaks built a Corvair powered Jr. Ace, one of Paul’s designs. I always told Jake that when he got it done, I would have Paul greet him personally at his first fly in. This was a joke between Jake and I, it was mentioned it nearly every time we spoke. When Jake finished it and flew it to sun n fun, by chance Paul was on the grounds. He was older, had many old friends to see and things to do, but it took exactly 1/2 a sentence to explain it to Paul before he got in the golf cart, drove over and warmly greeted Jake and his son. They spent 30 minutes speaking. I stood back out of earshot, but smiles, laughs hand gestures were all there, just two regular homebuilders on a sunny morning at a fly in.

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Paul’s tribute at the lifetime dinner was filled with such stories, of the head of a 150,000 member organization stopping to speak with the rank and file in the middle of a giant convention. It is very hard to imagine any of the recent heads of the EAA doing this simply because it is textbook poor use of managerial time. That is what any CEO or manager would tell you. But Paul was not from that mindset. Homebuilders and members who saw him in his element understood that this might have been bad management but it was certainly brilliant leadership, especially in an organization driven by volunteer efforts. This is the very core of what made him the right man to found the EAA.

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There are more than 300 million Americans, but I don’t need to feel brotherly love with all of them to be a proud American. I try to think about the things we have in common, but don’t always find a lot of bonds. In an era where it is popular to judge the ‘value’ of people by the thickness of their wallet, I still believe that people are to be judged by the content of their character. If a number of people in this country don’t see it that way, it doesn’t bother me, nor diminish my pride in being an American.

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In the same way, I am proud to be in the EAA, and this doesn’t change if there are members who don’t understand the values of the EAA the way I do. That’s ok, I was fortunate enough to have known the founder, and I can say with some confidence that he was at heart, a regular member, and he valued aviators by the content of their character. My continued attachment to the EAA through all its changes is based solely on my belief that homebuilding was the very heart of everything to Paul, and it attracted the very best of people, and I a proud to consider myself, first and foremost, a homebuilder, just like Paul.

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Builders,

I am looking for a set of Volmer plans to buy. I am not going to build the plane, I just would like to study the relationship between the CG range of the wing, the location of the step on the hull and the amount of dead rise at different stations.

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There are two different sources for plans on the net, and I can’t tell which one is the real source, or if both are, or maybe neither, thus this request. If any builder out there has a set of actual plans I could buy, please drop me an e-mail at WilliamTCA@aol.com

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Claude Delebruere ‘s Corvair powered Volmer in a photo taken about 10 years ago.

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Builders,

Here is a production news update on Nosebowls, part number 4102.

Above a 2007 photo of  Lincoln Probst of Canada gives a visual representation of how it feels to complete your own ZenVair 601XL. This photo highlights our 4102 fiberglass Nosebowl, which is painted blue on Lincoln’s plane. The part of the cowl behind the Nosebowl is sheet metal. This plane is now based in Texas.

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Since we built our own 601XL in 2003, we have sold copies of our Nosebowl to builders. While it is most associated with Corvair powered Zenith aircraft, it is actually applicable to many different airframes.

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Over the years, we have had three different Composite guys make the part. The first two make only a dozen or so each, but the great majority of the production run of several hundred parts has been made between 2007 and this year by a friend of ours in Detroit. The were directly shipped from his shop to builders. In the last year, he landed a contract with Boeing and had a hard time keeping up with his existing work. After it because apparent that we were not going to get this to improve, Grace and I stopped by Michigan on our way back from Oshkosh and picked up our molds.

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I already knew where I was taking them. In Jacksonville, 30 miles from our airport is a well known production composite shop that we have worked with before. The key difference between them and our previous suppliers is they are not a small shop, they have about 12 guys working on the shop floor. They have enough production capacity that supplying our needs will not be an issue. The first week they had our molds they made six cowling sets, more than we have been able to get out of our previous supplier in 10 months. We will shortly have all the back orders on this part covered, and move to having them on the shelf in ready supply.

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Above, our Nosebowl molds and master plug on our side lawn last week. We made them more than 10 years ago, but they are in good shape. Our new shop refinished the inside of the molds and set them up for a zero porosity gel coat finish, greatly reducing the builder finish time. They can now simply be scuff sanded and painted with now filler work at all. You can read more about part number 4102 on our catalog page:  http://www.flycorvair.com/nosebowl.html

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Above is a 2007 shot of Rick Lindstrom’s 601XL, built in our Edgewater FL hangar. The Nosebowl shown here came from the same molds.

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Doug Stevenson’s CH-750 Stol in California. This is the same Nosebowl on a 750. the plane is powered by a 3,000 cc Corvair.

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Above a 2007 photo of Gordon Alexander’s Pegzair, powered by a large Corvair, also finished on our shop in Edgewater. If you look close, his plane has the same #4102 Nosebowl. Read the story at this link: 3,100cc Corvair in Pegzair

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Above, the flying 2850cc Zenith 750 built by Gary Burdett of Illinois.  It has our full complement of Zenith installation components and one of our production engines. This is a good photo of a 4102 Nosebowl on a 750. Read more at this link: Zenith 750 Flying on Corvair Power, Gary Burdett, Illinois

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The 4102 Nosebowl can be fitted to a broad array of Corvair powered planes. Above,a close-up of Jake Jaks’ Junior Ace on the flightline at Sun ‘N Fun 2009. It’s cowling is based on our Nosebowl

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Builders,

Well known Corvair/601XL builder and pilot Phil Maxson of NJ came to our place this last weekend to reconfigure his 2700c/GM 8409 crank engine to 3,000cc/Weseman Billet crank configuration. Phil has made a great number of contributions to the Corvair movement, and Grace and I were happy to provide the tools and assistance to help him reassemble the engine and test it in 1.5 days of work, and still drive. 1,000 miles home on Monday to be at work this morning. He flies out of Sky Manor airport in Western NJ, and after he reinstalls the engine and has a short test period, his next long cross country will be to fly to Corvair College #31 in Barnwell SC in November.

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Phil has been flying his plane since 2006. Since then he has flown it to numerous airshows and colleges up and down the East Coast.  He is currently working on his next aircraft, a Panther, also to be Corvair powered.

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Moving to 3,000 cc and changing the crank required a bit of advance planning to get everything to come together in one weekend. The Weseman billet crank, (#1001B), requires advance ordering, and Phil also elected to use a set of Billet Rods from the Wesemans. Phil mailed his case and heads down in advance and we machined them to accept one of our 3,000cc kits, (#3000cc). Phil did his homework with our checklist and made sure he had every nut bolt and gasket, and the assembly went smoothly.

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After we closed the Case, Dan Weseman stopped by to supervise the Gen 2 bearing installation, and Phil went the rest of the way through the assembly process himself. In his youth he wrenched on motorcycles for a living, but he has long worked in the world of corporate management. I have pointed out many times that our system is directly geared to teaching builders how to do things themselves and does not require previous experience in engine building. Phil is a good example that success is based on following our information and instructions, and not previous experience.

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Last year at Corvair College #27 in Barnwell we awarded Phil The Cherry Grove Trophy ( read: The Cherry Grove Trophy.) for his contributions to Corvair powered flight. The most outstanding of these is his creation and management of our Zenith information board, an on line discussion group where builders of the Corvair/Zenith Combination exchange detailed factual information on operation data in those airframes. To learn about our Zenvair discussion group click on this:‘Zenvair’ Information board formed and:‘Zenvair’ information board, part #2.

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Phil authored a motivational perspective for us that is well worth reading by any Corvair builder, you can find it at this link: Guest writer: Phil Maxson, flying a 3100cc Corvair in his 601XL . If you would like to see a YouTube film of Phil’s plane flying over Florida Atlantic coast, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mph4cd8R_zI . Because Phil is from West Virginia, his friends refer to the film as “the yee-haw heard around the world.” When I introduce Phil, I call him “The second best pilot from West Virginia.” (Chuck Yeager’s home state is WV) Phil is a good sport and goes along with all this with a smile.

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Phil during the first five minutes of the run, in our front yard by the side of the runway. The stand is chained down to a 700 pound concrete block cast in the ground. Look over Phil’s shoulder and you can see Dan Weseman landing the Panther on the centerline of the runway. When we started Phil’s new engine, the sky was already filled with the sound of Corvair power, as Dan was doing aerobatics overhead.

