At the end of April I was beginning to wonder just how long it was going to take to get enough work to keep the shop going. By the first week in May, the shop was booked a month in advance and I am having to consider hiring someone part time. 
So many cool things happened this month. Paul managed to solo and did a fantastic job. I took off in the Clipwing so I could experience it from the air. He is a natural- made the 1000′ turnoff every time. Very proud of you Paul!
Pablo brought the Pitts back for a new header tank and some avionics work. I felt almost like I was building it again as everything had to come out to do a neat install. It has been nice to have my old plane here but even better to have made such a good friend. Pablo is already talking about a constant speed prop in the near future- I say we just install a 540.
Craig trusted me with his super nice Clipped Wing Cub. We installed a new seat and did the annual inspection. This Cub is unique in that it has the seaplane door. I can’t think of a better view on a warm evening.
Cristy jumped in and helped get the new Clipwing T wings started. She was new to the scroll saw but once she figured out that she would have to work hard at loosing a finger she was off and running. We managed to get all the nose ribs done and we now have 4 ribs framed up. Sure is nice having good, free, beautiful help;-)
Old faithful was in need of an annual so she got some much needed lovin. I still say this is the best flying Cub I have ever been in. She is really strarting to show her age- I’m thinking some new fabric might be in order soon. I just hope that if we get to restore it we do not ruin the way it flys. It is like an old pair of boots.
Back when I graduated Avionics school I told myself I would never touch anything with a wire going to it. Funny thing is that half my shop time this month was spent installing new cool avionics. Dale has one of the nicest RV-7′s I’ve ever seen. He decided that he had just a little too much empty panel space and not enough toys. He also had a goal to have more screens than a 777. I installed a new Garmin 796 and fabricated a neat little panel mount for it. I can’t wait to fly it!
I never wish bent airplanes on anyone. I’m just glad that it happened here and that I get a chance to make it new again. We are all set to repair this Super Cub to better than new. Burlington is home to some of the best Cub pilots and mechanics in the US. We will have it flying in no time.
Back in February the Hangar 9 Taylorcraft came in from Washington State. We spent a few months working the bugs out of it and getting it rigged properly. I feel very fortunate to have been able to fly such a unique airplane. It is amazingly fast due to all the fairings Jim Moss made when he built it. I saw speeds of 140 mph at 2500 RPM. We advertised it for sale and through that process met another aviation friend and worked out a deal for an Extra 230. The Tcraft will still be here another month or so as I complete all the aerobatic flight testing and install a few goodies for the new owner Michael.
In the next few weeks we will get the new Extra 230 in, start on the Super Cub repair, annual the nicest Pacer on the planet, weld up a new clipwing Tcraft fuselage, finish the aerobatic testing of the Hangar 9 Tcraft, work on a Stinson Gullwing and who knows what else. Man this beats riding pine at the FAA! Thanks again to all my customers, friends, and most of all my family. Without you guys I’d be nothing.
