Hello VAF! I started and run TiWings (pronounced “tie-wings,” or however else you like), and you may have seen me around recently. I’m the titanium bolt guy, and I suppose this is my formal grand opening. At the moment I advertise only here and nowhere else, and I started this thread to explain why and to introduce the business.
TiWings is brand new. It hasn’t even made a sale yet! But that’s okay, because every business starts with a hypothesis. Mine was that the builders and pilots of the good ship VAF (to borrow a phrase from Mike) might be interested in some strong, light titanium bolts, because everyone wants a strong and light airplane and titanium bolts do a great job keeping race cars that way. So I went out and grabbed some.
This hypothesis, about these products, it may or may not be true. Either way, I never wanted to be all about just one product anyway. What I love about homebuilders is that they have the freedom to experiment and innovate, and boy do you put it to good use. In the month I’ve been working on TiWings I’ve read great threads from brilliant RV builders who have found some cool new technology – LiFePO4 batteries and super-bright LEDs- and not only installed them, but tested them out as well, for all to see! That’s pretty incredible.
So I went ahead and added the Shorai LFX-18 battery and Baja Designs Squadron lights to the store as well – even though my margins on these are razor thin (the light I’m selling at cost, honestly), meeting the dynamic needs of a creative, savvy community is pretty fun. Plus, VAF is the golden goose of good ideas– I know you guys are going to find the next cool thing in aviation, and when that happens, you can trust me to hustle to get it to you.
It’s not about the money – it’s because I love flying. I do this on the side because my day job, the USAF, won’t let me fly a jet (colorblind) and (responsibly) don’t pay me enough to buy my own. So I struck out to earn enough to buy an RV-4, learn all I could about them on the way, and keep flying for myself.
So please, head on over to
www.TiWings.com. This post was kicked off by the completion of the site’s latest overhaul, adding a filter menu to help you find the bolt or nut size you need really quickly. It’s still rough in places - it has broken links and some pages have weird little markings on them - but like your paintless and pantless RV on her first flight, she’ll get there. I'm making her a little better each day. Help me become your one-stop-shop for cool RV innovations, making your plane the coolest thing in the sky. Because it is! Because as a wise old fighter jock once told me, “a pilot that doesn’t love whatever airframe he flies is not a real pilot.”
What'd I love to do is package deals and kits that genuinely help builders. We don't want titanium everywhere in RVs... that'd be expensive, overkill, and in some areas, less than ideal.
So I'd like to pose a question: what are the bolt sizes and types you want offered in a package deal? Where do they go on your plane? And how many are needed in the set? I'm open to all ideas, and I look forward to your feedback and to being a valuable member of this awesome online community.
Thanks!
T. Root, TiWings
Introducing a new VAF Advertiser - And A Quick Question
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