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 Phil and Grace check out the engine from all angles. It was a smooth run, and it didn’t leak a drop of oil. Pressed for time, little effort beyond a very good cleaning went into esthetics. Not the valve covers still say “100hp” instead of “120hp”. Just behind the engine is the red strobe light that I have fixed on the run stand. It eliminates fumbling with a timing light in the prop blast and allows one person to work the throttle and set the timing himself. Summer will still be here for a while in Florida, it was 90F outside. Most of the engine assembly was done in my workshop which is heated and cooled. After it was put together the engine was put on the test stand in the main hangar which is a plain metal building that is ambient temperature.
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After a first run, we brought the engine back inside for a few adjustments. Phil’s started needed a tiny ring gear clearance adjustment that took 5 minutes. The second item took about an hour. One of the primary items I want to see on a test run is the “Hot idling oil pressure.” We do not run oil coolers on test runs because I want to drive the oil temp above 260F (trust me a brand new engine is far better off being lubricated by 260F oil than 160F oil) for several reasons like cleaning out assembly lubricants and making sure that the oil is very thin and get to every spot in the engine. Oils protect metal parts simply by getting in between them and being there to allow an action akin to hydroplaning. Oil does not need to be cold nor thick to protect an engine, what is simply needs is to actually be “there”, at the potential point of contact, and it gets to these places on a new motor by being hot and thin, not cold and thick.

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After the oil and the engine are very warm, I pull the throttle back to low idle and look at the pressure. Phil’s engine had a high volume clarks pump on it since he installed his Weseman bearing at Corvair College #17.  (This predates the existence of our CNC high volume pump) Under our test, the oil pressure was down near 5 pounds. The engine will not seize like this, as an idling engine will get by on very low oil pressure, but it isn’t a condition to tolerate. What was driving this is the basic desin of the clarks pump, which has a multi piece cast housing held in alignment with hand drilled 1/16″ roll pins. This requires far more tip clearance on the gears not to jam, and when the oil is very hot and thin, it allows the pressure to drop off at idle ( it still works at cruise rpm)

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I didn’t change Phil’s oil housing to one of our #2000HV units on assembly, because I have seen some clarks pumps pass the hot idle oil test, and I didn’t want to spend Phil’s budget if it was not required. The variation in manufacturing produces the random success, whereas our one piece CNC high volume oil pumps always work because they are aligned on the extended shafts and not the roll pins.  We brought Phil’s engine back in the hangar and changed just the housing over the gears and the idler shaft. This didn’t even require pulling the engine off the run stand. We took it right back outside and ran it up again to full oil temp, and this time the hot idling oil pressure was 23 psi, a very large improvement. When the throttle was advanced even slightly, the oil pressure when right to the regulated limit pressure. This is how a high volume pump is supposed to work. If you would like to read more about the design of the part, look at this link: High Volume Oil Pump.

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Above, Phil Maxson with his Corvair powered 601 XL at Corvair College #24 in Barnwell SC. Although it was a number of years ago, I can remember the clear co0l skies and the day with builders and friends just as if it was yesterday. -ww.

 Builders:

Below is a photo of a part I have developed for Corvair flight engines. I have long thought about making this, but it took a while to come up with something which could be made affordably, which would still do the task without any possibility of reducing the reliability of the oil system. Below is the end result, and in our numbering system, it’s designation is #2010A, it is part of the Group 2000, rear oil case components.

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Above is the 2010A installed on Phil Maxson’s 3,000cc Corvair. You can read the story of building this engine at this link: Phil Maxson goes to 3,000 cc for his 601XL.

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The normal running oil pressure on a stock Corvair car is 37 psi. Anytime the engine is above 1800 rpm or so, the engine will normally run at its regulated oil pressure, set by the spring working against the small piston in the rear oil cover.

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This pressure is slightly below what I prefer for aircraft engines. I would rather see 42-48 pounds on flight engines. More is not better, it is unnecessary stress on the drive system, and no one should be using number in flight like 60 pounds at warm cruise. The typical way to get a number in the range is to change the spring. The issue is that the aftermarket springs are far too strong these days, and often make motors run at 60 psi or more.  The best solution is the adjustable pressure regulator.

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This works by having a screw thread which preloads the pressure spring. On Phil’s engine, I noted on the first run the engine was regulating the pressure at 36-38 psi. Phil said this is how it normally ran. (The high volume oil pump has no effect on the regulated oil pressure, just the pressure spring and piston do.) If I had simply put in a high pressure spring, it would have likely seen 60 psi, too much. Instead, I put in the #2010A unit with the stock spring, and ran the engine again. With the engine warmed up and running, It took less than 30 seconds to dial in 46 psi right on the money.

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The guts of the unit are very simple, but the internal measurements are not. One of the critical issue that took a bit to figure out was how to make the unit so that even if it backed off entirely, the pressure would never drop below the stock 37 psi number. The other issue is the dimension of the plunger that applies the screw pressure to the spring. It can not hang up in the bore, but neither can it get into the spring ID. I worked this out over a lot of testing on the rig seen below. I would like to gather a bit more operational data, but eventually we will release part # 2010A to builders.

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Grace out in the shop. This is or rear oil test rig, if you would like to rear a longer story about how it works, check out this link: High Volume Oil Pump.

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Builders:

We got word from one of our Canadian builders in Northern Ontario that he is unable to continue with his airplane and 3 Liter Corvair project. He is selling the engine parts below, which is a very good start on a 3,000 cc engine.  It still needs the heads done, (but cores have already been shipped to Falcon), it needs an Oil system, a starter a distributor and some small items. The total spent below is about $6,500US, the builder is looking for a quick sale at equivalent of $5,000US. I have met the man in person and can verify that all the items below are from us and the Wesemans.
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This is a good opportunity for a Canadian builder to get a strong running start, because the parts are already past the point of import tax, but the sale offer is open to any builder on either side of the border.

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The owner of the project is Trevor Leslie he can be contacted directly at his email address:

trevorleslie@hotmail.com

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“Engine has been assembled to the short block stage.

The asking price DOES NOT include rebuilding of the heads!”

• Original block which is from a 67’ (T0326RH) Machined to accept 3000CC cylinders

• Original Crank GM 8409 prepped by Dan Weseman with Gen 2 5^th bearing

• New  Federal Mogul main bearings (0.10) and connecting rod bearings (0.10)

• New OT-10 Cam with thrust washer, key and “fail-safe” cam gear.

• New Sealed Power HT-817 hydraulic lifters

• New Piston set with wrist pins, ring set and connecting rods

• Flycorvair.com  3000CC kit,  pistons cyls.  rods

• New powder coated pushrod tubes(flycorvair.com)

• Short gold hub (flycorvair.com 2501(B))

• Hybrid studs (2502)

• Safety Shaft (2503)

• Modified ring gear (2408)

• Oil Cooler Block Off kit

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Builders,

I received a quick Email from Joe Horton of PA, saying that he was back on the East Coast. This year the KR gathering was held in Chino CA instead of it’s usual central US location. Joe, who is nearing 1,000 hrs. on his 3,100cc KR-2S, decided to fly all the way out and back to see friends, demonstrate the capability of good homebuilts, and to have another good adventure. Read more about Joe and his plane at this link: KR-2S at 700 Hours – Joe Horton. The note below is from Joe:

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William- enclosed is a brief caption of my flight to Chino. The engine performed flawlessly for the entire flight, not that I didn’t worry a bit while over flying some of the wildest country that you can find. I will write up an article when I get a chance. Best

Joe Horton

“Alrighty Guys,I arrived home by air at 3 pm eastern time. A few of the statistics

are (not exact as I am just figuring them out now) About 5000 miles flown over a five

day period. 13 airports and 9 of them new to me. 36 hours in the air. longest leg about 4

hours or nearly 600 miles. About 170  gals of fuel burned. average fuel burn about 4.7

gal per hour.  average ground speed 139mph. I did not see a tail wind anywhere in all of

this flying.”

Above, Joe Horton, 3,100cc/ Weseman bearing –  KR-2S builder from PA, with Grace at Corvair College #21 . This was the 8th College that Joe had flow to. He has also flown to Sun ‘N Fun, the KR gathering and Oshkosh several times each. In 2010, we awarded him the Cherry Grove Trophy at CC#19 for his work promoting Corvair powered flight.

In the above photo stand the four pilots who have their names engraved on the Cherry Grove Trophy. Left to right are Joe Horton, 2010, Dan Weseman, 2009, P.F. Beck, 2011, and Mark Langford, 2008.

Blast from the past, Corvair College #20: Pilots of Corvair College #20, from left to right: Lynn Dingfelder, Joe Horton, Mark Langford, and Dr. Gary Ray.

Above,  Joe at CC#14. I have long listened to his counsel because he is truly a man In The Arena. His outgoing nature and his travels far and wide give him a valuable perspective on the movement. Many people new to Corvairs have the false expectation that the engine is another consumer product. Joe is living proof that you will get the most out of the Corvair movement when you regard it as an opportunity to learn, build and fly, in a movement which happens to have some very inexpensive hardware. His aviation focus on Self Reliance has a common thread that extends back through Lindbergh all the way to the Wright brothers.

