excerpts and photos by Mark Zimmermann 

5 Sept

“N917EN is soon to be in the paint shop. Thanks to all of you, under the leadership of Kevin Ross who graciously gave his all to see this project completed, within the year by your assistance. This is an amazing feat of persistence in which credit goes to all of you for seeing it through.

Secondly, we have wing and tail kits that have been uncrated and inventoried. Parts are on the shelves awaiting assembly…”

13 Sept

“This week began the Class of 2018 Eagle’s Nest Project.

Monday lab brought in tool identification and operation day with an overview to fasteners. Stress was placed upon following plan steps and working together.
Students were prepared for the individual projects by studying their plans and step sequencing on the practice kits which began Tuesday. We all know how time gets away when we are having fun and getting into the project at hand but the period ends much too quickly. That said, many unfinished projects found a group of willing mentors and enthusiastic students with an extra lab class today (Wednesday). Many individual projects came to completion with a few yet left with minimal work to finish. Projects will find completion early Monday.

Monday we will introduce plans to build the Antiservo Tabs and Flaperons. Students will have read through section 5 of the introduction titled General Information…”

17 Sept

“Tomorrow marks the day we start building the Class of 2018’s RV-12…

[we’ll need to] divide the class up into three groups. Group one will work the two antiservo tabs for the stabilator on a single table. Groups two and three will work on double tables building the left an right flaperons.

We will need plan sheet copies for each group as a working sheet. As the steps are completed the students will initial and verify with their mentors that they have inspected and completed the step(s). The mentor working that particular table will also initial off each step. As each sheet is completed please present the signed off sheet to me for review. I will transfer the initials from our working copies to the original plan sheets to become part of the aircraft permanent records. I feel this step is crucial as we will be sharing projects between two classes. At the beginning of each day we must brief the students as to where the preceding class left off. This should flow easily when we initial each completed step.

As always, I’m open to any of your suggestions.”