Oshkosh reminded me again just how much respect I have for people who can produce big-time award-winning aircraft. The time and dedication that it takes to walk away from the ?Big Show? with an award is tremendous, and seeing how many beautiful airplanes there are I realize that I?m just not in that league. Seeing every rivet perfectly set, every paint line perfectly drawn and a finish so smooth that it appears to have been poured into shape just knocks my socks off. This year I ran across a past Grand Champion (restoration) from a few years ago, and it looked as gorgeous as it did when I ran across it in a hangar at a fuel stop a few years ago ? and couldn?t believe the workmanship and time that went in to it.
But with all that said, I must admit that when I walk the lines, I also admire another category of aircraft. These are the ones that show the care and attention of their owners and builders, yet also show those tell-tale signs of wear. A few chips of paint missing off an oil door hinge or next to a cowl screw. Discolored exhaust stacks and a stained tailwheel spring from breather oil. A spot of touch-up paint on a leading edge from a rock, or on the interior canopy latch striker plate. I call these little things ?Signs of Use?, and I have a great admiration for what they represent ? an airplane that gets flown!
Again, I?ll emphasize my respect for the absolute award winners ? their airplanes are gorgeous. But I wonder sometimes just how often they get taken out and flown. It is as hard to maintain an airplane in perfect condition as it is to produce a perfect specimen to begin with. Few people have the time to spend keeping a machine perfect while still using it. But I like to believe that airplanes are made to be flown. Some people are builders first, and pilots second; others are pilots who built because they had to in order to get the airplane they want. I am somewhere in between, and respect each person?s position within that spectrum.
But I love the stories that an airplane has locked inside it ? stories of places it?s been, weather it has seen, adventures experienced. A pilot with an RV is a modern day cowboy, free to roam the country from coast to coast and to experience the wild freedom of the sky. It takes hours to do that, hours that take a toll on a perfect fit or finish. I take great pride in the way my airplane looks, but I have always known that it is not perfect, and that works in my favor, because I am not afraid of letting it show a few signs of wear, badges of honor. As we approach 1,000 hours of flight together, I think she still looks pretty good (and Louise will tell you that I still clean the bugs off each day?), but I am not terribly worried that I have a crack in the bottom of a wheel pant that most people can?t see, or a spot where I had to stop-drill a crack under the rudder pedals. After a thousand hours of flying, I expect some wear and tear!
So when I go to a show like Oshkosh, or an RV gathering like LOE, I look for those airplanes with stories to tell. Where have they been? How many nights have they spent on strange ramps, their owners enjoying the fruits of all those years of building? How many times have they been upside down, and how often have they shared the joy of flight with a passenger who has never before flown in such a delightful airplane? Those oil drips on the trailing edge of the cowling tell as much as a blue ribbon on the prop, or a trophy on the wing. You won?t see them listed on the EAA web site ? but you might just find a feature article in the magazine, telling of the adventures to be had when you are willing to accept a few ?signs of use??.
Paul
But with all that said, I must admit that when I walk the lines, I also admire another category of aircraft. These are the ones that show the care and attention of their owners and builders, yet also show those tell-tale signs of wear. A few chips of paint missing off an oil door hinge or next to a cowl screw. Discolored exhaust stacks and a stained tailwheel spring from breather oil. A spot of touch-up paint on a leading edge from a rock, or on the interior canopy latch striker plate. I call these little things ?Signs of Use?, and I have a great admiration for what they represent ? an airplane that gets flown!
Again, I?ll emphasize my respect for the absolute award winners ? their airplanes are gorgeous. But I wonder sometimes just how often they get taken out and flown. It is as hard to maintain an airplane in perfect condition as it is to produce a perfect specimen to begin with. Few people have the time to spend keeping a machine perfect while still using it. But I like to believe that airplanes are made to be flown. Some people are builders first, and pilots second; others are pilots who built because they had to in order to get the airplane they want. I am somewhere in between, and respect each person?s position within that spectrum.
But I love the stories that an airplane has locked inside it ? stories of places it?s been, weather it has seen, adventures experienced. A pilot with an RV is a modern day cowboy, free to roam the country from coast to coast and to experience the wild freedom of the sky. It takes hours to do that, hours that take a toll on a perfect fit or finish. I take great pride in the way my airplane looks, but I have always known that it is not perfect, and that works in my favor, because I am not afraid of letting it show a few signs of wear, badges of honor. As we approach 1,000 hours of flight together, I think she still looks pretty good (and Louise will tell you that I still clean the bugs off each day?), but I am not terribly worried that I have a crack in the bottom of a wheel pant that most people can?t see, or a spot where I had to stop-drill a crack under the rudder pedals. After a thousand hours of flying, I expect some wear and tear!
So when I go to a show like Oshkosh, or an RV gathering like LOE, I look for those airplanes with stories to tell. Where have they been? How many nights have they spent on strange ramps, their owners enjoying the fruits of all those years of building? How many times have they been upside down, and how often have they shared the joy of flight with a passenger who has never before flown in such a delightful airplane? Those oil drips on the trailing edge of the cowling tell as much as a blue ribbon on the prop, or a trophy on the wing. You won?t see them listed on the EAA web site ? but you might just find a feature article in the magazine, telling of the adventures to be had when you are willing to accept a few ?signs of use??.
Paul