Above, Joe Horton flew down to CC#16 in South Carolina. Many builders who have not yet met him in person still know something about his perspectives and values because they have read  his article in our flight operations manual.

Above, Joe’s plane at Sun n Fun 2007. He won the long distance award for Corvairs with a flight of nearly 1,000 miles in N357CJ, above. Joe’s KR is a stretched S model with the new airfoils. His 3,100cc Corvair turns a 54×60 Sensenich. This gives him a top speed of more than 170 mph.

Here’s a shot of Joe’s KR-2S at AirVenture 2007

Above  a warm but happy Joe Horton after his arrival at Sun ‘N Fun 2009 via KR/VAIR N357CJ. His KR-2S trip to Sun ‘N Fun was one leg of a 4,000 mile East Coast tour that he did in a few days of flying. He wrote a very nice summary of it upon his return home, pointing out he’d flown as high as 17,000′ on his way home to Pennsylvania. (He has O2) He noted that the plane would still climb several hundred feet per minute at that altitude and this is the definition of reserve power in a naturally aspirated airplane.

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Hats off to Joe Horton for the latest chapter in a long story of adventure.

Above, The builders who flew their Corvair powered planes to CC##30/The Zenith open House at Mexico MO; Shane and Phylis McDaniels (2,700/650B, MO), Lynn Dingfelder, (2,700/601XLB, PA), Dave Gardea (2,700/650B, IN) Ron Lendon (2,850 /601XLB, MI) and Pat and Mary Hoyt (2,700/601XLB with 650 canopy, MN). The picture above captures all 5 aircraft on the ramp in front of the Zenith Factory at The Mexico MO airport. The builders are standing between myself on one end and Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft on the other. This was one of the moments that make years of work in the hangar a very good investment.

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We have just returned from 10 days in the field at the combined events of Corvair College #30 and the Zenith open house. We will be covering these in several stories over the next week. If you have an email into us, we will be getting caught up over the next few days.

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Zenith has an outstanding photographer at these events, and you can look through more than 200 photos of the events on their webpages at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/zenithair.

There are many good photos of Lynn flying his 601XL in the STOL competition. His combined take off and landing distance was 662′ This gave him 6th place overall against a field of 701s and 750s, but it was the best showing by a 601 or a 650, and is a good example that low wing Zeniths are short field planes in their own right.

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We are rapidly approaching the deadline for Corvair College #31 in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th.

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You can find out more at this link click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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Builders,

Here is a look at many of the 10 new engines that came to life at CC#30.  This is many more than CC#26 last year, our first College at the Zenith factory. Second events always build momentum like this, as builders have time to prep, and many people coming to their second college have a very solid plan in place for round two. Our Next College #31, will be the 5th at Barnwell SC, and we expect to run as many as 25 engines there. We have already made plans to hold CC#34 at the Zenith factory in September 2015. Sounds far off, but it just 51 weeks away.

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Nothing gets engine building in high gear like having a builder fly in right in the middle of the College. Lynn Dingfelder arrives at the College, having flown in 700 miles from Pennsylvania. If a Rotax owner flies in to an event where other Rotax owners are present, you don’t see the same reaction as above, because all the people have in common is owning the same imported product. Not much of a bond. Conversely, people who build Corvairs have not just a common set of skills, they also posses a taste for self-reliance and challenge that set them in a small and different club of individuals. There is room for everyone in experimental aviation, you need only seek the right place for you. If you look at the pictures below and feel a strong urge to build your own engine, then you are probably a Corvair guy at heart, and nothing you could buy will feel as right as the moment when your own engine comes to life.

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Above I speak with Jerry Parker of TX as the 2700/Weseman bearing engine destined for his Pietenpol does a break in run on the stand.

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The Bowen brothers on the right, watch the break in run of the 3,000 cc/ Weseman bearing engine that will power their Dragonfly.

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On the right Gene Kujawa at the break in run of his 3,000 cc/ Weseman bearing engine that will power his Zenith. I am setting the timing in the photo.

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A few minutes later with Gene’s wife Janet, and Mark Petz from Falcon. Gene and Janet took a long time to get to this day, and it was a great moment. They were not in a race with anyone, and the moved at their own pace, having fun and mastering the skills they were picking up. They were no out to simply ‘get it done’ or check some box. They truly enjoyed the process. Mark offered the assistance of his shop and guidance for some of the assembly.

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Above, I am using a digital temp gun to check the exhaust stacks on Mark Chouinard’s 2,700cc/ Roy’s Garage bearing engine destined for his 85% complete Pietenpol. This engine was begun at CC#28 in TX earlier this year.

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Mark Chouinard savoring the prop blast of his handiwork. This has a lot more pride and meaning than buying an engine or doing the minimum amount to work to a flymart relic to get it going. This is a fully overhauled, zero-timed aircraft engine converted from a very well respected automobile engine. (yes, the cars leaked oil, but they did not break.) But the real product in the picture is the change in capability and perspective of the man that chooses to learn and build rather than to simply buy.

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Larry Magruder, 601XL builder from Texas, running his 2700cc /Weseman bearing engine.

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Above, Eric Muehlberg, 650 builder from Oklahoma, films his 2700 cc/ Weseman bearing engine coming to life.

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Above, a good shot of Eric Muehlberg and his engine. Each motor get a 25-30 break in run.

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Canadian Zenith 750 builder Frank Sills runs his 2,700cc /Weseman bearing engine. He began the engine at CC#27 at Barnwell last year.

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Zenith builder Dick Johnson stands beside me the moment before his 3,000 cc /Weseman bearing engine Came to life.

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Above, Zenith 750 builder Tim Gibbs with his 2,850cc / Roy bearing engine at power on the stand.

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Another photo of Dick Johnson and his 3,000cc engine.

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Would you like to see your photo here? Click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/, it is filling up fast, and the photos here all belong to builders who previously decided that this was going to be the year in which they took decisive actorn to advance their own dreams in aviation. Remember the words of Getty Lee when he pointed out that people who decide not to choose a path are still making a choice, just not a productive one.

-ww.

Builders,

Here is a look forward over the next few weeks: Right now I am in NJ, taking a watch, caring for my Father. I will be here through Oct. 3rd. Dad is doing a lot better since the summer. Thank you to all the people who sent thoughts on this. I wrote something about Dad below.

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If anyone has a pressing tech question, please send it by email, and If you can, include a phone number that I may call you on in the evening. Often the explanations are easier on the phone. I don’t have access to all records here, so don’t assume I have your number.

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We are now just 5 weeks out from Corvair College #31. I have spoken with Ken Pavlou about the date we are going to cut off the sign up and the upper limit of builders we can have. I suspect that we are going to hit the max number before the 30 day out mark. If you are planning on attending, but have not actually signed up, please do so now. Corvair College #31 will be in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th. Click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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Grace is still in Florida and is mailing out orders. Upon my return, she is taking a brief break to be with family. If you have an order in mind, Grace can likely cover this before my return.

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We have nose bowls packaged and ready to go now, on the shelf, for the first time in a year, there is no wait on an order. We are also going to do a large batch of Pietenpol,  Zenith 601/650, and 750 mounts before CC#31. If you would like to pick one up at the event and save the shipping, please let us know soon. -ww.

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Through a titanic effort of logistics, my brother and his eldest son were able to take my Mother and Father to Dad’s 65th Naval Academy Reunion in Annapolis last week. This lifted my Fathers spirits beyond measure.  For the 60th reunion of the Class of 1949 there were more than 500 of the original class of 1,200 on hand. My brother reported that there were only 46 classmates this year. The number drew to mind MacArthur’s words on ‘old soldiers.’

The Class of ’49 started at Annapolis before WWII ended.  In a significant shift, the entrance exams were opened to Enlisted men from the fleet, and 92% of the starting class were prior Enlisted men, my Father among them.  They were often older than the 1st classmen, and many of them had seen the war first hand. When an upperclassman harassed one of these men, the man simply pointed out that on D-day the upperclassman had been at the academy, while he had landed on Omaha Beach. He concluded with the somber statement: “I have killed better men than you.”

For all these decades, my Father has been very proud to stand in the ranks of such men. When JFK spoke of ” A new generation of Americans–born in this century, tempered by war” These were the kind of people he was speaking of.  Yesterday, I sat beside my father as he watched a few minutes of the evening news. I thought of how difficult it must be for men of his generation and calling, who literally offered their lives to defend western civilization from genuine evil, to see how little we have done with this gift that was bequeathed to us at a staggering cost.

As I write this, my Father sits in the next room, carefully writing a letter about a man he knew well, another ’49er. With dulled eyesight and a slightly shaky hand, Dad writes to tell the man’s eldest son of the great fortune of having known his father, a man of great courage and character. There are a few dozen letters left to eventually be written to sons, but when the duty is done and the chapter is closed, I suspect that the custom will also fade away. We will not have men quite like these again.

