EAA Tech Councilors

[whee]

I'm a new EAA member and have been thinking about having a tech councilor come over and look at my project before we start covering. I'm curious if any of you have gone through any effort in selecting a tech councilor or do you just call someone on the list. The local chapter is pretty sparse and honestly I don't think I'll join it, I know I'll be part of the problem, but there are a few local guys on the tech councilor list. I've asked around and I don't know anyone that knows much about them. I'm thinking I'll just start calling them and ask questions about their experience but I certainly don't want to frustrate a guy that is trying help others.

[jaredyates]

Some skills are going to apply to all airplanes, so there is likely value in having any TC visit. I don't think you'd be out of line at all to ask about the TC's experience. The Bearhawk has tube and fabric, aluminum, and a little composite, so you get a variety of skill sets. Tell them how it's built if they don't know already, and they should be able to tell you their comfort level.

[JimParker256]

Odds are that if you call one of them, they will know the others, and can point you towards someone who will be the right choice to help you.

On a separate note, it's "odd" to me that anyone building an Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft would NOT want to be a member of the EAA national org, and a member of the local EAA chapter. My local chapter isn't the most dynamic group of builders (the most "active" members are older, and long finished with their building projects), but they are still a wealth of information and ideas. It only costs $20 a year to be a member of our local chapter, and I figure I get at least that much benefit – usually a lot more...

[whee]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I filtered the EAA list to show only the tube/fabric TCs. I'll start ringing the list and see where it goes.

[Bdflies]

I'm quite certain that the EAA TC program is a great one. I've been a member, of the national organization, since '88. I've seen local groups of varied hues. I've mentioned it before that I'm blessed to have several great friends, imbued with skills and facilities that constitute a wealth of abilities. Put simply, there's not much we haven't done or can't do. This also means that I have a constant trickle of 'eyes' passing through my shop. When my pile of scrap aluminum got bigger than my pile of finished parts, I was 'schooled' about a few tricks. When I was unsure about a covering question, I was lead in the right direction by a friend who's covered a bunch. Yeah, I'm lucky. But it's taken 40 years of immersion in our aviation community to develop this luck.
If you're not satisfied with the TC choices, wait till it warms up a bit. Us old codgers aren't fond of ice... Then, go to a smaller airport and walk around till you find a bunch of folks around a homebuilt or an old plane. Introduce yourself and get to know them. Could be that none of them ever built anything. But, they'll know some who has built a plane. Sounds like you need to meet more folks like yourself. It's networking. There's a bunch like us, near you! It takes some time, but you'll get to know some fine folks who'll become your aviation support group. Man, I love meeting younger folks who WANT my advice!......talk about rare.....

Bill

[Helidesigner]

I agree with Bdflies. I am a TC for our Chapter. Every visit I have made has been worthwhile for both of us. Odds are you will get some good advice. Anything advice you consider suspect can be vetted here or with others in your local airport community. A simple but useful benefit is just to have someone make sure everything is secured right and there are no fasteners missing. It is way more difficult to get at stuff after covering. I was surprised at the simple things I missed before covering even though I had been looking at it for a long time. Its kind of like having some one proof read your work. I would be happy to talk over any concerns you may have.

[whee]

Call me a baby or whatever but I gave up. I made a few calls, communicated with a couple of the chapter admins and kept getting referred to people I'd have to pay. Also found out they were holding a chapter gathering the next day but none of them mentioned it. When I reached out to try to get an invitation I received no response. Not sure what the deal is but I've spent enough energy on it for now.

Old guys are my peeps, they are who I get along with and I love learning from them. Luckily I have a good network of skilled old dudes that like teaching me stuff and showing me where I screwed up.