Another New Guy & Synergy Air

[grjtucson]

Hi all,

Been dreaming of building for years, finally committed to an RV-7 after first flight with Gus at LOE last month. I bought a tail-kit that night from a classified here on the Forums; it was in Phoenix and I'm in Tucson so I've jumped in face first

I'm signed up for the Corona SportAir workshop December 3-4. I'm also contemplating building my empennage at Synergy in Oregon in January.

I'd really like to learn as much as possible before tooling up and hitting the other kits hard. I've met a few local builders who have been great, and will no doubt begin to bug them mercilessly, but initially I'd like some "formal" instruction as well as a jump-start.

So, any thoughts or feedback on Synergy? I'm pretty sure they do a number of things differently than SportAir, so am I going to end up confused or conflicted, or better off with different perspectives and techniques?

Thanks,

George Jenson
Tucson RV-7 Empennage (in boxes)

[alpinelakespilot2000]

I did Synergy's class last winter. Wally Anderson is a class act. It was supposed to be a three person class. When the other two cancelled out, Wally still had me come down by myself. I spent a long day with him and left completely comfortable with starting my empennage. I highly recommend Synergy. I'll probably do their fiberglass class next fall as well.

Also, if you take a class with Synergy, Van's gives you a $50 credit toward your kit purchase. Add to that all of the money Wally saved me in tools I didn't need to buy, and it was probably the best bang for the buck in building classes.

Good luck.

[bsacks05]

Another option for learning about metal crafting and airplane stuff is to look at your local technical school to see if they offer courses in aircraft structural or airframe and powerplant. Our AST program in Georgia (tuition free for residents) covers layout, riveting, sealants, blueprints and composites. Of course it is more of a time commitment than a workshop, but may be worth it to you.

What I learned in A&P school has helped tremendously with my -9 project.

Bruce
N659DB

[osxuser]

Originally Posted by bsacks05

Another option for learning about metal crafting and airplane stuff is to look at your local technical school to see if they offer courses in aircraft structural or airframe and powerplant. Our AST program in Georgia (tuition free for residents) covers layout, riveting, sealants, blueprints and composites. Of course it is more of a time commitment than a workshop, but may be worth it to you.

What I learned in A&P school has helped tremendously with my -9 project.

Bruce
N659DB

I agree, but I think that systems is what hangs up most homebuilders. The first few rivets might be a problem, but after that the next thing that snags some people is fuel/electrical systems. Read up on how certified aircraft do them and why. I still suggest that everyone that builds an homebuilt pick up jeppesens Airframe, powerplant and general textbooks. They're pretty good.

[ge9a]

I attended Wally's Fundamentals of Building class a couple of years ago, and just attended his fiberglass class about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Both are well worth the time and money.

Greg

[grjtucson]

All,

Thanks for the responses and the advice. I just signed up for the January Empennage class with Wally at Synergy and will be driving my tailkit to Oregon to build. After that I'll drive north to do a couple of wreck dives off Vancouver Island.

January in Tucson is just too warm

George
Tucson RV-7 Empennage in Box

[weriderv8a]

I did the Senergy empennage class in October and found it more usefull than I thought it would be.Not only was it completed in a week but Wally helped me choose what to and not to buy to complet my kit. I am about half way through the wings and far above what I would have done trying to figure it out on my own.