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By far, the greatest joy of my Father’s life has been being married to my Mother for 64 years. The above photo was taken circa 1949 at Annapolis. They met at the New Jersey Shore just after World War II. Throughout my entire adult life, whenever I encounter anyone in difficult straights or a terrible position, my first thought is always “Without the luck of being born to my parents, that could be me.” It is not possible to overstate the positive role my parents have played in any qualities of character I may have.

Builders,

 Below are several photos of Corvair College#30 at the Zenith factory. We selected them because they offer a glimpse of what makes being a Corvair builder a different path. If you have not been to a College, look at them and read the captions, and picture yourself at the same setting.

In my first 10 years in homebuilding I learned a lot and accomplished much, but always felt an ‘outsider’ to the ever more consumer/conspicuous consumption era that was covered in magazines in the 1990s. I longingly looked at 1960s Sport Aviation and felt that I had missed the boat on the golden ago of homebuilding, where creativity, camaraderie  and craftsmanship were far more important than the thickness of a man’s wallet. I had a personal ‘moment of awareness’ that I had personally participated in degrading homebuilding in 1999. If you have 15 minutes to read something revealing, read this link: 2,500 words about levels of aircraft finsh……

Slowly I came to understand several truths: Magazine content and proportional coverage have little to do with what grass roots builders are focused on; There were any other builders interested in traditional homebuilding values such as learning and craftsmanship; and there were a number of builders who wanted to be part of a group that espoused, fun, skills and positive attitudes, but found this lacking at their local EAA chapter and the fly in events they attended. All of these factors steered us toward the cure, Corvair Colleges. College are focused on engines, but they are really about people. At these events, much is learned and progress is made, but it is all done in a setting of fellowship. There isn’t just ‘one kind of person who fits in. The Colleges are for anyone drawn top the original EAA motto of “Learn, Build and fly.” Corvairs are not for everyone, but they are an excellent match for people looking for more than the minimum experience in aviation.

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Above, my favorite photo and story from #30. On the left, Allan Macklem, right, Dick Navratil. These two guys worked on Dick’s engine and had a great time together. I have known Dick for 10 years (He has built 7 or 8 Pietenpols) and just assumed that the fun they were having was because they must have known each other since high school…..It took until the end of the second day for me to learn that before the first day of the college, they had never met each other. This is the kind of friendship and fun that naturally happens when two builders have the same values in a fun productive setting. The friendship these two guys struck up makes me feel the Colleges are worth all the effort put in.

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Required Gratuitous dog photo: Grace felt Scoob E was very excited about spending his puppyhood birthday in Mexico MO. again this year. A long time ago, Grace decided that she never wanted him to get older, so he is perpetually said to be “two years old.” (Funny, but no one ever questions this.)  Someone pointed out to Grace that 2 would make him 14 in dog years, so she now decided that he will now be turning 1 month old every September. If only someone had decided that I had to be 24 years old my whole life, I’d feel better right now.

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Packed in the trailer, ready for anytime we cross paths with Pietenpol builder Kevin Purtee, is the sock monkey “Hat of Power.”  Kevin, a 25 year attack Helicopter pilot, wears it with a ‘Hello Kitty’ tee shirt to demonstrate that he is a total bad-ass no mater how he is clothed. Above, fellow Piet builder, 6’5″ Mark Chouinard donned the hat right after his engine ran to test the hat’s ‘magic.’ Although Mark is a tough guy (his Facebook page has testimonials from numerous friends about his outstanding skills with belt-fed weapons in the Army), the Hat of power didn’t have the same effect on him as it does with Kevin. Mark remained his friendly self. With Kevin, it is like meeting captain ‘Quint’ from the film Jaws.

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At Colleges, a modest fee covers all the food and drinks for the entire event. at #30, we had a excellent local family cater the event. Having everyone share meals together is a big part of getting to know fellow builders. It is also much better use of time than having every one leave for food several times a day. People who stopped by often asked “Can a new builder really assemble and run an engine in 3 days?” The answer is Yes, as long as the days are 15 hours long and the time is used wisely. Having the meals brought in is a big help with this.

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Above, Jerry Parker of Texas. Jerry has a long list of achievements in aviation that are the result of hard sustained work and enthusiasm. I largely suspect that he could buy any engine on the market for his plane. Yet Jerry chooses to work with the Corvair, because the Corvair movement best fits his own person sense of Homebuilding. This is for everyone to evaluate for themselves, but it is worth considering the very high percentage of ‘old school’ EAA builders of great experience we have working with Corvairs. These people have seen a lot of facets of aviation, but find a unique setting with Corvair building.

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Left, Mark Petinunias of Falcon cylinder head fame, (aka”Petz” because most people aren’t good with Lithuanian pronunciations) has something funny to say. He has a wicked sense of humor for a guy who grew up on a farm in rural Wisconsin.  He is an A&P who has worked his entire life in the mechanical world, but you can still see vestiges of his agrarian childhood, like his ability to compare caloric value of living things, both animal and vegetable, as if we might be plunged into a Donner Party situation at any time. He is part of a dwindling number of Americans who understand that food does not originate in supermarkets.

Standing behind me is Roy from Roy’s Garage. Both Mark and Roy were very helpful technical assistants at the college.

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Above, Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith Aircraft speaks with Mike McGowan. Sebastien stopped by several times to check in with builders. It speaks volumes about his families’ long standing commitment to all homebuilding that he goes out of his way to welcome all builders to the College at Mexico MO, not just Zenith builders. While other aircraft presidents might be talked into this, with Sebastien there was never any consideration that it would be any other way. That is a perspective which is not common enough in the commercial side of our industry.

Mike is a 1960s graduate of America’s oldest licensed aviation university, Parks. (They hold the coveted FAA air certificate #1) He has extensive knowledge of piston engine airliner operation and practical aeronautical engineering. He always as an interesting take on any aviation subject, most often formed from direct personal experience.

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. Above Dick Navratil works on his engine while conversing with ‘old school’ EAA builder and pilot Bob Heiser from Texas, who is building a Zenith 750 Cruiser. Bob and his wife Carol have had a lifetime of adventures in light planes, but they are working to add a new chapter to their story. I take it as a great compliment that our work appeals to aviators like Bob and Carol.

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Above, Pietenpol builder Edi Bickford demonstrates that just like the rest of life, in aviation women are far more likely to actually read the directions before getting started.

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Grace pointed out that she too gave thanks before every wonderful meal The Steinmans and their crew served. I pointed out that Larry is praying that his engine will fire up and run well.  It worked, evidently the divine hand favors the builder who reads directions and does good work. Larry is building a 601XL back in Texas. He showed up early for the College and was great help to Grace and I with prep work.

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Above, about 560 hp worth of Corvair engines on one table. Most other engines are only available from the importer in one configuration. There are three different displacement engine in the photo, two different 5th bearing styles, two different head configurations, Several compression ratios, One engine that came from our workshop complete, one built with assistance and another that started as a short block. It is a large number of options that allow each engine to custom match the builders needs, skills, time and budget.

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The Chow line formed 3 times a day. There is a real ‘motorhead’ quality to dining among engine assemblies. Many people wish to be perceived as knowing something about engines. Corvair college is about actually learning and knowing these things, not to impress others, but to satisfy yourself that you are the master of the power plant and not the servant of the importers service department.

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Above, Dick Johnson and Mark Petz stand beside Dick’s 3,000cc Corvair destined for his Zenith 650. Sharp eyes will note that this engine is equipped with our new #2401L ultra light weight starter, coming in 3 pounds lighter than our traditional system.

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Mary and Pat Hoyt sent in this photo of their flight to the College from Minnesota in their Zenith 601XLB. They are first class people, and very well known and admired in the Corvair world. Their plane is not cosmetically perfect, nor is Pat going to challenge Bob Hoover for greatest stick and rudder man of all time. I think the root of the Hoyt’s popularity is attributable to their very friendly nature combined with the fact that he is an outstanding role model for most Corvair Builders, very effectively demonstration how to get the most out of one’s efforts in experimental aviation. Besides this, our dog, an impeccable judge of character, loves the Hoyts.

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Above the Bowen brothers of Idaho are all smiles after the test run of their 3,000cc Corvair, destined for their Dragonfly.

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The Hoyt’s 601 on the ramp. note how many people are attracted to the plane to get a good look and ask some questions.

Pat and Mary brought the plane to Oshkosh 2013 where they met a friend of ours from our home airport in Florida, Ron Thomas. Ron is an absolute salt of the earth guy, a Cajun who has earned a life long living as a rock drummer. Ron owns an Ercoupe and is a pilot, but has limited knowledge of homebuilt designs. He was on his first trip to Oshkosh, and above all else, he came away sure that Pat and Mary were the nicest people at the show.

