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Teamwork in action...

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How many does it take to rivet the bottom skins on an RV-12 wing?

At Eagle's Nest (EN-3 Clear Springs HS) it takes a "team"!

And they may have set a new time record ... 55 minutes start to finish to lay the skins, final drill the tie-down hole, dimple two locations, and fully rivet the skins!

It was poetry in motion...

_DSC7472x.jpg
 
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Very cool!

Nice to see young people being educated.

The young man with the drill needs remedial lessons though. ;)
 
Nice!!!!!

What a pleasant surprise!!!! Whoever organized this deserves some gratitude. It seems these days with all the security measures up, the airport kid is almost extinct. Too cool!!!
 
That is so cool!

Probably not since the 100,000 planes of WWII have we seen an army of ordinary people building airplanes - shoulder to shoulder,
 
humptybump said:
That is so cool!

Probably not since the 100,000 planes of WWII have we seen an army of ordinary people building airplanes - shoulder to shoulder,
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Wow, Glen, that brought a big smile! I study WWII all the time and hadn't made that connection, but you are right. This team is going to overtake EN-2 soon at this rate (1/3 into the fuselage with wings in the paint shop.) The wings build so quickly, and the satisfaction level is so high with the kids at this point. Just keep in mind that the there is more being built here than just an airplane. Perhaps my favorite motto at Eagle's Nest (we have a couple of 'em) is, "Mentors build the student, students build the airplane." You are seeing a lot of building being done right there in one picture. Congratulations, Ernie.

Bob
 
Wow

Hey Bob, do you think you could get them to build my RV-8 too? We have been slowly working on it since 1996! I bet you don't have much of a problem getting help in the build with all the peer interaction and social media available today. Looks good. Which one will be the first to fly it next week!!! Just kidding. Keep up the good work as these kids will talk about and remember this for the rest of their lives. Then they will tell others that will do something in aviation and using geometric progression, the education growth will expand geometrically, keeping aviation alive for all!!!!

A very positive thumbs up for your leadership!! Well done!!!

Lt. Col. Doug Robison, USAF Ret./Capt. UAL Ret.

ATP/CFI/CFII/AGI
RV12 Owner/N68DM/Builder
RV 8/working on wings/ tail done
J3 Owner/N27913
Flew C 141/C 5 in USAF
Flew B 727/737/757/767 for United Airlines
Commander of AFROTC at Univ. Of Minnesota/Duluth, some of my Cadets now outrank me but that's OK, that's what its all about. BTW, John Klatt on the airshow circuit for the Air Guard, if you have seen him perform, was one of my former students and Cadets.
 
Way to go Ernie!!!! You are a great human and contributor to general and experimental aviation. You should get in more of the photos, because I know you're just off the screen in so many.

I can still remember that day some 3-4(?) years ago when you told me about finding the RV-1 nearby, and all the thoughts about bringing it back for us all to enjoy. And the rest is history. You've done, and continue to do, so much for the community! Thanks!
 
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Captain Cowboy said:
Hey Bob, do you think you could get them to build my RV-8 too?
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Doug,

I sorta doubt we will jump on an RV-8! Not just yet, anyway. It is hard enough to keep ahead of one model with the number of projects that are starting, or about to start. BUT... you might look at finding a couple interested kids to help out! Maybe a Saturday afternoon build with one or two helping out could speed the project along. Ask around. I would bet there are some interested candidates (where have I heard that word lately?) out there.

Thanks for the kind words, BTW. Since this is a labor of love, there isn't much labor too it. Guys like Ernie make the pressure all the more bearable. We have progressed from being a team, to family.

Bob
 
More info

This may be covered elsewhere, but...

How are you funding these Nagle's Nest projects? Do you have a benefactor, or are they self funding?
 
...tune up those resume's......

...and any one of these kids could probably get a job building the RV-12's on a production line! ( as long as you could have earphones plugged into an iPod, right! :)
after a year of that, on to Boeing ....or Scaled Composites,...or .....?
 
Great effort by all involved, and thanks to Vans for supporting it. Reminds me of the paraphrased title of one of Van's EAA presentations: "The RV-12 - a plane for all reasons".
 
JDRhodes said:
This may be covered elsewhere, but...

How are you funding these Nagle's Nest projects? Do you have a benefactor, or are they self funding?
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I heard Ernie was the sponsor (financial backer), but I've not asked him directly.
 
To answer a couple questions, there are five projects building or already built, and at least three others close to starting. We are talking to others, also. There have been a couple of sources of revenue, including one large donation. We are selling EN-2 at the half-way point which will free up funds for another project, and things like the donated Navion don't hurt, either. It is for sale. We were given a check today by the Aviation Association of Indiana which will be used for flight training for the six students now beginning that phase of the program. I am amazed at how well this is being accepted (and supported) by the aviation community.

Bob
 
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