BlackRV7
Well Known Member
Pat Patterson, my DAR, stopped by yesterday............early I might
add, and walked into a bee hive of activity at the hangar. Al Grajek,
NORDO, Kevin (an RV 7 builder from LEX), Jason Rowe (RV 7 builder from
just up the road), James Street (good friend of mine) and myself were
frantically, ok maybe it was just me that was frantic, finishing up a
boat load/plane load of small details. Pat apparently made the
comment that it seemed he just might have to stop by later to inspect
"this airplane". I did not hear that comment, so I continued to work
until the scheduled inspection time, no worse for wear. Pat sat in a
chair in front of th engine compartment and made several
recommendations about where to secure wires, make standoffs, proper
use of RTV
, which Al and Kevin appropriately addressed accordingly.
Pat did have some very valuable input, as a result of his experience,
of which was greatly appreciated by me. About this time, James put
the nut on the item he as working on and I turned to Pat and said,
"It's done". He had already made a walk around a little earlier and I
had seen him look at the elevator, trim tab and such. On his final
walk around, he did point out a couple items..............of which Al
(who I was ready to shoot at this time gladly ran......yes
ran....to the back of the hangar to get the requisite plans page to
point out the item!!!!!!!! Al, if I would have had a
gun................. Raised and re-extended the flaps, listened,
and noted a couple speed ideas from Pat. I told Al those would not
work on his 8 so don't even try them, looked inside at the panel,
labels and such. More talk, more looking. Well, at a point a little
later, as we were all standing around the emp on the pilot side, Pat
ask where the data plate was located. At that point he pulled his
camera out and said, "I need a couple pictures for the paperwork"..me
be thinkin "I just got my airworthiness". Jason had to leave just
prior to the airframe walk around. Al chimes in now that he and Kevin
need to be hitting the road. At this point I'm thinking, now the crowd
is gone, the %$%^ hits the fan. Nope. Pat, myself and James pull up a
seat in front of Black Magic, Pat in the chair, me sitting on the
pilot side tire, James standing and just shoot the breeze talking
about even more small details about firewall forward issues, in
general. Great guy. Well, Pat says "let's go into the FBO where it's
warm and we have a table for the paperwork". As Pat goes out the
door, James says he now needs to hit the road.....me be thinkin
again...just Pat and I along with a plane load of paperwork.........no
airworthiness. I go the FBO room, with the CONFERENCE table, and
spread out my volumes of documents, hoping it tips the scale with the
required weight, truly does it weight 18 lbs..........oh, no I need
more paper!!!!!! Pat walks in with a plastic file organizer and pulls
out his file on me. Me sees pink paper in thare!!!!! I pull out logs
and such as he requests, which I might add was painless. Somewhere
in the process Pat tells me to get my ink pen and he pulls out my copy
(I soon learn) of the Special Airworthiness Certificate, 8130-6,
Experimental Operating Limitations, Weight and Balance, Phase 1 flight
ops area map and three view drawings, Special Airworthiness
Certificate...oh, did I already say that, my bad. We go through the
Ops Limitations and flight area. Pat then has me starting signing
things!!!!!!!!!! My eyes continually go back to the little pink card,
IM JUST SAYIN Out comes my requested Aircraft Log book where
several entries are made, signatures applied, invoice presented, check
written, WOO HOO's said under my breath, talk of log homes (Pat lives
in a log home also, however his in on an airpark!!!), invitations to
fly in after I get my 40 hrs flown off, and other enjoyable small
talk. Pat leaves out with his wife, I walk back to the conference
table, make a couple phone calls to some very special people, stack up
all my paperwork, breath deeply, and of course put the paper clipped
FAA documents ON TOP of the stack with the PINK card on the very top
and back out the hangar I go.
It's about 4PM now and the airport is abandoned. It's in the 30's,
winds howling out of the west, I am truly the only person at the
airport. The area around Black Magic is littered with tools, cut wire
tie ends, you name it. I cleaned up around her, made a couple more
phone calls, swept up, cleaned up some more then walked out to the
car.........it's beer:30!! I retrieved a nice cold Leinenhugel's
Sunset Wheat and walked back to the hangar, popped the cap, toasted
the bottle up against the prop, engine and forward deck. Folks, I
don't know the feeling of flying her yet but at this point I pulled up
a chair and just looked, it was nice. How appropriate, as I sat there
just looking and thinking, I got a phone call from a voice mail I had
left earlier, and was able to share all the feelings I was having,
thinking back to when I started this project 4 years and 11 months
ago. Black Magic has taken on a new life as an airplane. I know, I
know, all you are thinking "just wait until you fly it" but for now
this feeling is just fine!! Thanks to all who have helped, listened,
put up with, overlooked my airplane ramblings to help me get to this
point. Words cannot express my appreciation and thanks.
Time to head out to the airport today to clean up my mess, reorganize
my tools, same with my hardware bins, bring home tools I need again
around here....and start buttoning her up. Since she's an
airplane, let's make her act like one!!!