A year later, Ron returned to Oshkosh and on his way in, saw a film crew standing in front of a polished low wing plane with a yellow nose, which he mistook as the Hoyts 601.  Excited at the possibility of seeing them again, Ron blurted out to the film crew “Where are Pat and Mary? and “Dude, these Corvair 601’s rock!” The camera crew was annoyed with him, and they guy they were interviewing got mad and walked off. Ron came by our booth and said he didn’t want to ruffle any feathers, but didn’t see why everyone was so upset…… I walked over to look at the plane and it was a Van’s RV-12 with a Rotax….I then quietly walked Ron down to the Van’s aircraft booth and pointed to a specific guy and asked Ron if it was the angry guy. Ron said it was and asked me why I thought the guy was so crabby. I said “For starters, his name is Richard VanGrunsven, and ……”

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Above, Lynn Dingfelder’s 2700cc 601XL. It has been flying for a number of years, and it has made a number of appearances at Colleges, the Zenith open house, Sun n Fun and other airshows. It is a great feeling to bring your creation, something that few people understood far less supported through the construction, to a location where kindred spirits applaud your efforts and want top shake your hand.-ww.

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Builders,

The designers of experimental aircraft have an incredibly wide difference of opinion on the rights of builders to choose their own engine once they buy the plane. I know this personally, I have been in the alternative engine business for the last 25 years, and the designers names I use below are people I have met in person, who directly said these positions to my face.

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Moreover, I have done a lot of work over the years on advisory boards and sat through a lot of closed door meetings. I have directly heard many things that were later diluted by PR people until they were non-offensive. I have heard countless well intentioned, but under informed builders relate positions that their favorite designers supposedly held, positions which I know from personal contact, not to represent the designers actual beliefs. I have tried to correct misconceptions, but it is a usually a waste of time to try to expand the understanding of people who are absolutely sure they already know everything.

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Examples; Burt Rutan does not like builders using auto engines on his designs, and actively didn’t want anyone doing so to be able to use his name for the plane. On the other end of the spectrum, Randy Schlitter, the founder of Ran’s aircraft told me “They buy it, it belongs to them, they can put a car engine on it if they want, or make a yard decoration if they want, to argue otherwise is to be against private property.”

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Between these extremes are all many other companies. Zenith aircraft has been very successful by stating that builders have the right to use any engine they want, just strongly suggesting that the engine be in below a specified all up weight. This is a position very close to Randy Schlitter’s. Richard VanGrunsven, founder of the RV series of aircraft is much closer to Rutan’s position. He was vocally against any engine other than Lycomings. (until he designed the Roxax powered RV-12, which he is vocally against anyone using any other powerplant on.)

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VanGrunsven is the largest Lycoming dealer in the country, but I think his adamant insistence on their use is driven by an combination of his belief they are good engines and his attitude that he should be able to say how people use “his” planes, even though these people own them as their private property and are consider the plane’s manufacturer by the FAA. There are many things I admire about the man, but this kind of heavy handed control of others lives while working to be perceived as a ‘nice guy’, isn’t one of them. I actually preferred Rutan’s direct and blunt, ‘do as I say because I am smarter than you and I don’t care if you like me’ approach. I prefer unapologetic dictators over those that seek to be perceived as benevolent.

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Between these positions are many companies that like to promote the use of their “Approved” engines for the sole purpose of making money. Most people have no idea that when a builder buys a kit, and later buys a Rotax (or many other imports), the person who sold the kit makes a several thousand dollar kick-back off the engine company. Walk into many kit company’s booths at Oshkosh and tell them you are planning on using a Corvair, and the most common line is “I have met WW and he knows engines, but …(Insert: “Corvairs weigh 350 pounds, they don’t really work. they don’t use 72″ props, they..”) so just do the smart thing and get a Rotax, here I will call lockwood on your behalf”. Look at the math on this; The airframe guy invests 10 minutes having this conversation with a builder six times, one hour total, and then makes a $2,500 kick-back. Yes, they do this not out of the goodness of their hearts, it is for the 2,500 dollar per hour pay-off.  The fact that the kit buyer does not understand the system is what makes it deceitful, and he is unaware of the kit sellers motivation. This system in one of the largest single reasons why conversion engines are not more popular.

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If you have ever wondered why we have so many Corvair powered Zenith’s flying, it is not just that it is technically a very good match and that we have done our homework starting with buying a kit for ourselves and building and flying it personally, but the attitude of Zenith is a very big factor. Sebastien Heintz, president of Zenith, has always believed that the builder, as an individual and owner of the kit, has the right to select his own engine. I find it humorously ironic that a guy born in France and raised in Canada turns out to be a much stronger champion of the personal freedom individuals making an educated decision for themselves than many kit company owners who would rather make a buck off builders obediently doing as told while these men try to polish a public image of respecting the freedom and individuality of builders.

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 Above, the Engine Selection forum from the 2014 Zenith Factory Open House. From the left, the panelists represent, Rob from Rotax, Robert helms from UL power, Corvairs (myself), Pete Krotie from Jabbaru usa, Kim Winner from Continental, and Jann Eggenfelner from Viking. Sebastien Heintz is the moderator, standing by the wing.

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In keeping with the Zenith Aircraft perspective, the forum allows builders to directly ask questions to be addressed by the panelists who all represent proven power plant options on Zenith airframes. This approach speaks volumes about how the company views it’s builders; they are seen as adults, capable of making informed choices for themselves. This is very different from companies which dictate to their builders what they will do.

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Zenith is an actual dealer for many of the brands of engines that work on their aircraft. They make mounts and cowls for some of these. But this is not a consideration, the goal is to match each builder to the right engine. Each builder is provided with opportunity to get to know many engine providers and make the selection that best matches their goals, budget, time line and philosophy.

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I have heard every possible argument for the dictatorial approach, but in the end, traditional homebuilding and real flying, at their very core, are all about learning building and flying, and these are things that are best done as an alert individual, not someone blindly following orders. -ww.

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Builders:

My Father related this story yesterday:

It is the spring of 1945, and the freshmen midshipmen, Dad included, are at the Naval Academy 500 yard rifle range across the Severn river. It is the introduction to weapons for many men. The instructors are all USMC Gunnery Sergeants, veterans of savage pacific battles. Each of them has seen many men, friend and enemy alike, die of wounds inflicted by rifle bullets.

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They reiterate many times that inviolable rule #1 of firearms is to never point one at anything which is not to be destroyed. One must be absolutely conscious of the muzzle direction 100% of the time, there are no excuses, there is no talk of unloaded, or safeties, it is never done. Period.

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Within the first hour, a midshipman approaches a Sargent to ask a question, the muzzle of his M-1 carelessly pointed at the Marine’s chest. The Sargent delivers a lightning quick punch to the face, the midshipman is an unconscious pile on the ground with a very bloody nose. The Marine picks up the rifle and continues the lesson, pausing only briefly to say that he didn’t survive Guadalcanal only to killed by moron in Maryland.

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It is very harsh, but instinctively the others do not rush assist the crumpled figure. They are all starting down a path of a very dangerous career, and if today’s lesson has exposed a dangerous fool who couldn’t follow a simple instruction in a serious setting, maybe they were better off never having to later trust that man as wingman or a shipmate. They were starting a life that didn’t afford second chances nor much forgiveness, and it might cost you dearly to cling to things from less serious settings. The lesson was harsh, but it served my Father for 33 years of active duty and it is with him 69 years later.

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Here is your aviation connection: In the last 50 years, life in America has gotten very forgiving, we have had a giant national shift away from personal accountability.

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I am not just speaking about teenagers here. It is pervasive; Airbags in cars allow people to drive like idiots; lawyers show people how to win the lottery for stupid things they do; one can shoot public officials and claim to have eaten too many Twinkies; advances in medical science often allow very expensive life extensions for people who made 5 decades of poor choices; we no longer think it is abnormal that corporate CEO’s get giant bonuses after taking bailouts; celebrities can say any racist thing they like if they later go to a posh ‘rehab’ for 20 days; The government gave Wen Ho Lee $1.6 million instead of executing him as it did the Rosenburgs. The pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 were released without even being drug tested….. the list is endless.

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The general public goes along because they are afraid of the safety net not being there for them. We have been transformed to a society where everything is someone else’s fault, people forgetting that in a world where the individual is never responsible, neither can he ever make a legitimate claim of personal achievement.

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 In this setting, it is very good to understand that we still have a few places where personal responsibility reigns supreme, and building an flying planes is perhaps the single best example left. No matter what anyone tells you, Physics, Chemistry and Gravity will always remain just as unforgiving as 1945 USMC Gunnery Sergeants. People who wish to just ‘drift’ into experimental aviation may find this disturbing, but I am actually attracted to the unforgiving nature of flying; the rules are not arbitrary, they are not subject to popularity contests and they don’t change. In a world that is ever more fake, manipulated and plastic, flying remains something very real, and I like it that way.

