Taylorcraft Owners training class?

[astjp2]

Would any of the taylorcraft group be interested in participating in an owners maintenance class specifically on your taylorcrafts, things like rib repair / sheetmetal, plexiglass cutting and drilling, inspecting, safety wire installation, wheel bearings, bore scoping cylinders, tires and things like that.... I have a hanger in Utah that has everything we need.

I am an IA/A&P and also a substitute teacher for the Anchorage school District for the aviation maintenance program and any a&p's / IA's that want to participate would be great, I think that if we did it for cost of materials/any donations or bring your own aircraft/tools would work. It would allow people to ask questions and see how others do work. If interested, maybe we can get something together for next spring...Any ideas???(;f are appreciated. Tim

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I have one suggestion for those of us pretty far away. How about setting up a vid camera and making the sessions available on tape or DVD? It doesn't need to be "professional film making", we want the technical "real world info"!
I would sure like to buy a set.
Hank

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I too would love to see a DVD done. Larry Lyons

[Dot_AK]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I am not an A&P, just slowly rebuilding my wings under the supervision of an IA, and I would be absolutely delighted to attend such class or watch the DVD of it. The more I know, the better for taking care of my plane and holding intelligent conversations with my A&P!

Dorothy

[VictorBravo]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

If the DVD contained the kinds of things that are T-craft specific, as well as some training a bit more advanced than just basic safety wiring and tire changing, I'd be a customer. Years ago I attended a seminar from Clyde Smith "The Cub Doctor", who made us all into reasonably educated Cub experts in 48 hours This is the sort of thing that IMHO is needed for a hands-on course or more importantly a DVD product.

If you do a DVD, it needs to have:

Basic "semi-educated owner" kinds of stuff (the safetying, pre-flight inspections, pre-buy, minor fabric repair, etc) -

PLUS stuff that is a little more advanced (how to determine if you have a bad cylinder, a cold cylinder, leaky rings, etc.) and then -

PLUS the T-craft specific stuff (change our unique bungees, inspect lower longerons for corrosion to comply with our recent AD's, things that go bad with T-crafts specifically, repairing those PITA cooling baffles, our leaky on-off fuel valves... that kind of stuff).

IMHO you have two kinds of customers:

First, the people who just want to know the basics, change their own oil, put in a new windshield, and help their IA on an annual, and

Second, the people like me who have a bit more experience and do more of their own maintenance... but are still not 50 years' experience professional airplane rebuilders.

The more T-craft specific info, the more advanced info, the more "higher education", then the more a DVD would be worth to me personally.

BTW, for anyone who actually is a world class old master restorer/maintainer/repairer of VARIOUS old airplanes, Cubs, Champs, Ercoupes, etc. etc. there's a need for a DVD or series of DVD's to educate the masses on all the common and uncommon things that pertain to keeping these various old dogs in the air. Not only could you be (microscopically) rich and famous, but you will play a significant part in keeping these airplanes safe into the future. This would fit in REALLY well with the FAA's recent push towards "continued airworthiness" on "aging aircraft". If you do it right, the FAA will even endorse the product. There are 10 or 20 thousand potential customers for this kind of DVD, if not more. If I had the gray hair and experience with that many types of old airplanes I'd definitely do it myself. There's an opportunity knocking for someone...

And also a DVD on restoring an old airplane, complete with the insider's tips and tricks, would be another worthwhile product. If I had bought a T-craft or some other tube airplane, and I could buy a really good detailed DVD that showed me how to avoid the specific potholes and traps in restoring it, it would be worth an easy $199 to me. Mr. Baker??? Mr. Barber??? Mr. Severinghaus???

Bill

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

For goodness sake somebody get over to Mike Horowitzes' hangar with a video camera! I think he has identified just about every possible problem (and gone to the mountain top trying to find the right answer).
This is a GREAT idea and has been pretty successful in some other communities (the homebuilt Graham Lee Nieuports for one from Dick Starks and his band in Kansas City).
We need to DO this!
Hank

[mikerice]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

Buell Powell has sent me the cable splicing instructions and I am going to set them up as a text and drawings course online. I will have it finished by the end of September. I do not have a splicing tool/vise, nor have I ever done a splice myself, so a video is not going to be possible at this time.

I do have the video equipment and I know how to integrate the video in the course, so maybe some one can shoot footage and send it to me later.

Aerolearn.com is full of online aircraft maintenance training, but I have never done a type-specific course for older aircraft. I am working on a general familiarization sheetmetal course that Mike Horowit would like.

There are many other topics in http://aerolearn.com mainly for knowledge enhancement and refresher training. We also provide training for FAA Repair Stations, but their needs are different from Taylorcraft owners.

[Len Petterson]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I am doing a cylinder repair and compresion testing to determind what cylinders and why it is leaking next week
I can bring out a camera jocky to what event.(;f
Len

[mhorowit]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

For goodness sake somebody get over to Mike Horowitzes' hangar with a video camera! I think he has identified just about every possible problem (and gone to the mountain top trying to find the right answer).

Hank

Hell, do a seach on my name and you auto-build the table of contents!

[jack]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

Yes I'd definitely be into attending and buying a cd. Jack

[guns68]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I'd love to attend/copy of DVD. I'm an A&P out of Kodiak and want (need to) to learn about fabric repair/recovering

[astjp2]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

Hey did you take your A&P o&ps from Cliff in Anchorage?

[guns68]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I believe I did. He came out to Kodiak and ran a group of us coasties through. What a great experience, and a great guy!

[94973]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

I'd be interested in atteding next spring in person. I'd need the hands-on training to make it useful, I don't think a book or DVD would be that helpful.


Please keep me posted
Jack

[Steve Long]

Re: Taylorcraft Owners training class?

Great Idea! I'd be interested in attending and also buying a DVD. I live in Anchorage. Steve.