And yes, I am looking at my pink Special Airworthiness Certificate
RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!
add, and walked into a bee hive of activity at the hangar. Al Grajek,
NORDO, Kevin (an RV 7 builder from LEX), Jason Rowe (RV 7 builder from
just up the road), James Street (good friend of mine) and myself were
frantically, ok maybe it was just me that was frantic, finishing up a
boat load/plane load of small details. Pat apparently made the
comment that it seemed he just might have to stop by later to inspect
"this airplane". I did not hear that comment, so I continued to work
until the scheduled inspection time, no worse for wear. Pat sat in a
chair in front of th engine compartment and made several
recommendations about where to secure wires, make standoffs, proper
use of RTV
, which Al and Kevin appropriately addressed accordingly.Pat did have some very valuable input, as a result of his experience,
of which was greatly appreciated by me. About this time, James put
the nut on the item he as working on and I turned to Pat and said,
"It's done". He had already made a walk around a little earlier and I
had seen him look at the elevator, trim tab and such. On his final
walk around, he did point out a couple items..............of which Al
(who I was ready to shoot at this time
gladly ran......yesran....to the back of the hangar to get the requisite plans page to
point out the item!!!!!!!! Al, if I would have had a
gun................
. Raised and re-extended the flaps, listened,and noted a couple speed ideas from Pat. I told Al those would not
work on his 8 so don't even try them, looked inside at the panel,
labels and such. More talk, more looking. Well, at a point a little
later, as we were all standing around the emp on the pilot side, Pat
ask where the data plate was located. At that point he pulled his
camera out and said, "I need a couple pictures for the paperwork"..me
be thinkin "I just got my airworthiness". Jason had to leave just
prior to the airframe walk around. Al chimes in now that he and Kevin
need to be hitting the road. At this point I'm thinking, now the crowd
is gone, the %$%^ hits the fan. Nope. Pat, myself and James pull up a
seat in front of Black Magic, Pat in the chair, me sitting on the
pilot side tire, James standing and just shoot the breeze talking
about even more small details about firewall forward issues, in
general. Great guy. Well, Pat says "let's go into the FBO where it's
warm and we have a table for the paperwork". As Pat goes out the
door, James says he now needs to hit the road.....me be thinkin
again...just Pat and I along with a plane load of paperwork.........no
airworthiness. I go the FBO room, with the CONFERENCE table, and
spread out my volumes of documents, hoping it tips the scale with the
required weight, truly does it weight 18 lbs..........oh, no I need
more paper!!!!!! Pat walks in with a plastic file organizer and pulls
out his file on me. Me sees pink paper in thare!!!!! I pull out logs
and such as he requests, which I might add was painless. Somewhere
in the process Pat tells me to get my ink pen and he pulls out my copy
(I soon learn) of the Special Airworthiness Certificate, 8130-6,
Experimental Operating Limitations, Weight and Balance, Phase 1 flight
ops area map and three view drawings, Special Airworthiness
Certificate...oh, did I already say that, my bad. We go through the
Ops Limitations and flight area. Pat then has me starting signing
things!!!!!!!!!! My eyes continually go back to the little pink card,
IM JUST SAYIN
Out comes my requested Aircraft Log book whereseveral entries are made, signatures applied, invoice presented, check
written, WOO HOO's said under my breath, talk of log homes (Pat lives
in a log home also, however his in on an airpark!!!), invitations to
fly in after I get my 40 hrs flown off, and other enjoyable small
talk. Pat leaves out with his wife, I walk back to the conference
table, make a couple phone calls to some very special people, stack up
all my paperwork, breath deeply, and of course put the paper clipped
FAA documents ON TOP of the stack with the PINK card on the very top
and back out the hangar I go.
It's about 4PM now and the airport is abandoned. It's in the 30's,
winds howling out of the west, I am truly the only person at the
airport. The area around Black Magic is littered with tools, cut wire
tie ends, you name it. I cleaned up around her, made a couple more
phone calls, swept up, cleaned up some more then walked out to the
car.........it's beer:30!! I retrieved a nice cold Leinenhugel's
Sunset Wheat and walked back to the hangar, popped the cap, toasted
the bottle up against the prop, engine and forward deck. Folks, I
don't know the feeling of flying her yet but at this point I pulled up
a chair and just looked, it was nice. How appropriate, as I sat there
just looking and thinking, I got a phone call from a voice mail I had
left earlier, and was able to share all the feelings I was having,
thinking back to when I started this project 4 years and 11 months
ago. Black Magic has taken on a new life as an airplane. I know, I
know, all you are thinking "just wait until you fly it" but for now
this feeling is just fine!! Thanks to all who have helped, listened,
put up with, overlooked my airplane ramblings to help me get to this
point. Words cannot express my appreciation and thanks.
Time to head out to the airport today to clean up my mess, reorganize
my tools, same with my hardware bins, bring home tools I need again
around here
....and start buttoning her up. Since she's anairplane, let's make her act like one!!!
And yes, I am looking at my pink Special Airworthiness Certificate
RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!
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