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If you are new to flying, do not let any of this bother you. Please read this story, it may be the most influential piece of data a new guy can read this year: Concerned about your potential? . All new people should understand that first and foremost, I am an instructor, and my goal is to share what I have painstakingly learned, not just about Corvairs, but building and flying planes as well. If you are new you have plenty of time to learn this, and a Corvair College is an excellent place to start. If you attend just one, you will then have a good yardstick to measure other settings by.

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If you are new to homebuilding, I can not over emphasize the importance of investing your time with good people. You need to spend time in a setting where knowledgeable professionals are, who are in a community of builders who are focused on doing everything that has long been proven to work, where skilled people are committed to sharing this knowledge with new aviators. This goes all the way from who you speak with at your airport, what books you read, which websites you follow, and especially where you spend your money and find your training. Fools and morons tend to collect at places that tolerate stupidity. You can rest assured that I have not spent the last 25 years developing the community of Corvair builders to allow such people space in our Arena.

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The rest of society long ago set out on the fools errand to make the world a “safe” place. It starts with making things ‘Child Proof’ , then fool proof, and later it moves to treating all adults as children or fools, in a vain attempt to keep people from hurting themselves, because this can never be done, the final result is always not allowing people to engage in these activities, because they can not be made safe for fools and idiots without judgment.

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Fortunately, aviation resists this pretty well.  There will always be some jackass trying to show people how little you need to learn to go flying. That a GPS means you don’t have to know how to read a map and a Bing carb is for people who don’t want to spend a hour to learn how mixture controls work, but these are not the values nor ethics of the Corvair movement. Here we are looking for people who want to learn as much as possible, not as little as they can get by with.  If that sounds like your goals, I say “Welcome aboard.” -ww.

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Above, Dad, the Seabee base XO at Davisville RI in 1967, with a Garand. He is wearing a shooting jacket, but the uniform and the shoes suggest he came straight from the office. He held Expert ratings with both rifle and pistol. Dad has always been good at anything that required hand eye coordination.

Builders,

If you have ever thought of putting a Corvair on a Kitfox, here is a story to follow. Below are some pictures of a Corvair being sized up for a Tri-gear Kitfox model seven. We took these at Corvair College #30 two weeks ago.

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The game plan here is to make a set of installation parts for Kitfox models 5 through 7. (They are the same ahead of the firewall.) It needs a unique motor mount, it looks like it will work with our standard #3601-S intake, our #3901C stainless exhaust and we are going to base the cowling on one of our #4102 Nose Bowls.

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A Corvair builder in Texas already flew a 2,700cc Corvair on a Model 5, but it was a non-standard, hand built installation that did not have an aircraft carb. It worked, but not nearly up to the potential of the combination. I have another Texas builder, John Pitkin who is getting closer, but there are also one-off elements of his installation, and he is not in a hurry to get done. This time we have an eager builder who already has a completely standard 3,000cc Corvair done and test run at Corvair College #29. He brought the fuselage to CC#30 so I could get all the data I need to make the mount in Florida. This feels like the right plan coming together to see the plane done perhaps as soon as Oshkosh 2015.

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Now we get to the “outlaw” part of this. I have long talked to John McBean, the owner of Kitfox about doing this. Some aircraft company owners like the Monnetts have politely asked that we don’t overtly promote Corvairs on their designs, and I respect that (The have now reversed their position on this) , others Like Sebastien Heintz said “Buy a kit and have at it.” McBean has been a third path, where he has expressed a desire to make some of the parts and have say over details. I wrote about different company perspectives in this story:  Selecting an engine for your experimental aircraft , but Mcbean’s approach doesn’t sound promising to me, mostly because he has never seen a running Corvair and glossed over how unique the exhaust systems are and that they use bed mounts.

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At sun n Fun this year, we reached something of an impasse when he told me that he really wanted every Corvair installation to use one of his Lycoming cowls, a design 7″ too wide for a Corvair, simply because he wanted “his design” to have a “Certain Look.” At that point I decided that he is a good guy, but we have different views on things like who gets to choose how a plane looks (I say the builder does). The best solution is to develop the installation without any input from the Kitfox people. It is my personal belief that if a person buys a plane, it is their personal property, and they have the right to do with it what they want. Doing the firewall forward without the approval or input of the airframe kit maker is what I call an “Outlaw” installation. If you would like a look at how our nose bowls looks on different planes look at this link: Catching Up On Nosebowls ( p/n #4102 ) and at this one: STOL and utility planes for Corvair power.

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If the factory says people shouldn’t use a Corvair on a model they sell, let them make a convincing technical argument why. If it is right, builders will not use Corvairs. Simply telling people to obey works with most people, but a large chunk of traditional homebuilders only follow good reasoning, not commands. Saying “I want your plane to have a certain look” isn’t a technical argument, it is an opinion about another man’s property. Saying “I make money if you buy a Rotax 912, so it is the right engine for your plane” is not a technical argument, it is just an opinion about how you should spend the money in your bank account. It works with some people, just not many of the ones I know and spend time with. When I want Corvair builder to do things like use forged pistons, I make a technical argument why they are needed and make sense. It is a different approach that requires treating builders as intelligent adults.

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Many people are first concerned with what everyone else is doing before making a decision. They believe that finding out what most people are doing is the answer to doing it the ‘right’ way. Actually it is, if you are best described as an ‘average’ or ‘typical’ person. If there was one right way to build a plane, and it was based on what the ‘average’ person was doing, we would all be forced to read Mac McClellan’s editorials, then drive our imported mini van to the barber to get a John Edwards haircut while we read Flying magazine and the Sporties catalog. Then to the airport to use our swipe card at the chain link fence, go out to our Rotax 912 powered tri-geared plane with a glass cockpit, call ATC for permission to fly to the ‘practice area’, spend .8 hours there practicing something from a Rod Marchado video tape while never looking out the windows, Get permission to return to the airport, fly a pattern big enough for a 747-400 (because you were told to) land, put the plane away, and drive home wondering why some people talk about flying as ‘freedom’.

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Conversely, it isn’t my goal in life to be like anyone else. My goal is to follow my own path, as determined by myself, using my rational brain that I was provided with, guided by things that I care about. In 51 years on this planet, I have only been brought closer to that path by people who loved me, and a salesman telling me I have to buy a Rotax 912 is not in the group of people who love me, and for the most part, neither are the people who tell you what you have to do without offering a rational argument. They are just trying to have you obey to make something work better for them, like guy in a tower trying to have you fly a 3 mile final. Traditional homebuilding is the exercise of becoming educated so you can use your rational mind to make choices that are right for you. I am not sorry is that is inconvenient for people who would prefer is everyone was ‘average’. If you have never read it, make a point this week to drive to your local library and spend the one hour it takes to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and understand it is an allegory about how the ‘flock’ attempts to peck any individual to death for not conforming and serving the ‘average’ need, but some individuals were not born to blindly serve the flock od society. Bach wrote it 40 years ago, but it is more important today than it was then.

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Above, our mystery man builder, known by alias “318 Detroit” with his identity protected at CC#30. (Isn’t this what outlaws do?) Get a look at how much bigger the fuselage on this model 7 is in relation to the engine than in the bottom picture of a model 4 with a Corvair.

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A very interesting side angle: Before the McBeans owned kitfox, the company built a large number of model 5 kits. If anyone is looking for a very inexpensive STOL plane option, you can run an ad on Barnstormers.com saying “Looking for unfinished model 5 kit.” We have ad 3 people do this, and on average they paid $9,000 for a complete kit that originally sold for more than $22,000. Technically these are not ‘factory supported’ in the same way as people who buy kits direct from the McBean’s, but they do have excellent manuals and they is a lot of on line know how from people who built them successfully.

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The “outlaw” kit above is a second hand buy from Barnstormers. It’s original buyer bought nearly every option available, paying $30,000. He took it home but did virtually no work to it. (I have pointed out many times that our consumer culture indoctrinated people to be good at buying things, but poor at working on them.) Our mystery builder paid only $12,000, because it is a supply and demand issue, and deals like this will always be available as long as homebuilt completion rates are low. At CC#30 I sat down with Mr. “318 Detroit” and he showed me on paper that he is going to have a first class model 7, with a complete high end 3,000cc/12oHP Corvair, all of the items ahead of the firewall like the cowl and prop, and a basic instrument panel and a flight line radio for less money than the original owner paid for the kit.

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This option is not for everyone, and I know from 25 years of working with experimental builders that there are many times more people who will drive to Oshkosh in a $500,000 Prevost motorhome, buy a brand new kit from the McBean’s, order a $40,000 fuel injected Rotax 912 engine and installation kit, and have someone build them a glass cockpit. If they get it done, they will have more than $100K in the plane. Are they taking the right path? Yes, for them. For a more traditional homebuilding oriented person with different goals, like our “outlaw” builder, the option is open to have a very similar performing plane, but a very different experience in homebuilding, for roughly 30% of the cost. Each of these two paths are the right one for the respective builders, and figuring that out for yourself is what making a good personal choice in homebuilding is all about.  Before too long another builder will come along, buy a model 5 kit off barnstormers for $7,500, buy some parts from us, put together a 2,700cc / 100HP engine with a Stromberg carb and a Weseman 5th  bearing, add some steam gauges and a hand held radio and have $16,000 in the plane, and he will probably wonder why our mystery builder chose to budget so much money.

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Above, a group photo, the freshly run 3,000 cc Corvair engine destined for the “outlaw” Kitfox is on the test stand as a centerpiece. This photo is from Corvair College #29. Can you guess which one of the 31 people in the photo is our mystery builder? Let me make it a little easier; From the left, it isn’t Grace nor ScoobE, The Son and Father Jameson team have their own 2700 Pietenpol engine, Vern works on our team, Bob Lester in the brown hat has a flying 2700 Pietenpol,…..

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At left with me above is Kitfox CEO and owner John McBean. He stopped by the booth at Oshkosh 2013. He is a good guy, and I am not building an “Outlaw” installation to antagonize him, I just choose the term to differentiate the result from the possible co-operative effort we had previously spoken of. He has owned Kitfox for about 10 years, and put a lot of work into restoring the companies reputation, his family is known for very good customer service. I have done more than 50 different motor mount designs for Corvair installations, and more than a dozen very detailed firewall forward designs for Corvair powered planes. I will capitalize on this when working on the design of the model 5-7 installation this winter.

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Above, A kitfox model four in my shop getting a motor mount. The earlier owners of Kitfox made more than 1,000 model 4’s. They are smaller and lighter than a 5 through 7 models, really too light for a Corvair, but the owner of this plane is a friend who weighs about 160 pounds, so it still has a high useful load. We used a #2601R reverse Gold oil filter housing to get the engine right up to the firewall for the weight and balance to be right. the model 5 through & will have the harmonic balancer about 10″ from the firewall. The relationship between the model 4 and the 5-7 is very much like the difference between a Zenith 701 and a 750. they look alike, but the later planes are substantially bigger. This model 4 has it’s own 3,000cc Corvair, already built and run at a College. When completed, this large engine/small plane/light pilot combination will be a short field rocket. Read the whole story at this link: Kitfox Model IV with Corvair mount. -ww.

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Builders,

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Below are a few more photos from the Zenith Open house that followed Corvair College#30. Again, mostly people photos, but builders are the major part of what makes such events memorable. As you look, note that there is no ‘Corvair Type'; it is a diverse cast of characters with room for many new types. The common bond is espousing the traditional homebuilding values of Learn Build and Fly.

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Above, three of the birds that flew in on Corvair power: L-R, The Hoyt’s 2700cc 601XL-B w/650 canopy from MN.,(read more about it at this link: Patrick Hoyt, new Zenith 601XL, now flying, N-63PZ), Ron Lendon’s 2850cc 601XL-B imported from Detroit, and Lynn Dingfelder’s 2700cc 601XL-B from Corry PA. This is also a good view of how peaceful and well kept the Mexico MO airport is.

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If you are building a plane and looking forward to flying it places to enjoy it with other builders, catch this idea: Mexico MO is about 1% as stressful as flying into Oshkosh. Personally, I would look forward to flying to CC#34 and next year’s open house, but I can’t say that flying into Oshkosh is something that a personally look forward to doing. The quieter the airport, the better I like flying there.

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I keep a comprehensive introduction to the Zenith 601/650 combination at this link: Zenith 601/650 – Corvair reference page November 2013, please feel free to share it with other builders interested in the combination.

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Above, Pat and Mary Hoyt keep an eye on ScoobE. He has seen them at enough events that he can recognize them in a crowd. In the background, Corvair Zenith builder Ken Smith relaxes on the Zenith golf cart.

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A closer look at Ron Lendon’s 601. Note that his plane has a one of a kind, hand formed sheet metal nose bowl patterned after our #4102 fiberglass nose bowl. Ron is a metal smith, and wanted to give it a try. The plane is plans built, not a kit.

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Phyllis McDaniel stands beside her 650. This was the very first amateur built 650 to be registered as a flying plane with the FAA. She and her husband Shane also have a Corvair powered 601XL. You can see it with many other Corvair-Zeniths at this link: 16 Flying Corvair powered Zenith 601/ 650s

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Edi Bickford is a walking, flying breath of fresh air and a relentlessly positive person. Even at a College, in a hangar full of interesting characters, she is a stand out.

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At a big show like Oshkosh, you meet several hundred people in a day, it is just an endless stream. Many are memorable in a good way, but I would be less than truthful if I didn’t also say that there are a number of negative people that also work to make themselves memorable, just not in a good way. After 25 years of airshows, I am a little tired, not of questions, but negative people and those who want to tell you all about things they know nothing about.

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But I have a small trick that I quietly use in the presence of such people to remind me that everything considered, the good people I have met vastly outweigh the bad, and if I had chosen some other path in life, I would know a tiny fraction of the good people I have met through doing our work in the public arena. My trick is simple, when I am having to tolerate some ‘special’ person for a few minutes at an airshow, I just look over to the corner of our white display box, and there is Edi’s nametag from some long past event she attended. It has been there for a long time. It is a reminder that negative people may pass through for a minute, but good people stay around to enrich the world of Corvairs and all the good times ahead. Look at the photo and see that Edi’s current nametag is right by her old one.

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If you are reading this and have never met me in person, it may be hard for me to accurately convey what I am moved by in the human condition and the variety of experiences life offers. If I had to pick one story about humans I wrote to try to express this, it would be this one: A thought on Easter….. It isn’t a particularly about the holy day, it is a reflection on what people are thankful for in life. The builders comments at the bottom are a good indication of the quality of humans which the Corvair movement attracts.-ww.

Builders:

Here is a look at the 2015 Corvair College Schedule:

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Corvair College #32

San Marcos Texas. 27 Feb – 1 Mar, Local Hosts Shelley Tumino and Kevin Purtee. Same location as CC #28, Sign up active just after 1 Nov. 2014.

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Corvair College #33

Palatka Florida 17 -19 April, Local hosts Grace, William and ScoobE, Same location as CC#23. sign up active in January 2015.

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Corvair College #34

Mexico Missouri Mid September, the Tues.-Weds.- Thurs. before the Zenith Open House. Local Hosts Sebastien Heintz and crew at Zenith. Same location as CC#26 and #30. Sign up goes live just before Oshkosh.

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Corvair College #35

Barnwell South Carolina, 6-8 November, Local hosts ‘PF Beck and friends’. Same location as CC#19, #21, #24, #27 and #31. Sign up goes live just before Oshkosh.

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Corvair College in California 2015?

West coast builders: We are strongly considering a California College in 2015. We held CC#5 in Hanford, #11 In Cloverdale, and #13 and #18 in Livermore. For 2015, I am split between using Chino or holding another college in Cloverdale. The options look like this:

1) College in Chino,  2) College in Cloverdale, 3)One day fly-in and heavy tech seminar on Saturday at Chino, 3 ‘night school’ stops in the middle, and one day fly-in and tech seminar following Saturday at Cloverdale.

I am inclined toward #3, but I am interested in feed back on this, please use the comments section and specify which month you prefer. Before anyone votes for the end of July, let me remind them of a small gathering I am required to attend called “Oshkosh.”

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Corvair College Links:

Corvair College reference page

Corvair College History….in photos

College engine build options for closing the case

Basic Corvair College Skills, examples of learning

College Tech

Running an Engine at a College, required items. #2

Running an Engine at a College, required items. #1

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Pietenpol builder Mark Chouinard savoring the prop blast of the Corvair engine he assembled Corvair College #30. This has a lot more pride and meaning than buying an engine or doing the minimum amount to work to a flymart relic to get it going. This is a fully overhauled, zero-timed aircraft engine. But the real product in the picture is the change in capability and perspective of the man that chooses to learn and build rather than to simply buy. -ww.

Builders,

Here is one more set of pictures to cover the good time we had at the 23rd annual Zenith Factory open house. I have selected images that covered elements of what makes being a Corvair builder a different experience. Get a good look , read the captions, consider your own goals in homebuilding. If you are a traditional homebuilder, in the game to Learn, Build and fly, we have a place for you among new friends.

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Above, The five Corvair powered Zeniths that flew into the event, all parked for a photo in front of the Mexico terminal. A decade ago, in the early years of Corvair powered Zeniths, we brought our own 601XL, and Rick Lindstrom’s 601XL to many airshows. They were a good display, but they were “Ringers” planes that were built, finished and flown out of my commercial hanger. Any company with skilled people can do that, and in professional circles, it is understood that this is how you launch a new engine/airframe combination, but it isn’t my personal measure of success.

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The photo above is much more impressive to me than any group of “Ringers.” In the picture above are five real homebuilts from by the craftsmanship of regular builders. Not a single one of these planes has ever been to my airport not hangar, nor did I do any work on them. They are the pure work of homebuilders using our guidance and parts to build their own airframes…and engines.

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In the last 11 years, almost 100 Corvair powered Zeniths have flown. Only 4 of these were “Ringers” or had substantial work done in our hangar. In my book, this is the real measure of success that matters to a new builder considering what engine to utilize. The planes above show that the Corvair/Zenith combination is a fully mature and accepted engine, a proven and affordable path for rank and file homebuilders.

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Above, another look at the Zenith Engine forum. I am in the blue shirt, seated next to Pete Krotie of Jabiru, who is answering a question. Also on hand were reps from Rotax, Continental, Robert Helms from UL power and Jann Eggenfelner from Viking. The forum was Sebastien’s idea to give his builders direct access to the information to make an informed choice for themselves. If you would like to read more on this subject, click here:Selecting an engine for your experimental aircraft

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Above, Lynn Dingfelder awaits the launch signal at the Short take off competition. He has the best combination score for low wing Zeniths. This photo was taken by the Zenith staff photographer, and it gives a good look at how streamlined the 28″ wide Corvair is. Few people realize it is 3″ narrower than an O-200, 4″ narrower than a VW, and 7″ narrower than a Lycoming. This is why we make purpose built cowls and nosebowls for Corvair powered planes. This is a good illustration of why the owner of Kitfox suggesting people use his Lycoming Cowls on Corvair installations is silly, akin to putting Christina Aguilera in a dress made for Aretha Franklin because technically they are both singers, when the real point is he makes money by selling copies of Aretha’s dress and hopelessly argues all singers look good in it..

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Above, Grace stands in the Zenith hangar, long after the open hose concluded. It was a long week. We prepped for many days straight, drove 1,100 miles to Mexico, had 4 sixteen hour days of Corvair College #30, then two more days of the open house, and then packed up for a long ride home. Let me throw in that we spent the whole time camping with friends on the Airport grounds, and we drove from and to Florida straight through, 24 hours each way. Grace didn’t just put up with this, she thought it was fun. Don’t bother to write in, I already know I don’t deserve to be married to her.

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Above Dave Gardea with his very nice looking 650, now with more than 300 hours on it. For a closer look at this plane, with links to movies: Zenith 650-2700cc Dave Gardea

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Above, the builders of the five planes standing with Sebastien Heintz on the end.

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Above, a candid photo of a moment on the ramp; l-r Bob Styer, Lynn Dingfelder, and Pat Hoyt. A good moment among friends, but none of these guys knew each other outside of Corvair building. Back at home, at work, everyone probably thinks they are nuts for even flying in light planes. At their home EAA chapter, there may not be a single other person who would consider building their own engine. But at Colleges and airshows with other Corvair builders they are instantly at home with new friends, all bound together by a positive outlook and a self-reliant nature. In an EAA with an ever increasing population that just wants to buy things as consumers, we have a home for men who would rather build them.

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Above, the Zenith dinner on Friday night, always a very nice event. This year was my 7th consecutive year at the open house. We have decided to hold the September college at Zenith just before the open house every year because it is a productive and friendly setting, and it meshes perfectly with the Open House.

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The dinner this year gave me a change to say a few words about our friend, Charlie Becker, who is a director at the EAA, a man who played leading roles in both the EAA’s STOL 750 build and the One Week Wonder 750 Cruiser project. Grace and  I have known Charlie for more than decade, and I will assure anyone that a finer, more capable, more trustworthy man can not be found in experimental aviation. Charlie was personal friends with the EAA’s founder Paul Poberezney, Charlie understands Pauls’ vision and methods, and a strongly feel that tied with Charlie’s, building, flying and organizational skills, he is one of the most effective advocates and protectors of Homebuilding. Even if you have not met him, I will assure any EAA member that this man has worked tirelessly on causes that you care about strongly. For more thoughts on this get a look at: Speaking of Paul Poberezny.

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Above is a photo you will not see on another engine companies website., Here we have many people loading core engine parts in a crate, long after the show is over. These are parts from builders at CC#30 who will later assemble these into 3,000cc Corvairs at CC#31 in November.

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 Grace paused for a moment to shoot it while we were loading up on Saturday afternoon, long after the crowds were gone. Besides Lynn, Pat and Mary, the man in the yellow shirt is 600hr. Corvair/Pietenpol pilot Randy Bush, (Brenda, his better half is in red). I spend a lot of time talking about ‘the Corvair movement’ and ‘Traditional Homebuilders.’ The picture hints at this.

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If Continental or Rotax was leaving a show, no one would expect their customers to say 5 more hours and help their salesmen pack. The difference here is that our builders stay, because they have long known me as a fellow builder, and in many cases as a friend. I have made hundreds of house calls, and have never charged for a single one. They go the extra mile because I have done the same for them before. We attract different builders because we have a different philosophy in all things large and small. A builder who came to CC#30 noted that I am always the last person to sit down and eat dinner. I told him my Father taught me this, and in turn he had learned in from the USMC officers at Inchon. Leadership is understanding that the man at the front of the action is the most important person in the Arena, and in homebuilding, this man is the builder.

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After we were all packed, Grace and I kept up the tradition of taking a dozen people out to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. Many Corvair pilots, but also members of the Zenith crew, Roger and Steve and friends. It was relaxing to suddenly find ourselves with nothing to do but sit down.

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After dinner we all said goodbye in the parking lot, everyone headed to a motel, and the Zenith guys headed home, and Grace and I decided to log some miles on the path home. We fueled up and I bought a large coffee at the gas station next to Wal-Mart, just as the last light left the sky. Fall was in the night air, and I spent a few minutes speaking with two local guys who had an 8 pointer in the back of their pick-up.

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The weather was clear and we had 1,100 miles to home. Grace, who had worked very hard, was falling asleep before we got to I-70; there is no radio in the Suburban (intentionally) and no cell phone. Just a long quiet night to reflect on the week with a certain sense of accomplishment and a new collection of good memories. Sipping the coffee and rolling along at 65 to 70, I had a real feeling of have just been at the right place, at the right time, and with that past, all was now at ease. I looked at the other cars on the highway and wondered if any of them could have had a memorable week. Like us, they were all headed some where, and I spent a long time on the thought ‘This is Saturday night in America.’ -ww.

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Builders,

We are getting close to cutting off the sign up for College #31, we are just 35 days away from the opening.Corvair College #31 will be in Barnwell South Carolina, November 7th -9th. I have spoken with a number of the pilots flying in, and we will have a good cross section of flying planes, many engines going all the way from cases through running on the stand, and we will present the 2014 Cherry Grove trophy. Barnwell is run with great style and attention to detail by PF Beck and his excellent crew. The event is very spouse and family friendly, and it is the most up-scale an civilized College on the calendar. If you are considering bringing a better half to a college, make it Barnwell.  Don’t miss it.

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Click on:  https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-31-registration/

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CC#24 – Barnwell SC – 2012 -click on blue links below:

Corvair College #24, reviewed in photos, part one.

Corvair College #24, reviewed in photos, part two.

Corvair College #24, reviewed in pictures, part three.

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Above, CC #24; Irv Russell, left, gives a thumbs up after a demo flight in Phil Maxon’s 601. Irv is building a 650 but had never flown in either a 601 nor a 650. This was quickly taken care of at the college. Irv got a jump-start on building his own engine by picking up a closed case from us with a gen 2 Dan bearing already installed.

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CC#21 – Barnwell SC – 2011 – click on blue link below:

http://www.flycorvair.com/cc21.html

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In the CC#21 photo above stand the four pilots who have their names engraved on the Cherry Grove Trophy. Left to right are Joe Horton, 2010, Dan Weseman, 2009, P.F. Beck, 2011, and Mark Langford, 2008. We have since added Kevin Purtee and Shelley Tumino 2012 and Phil Maxon 2013. Come to CC#31 and find out who the 2014 recipient will be.

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CC#19 – Barnwell SC – 2010 – click on blue link below:

http://www.flycorvair.com/cc19.html

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Above, Randy Bush built the last engine to run at Corvair College #19. It lit off at 6:10 p.m. Sunday a bit after dark. Today, his Pietenpol now has more than 600 hours on it. If you want to succeeded in homebuilding, make a plan, spend your time with positive people who know what they are doing, and take action. It is that simple. Read this 2013 story: Randy Bush’s Pietenpol hits 500 hours. -ww.

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