Unfinished youtube builds?

[TJ_Slice]

As I do more research, one of the things that concerns me a bit is the amount of builders who have posted videos on youtube, and then just stopped or haven't posted anything in the last year or two.

There are the exceptions, but compared to, for example the Rans S-21, there seem to be a lot more unfinished builds.

Is this a case of youtube burnout, or are their builds just sitting unfinished? Does it speak to the relative difficulty of building a bearhawk up to this point?

I know Virgil is actively working on making the kits more builder friendly.

[jaredyates]

It is an interesting data point and I wonder how correlated the channels are to reality. You might reach out to the specific builders and ask. Personally I have found that my motivation for content creation has been very low lately. There is so much out there, some of it great and much of it bad. I don't know why I have been feeling this way and it is something I've been thinking about. But I say that to say that building planes, flying planes, and making content are all separate pursuits with separate motivations and demands. I suspect the correlation is low and that the projects are ahead of the videos.

[Utah-Jay]

I work on my plane every single day I am home (as in not on a work trip) and I just don’t post daily updates the way I did the first two years. I am too focused on crossing the finish line. My days are longer, my time more precious when I get home.

I do know (as in correspond) some of the BH builders that are no longer posting YT videos, sometimes life gets in the way.

Based on what I have heard, Virgil is making building a BH a lot easier in the future. Have no fear.

When I bought my kit back in 2021 I knew what I was getting into, any new builders will have it a lot easier.

There is NO OTHER backcountry plane that has the flight envelope of a BH! The juice IS worth the squeeze!

Dive in and enjoy

[Bcone1381]

Gumption: Positive Psychotic energy.

Monitor it
Preserve it
Know what feed it
Know what drains it.

I have that on my white board in my shop. It is the wisest saying I've got.

A view point....it takes energy to build an airplane. Physical energy, time energy, financial energy and psychotic energy. This energy can increase. Webster's defines Gumption as spirited initiative. Many builders who attend Oshkosh next week will experience increased gumption. Being around success breeds hope and gumption. Some things suck gumption out of my spirit.

I'm a slow builder. I'm not talented and I do not like design. I know all about spirited initiative....having it and missing it. Building parts feeds gumption. When I go in the shop my goal is build one part and do it well, and keep at it until it meets my standard. Then I feel gumption build.

Problems and Issues can suck gumption from me. Example: I recently had some repairs done to a part. I looked at that part for five years and did not like it. I had my local fabricator fix it because the repair was beyond my ability. Problems can suck gumption out of me. But taking it to the fabricator I built gumption rather than seeing it as a gumption sucking item my "Issues List" with no way to fix it.

My "issues List" is an effort born from that saying. "I don't like issues building up. It sucks energy out of my build". Before Issue got avoided. Then issues built up. Then I walk into the shop and all I saw is unresolved issues. Then I dont want to build.

Now when an issue arises during a build, I keep building, confess it, and add the issue to a list. Then when I walk in the door for the next build session go to that list first to remove all issues ASAP. Sometimes I wait for parts....right now I bet I have 8 issues that have to wait for something, but I am avoiding no issues. It a positive to have answers for all unresolved issues and see hope that all issues will be checked off and satisfied.

Gumption...They lost gumption. They did not monitor, feed, or preserve it. They did not know.

[geraldmorrissey]

My experience with homebuilts is scratch building biplanes. Never thought I'd build a monoplane. But I can say that the BH line of aircraft are no more difficult to scratch build then any other tube/rag monoplane and easier to build then a Starduster or a Skybolt. This hobby is not for everyone. To push a Bearhawk over the finish line, QB or scratch build, requires persistence many builders simply cannot muster.
Gerry
Patrol #30

[gregc]

First, as Brooks notes, persistence and motivation are far more significant in terms of finishing than anything else.

With respect to difficulty, beyond the broadest distinction that scratch building is hard and kit building is (comparatively) easy, I don’t think the idea of “easier” is that helpful. Ideally you select an aircraft based on your mission requirements. Relative building difficulty/cost is closely related to the design, size and complexity of the aircraft necessary to meet your needs. I think the key questions are more like “Does a Bearhawk best meet my needs/wants?” and then “Which model is the closest fit?

A kit manufacturer really doesn’t have that many levers to turn in terms of making the process easier. They can work within the 51% requirement, define a ‘standard’ build or typical ways to do things, provide more or less documentation, and improve the organization/delivery of parts but that’s about it.

None of that reduces the need to learn new things and master new skills. If you like doing that and can figure out a way to keep your personal level of ‘gumption’ up, you will finish it. My whiteboard reminds me that, “If it was easy, everyone would do it! “

[SpruceForest]

Videos are pretty much a time suck unless that’s something you enjoy doing as much as building. Think I did one vid on flow-forming wing ribs - pretty much because I had an ask about it. Beyond that, I might do something on the leading edge bender Carlo welded up based on the factory tool, but will likely do the drawings first.

I do appreciate those that have put together videos that have been at times useful to me, but putting together written material with photos is probably a little more up my alley due to the day job.

[TimTall]

I did a couple videos then stopped. I didn’t want to waste valuable building time editing videos. Filming is easy. Making a good video that adds value is hard. I don’t like editing it turns out.

The other issue I had was I didn’t feel like I knew enough. I was learning the entire way through the build. I didn’t feel comfortable talking about what I was doing because I wasn’t sure it was right. Turns out it was for the most part but I didn’t feel right about spreading my possible wrong info.

[Nev]

Creating content and keeping the flow going is difficult, particularly when there are so many incredible channels out there. When I built my BH I knew I suffered from a short attention span, and had to keep the project moving ahead. If I stopped for too long I knew I would lose momentum. It's just how my brain works. I've also had some long breaks from posting on YT. Creating content is a whole 'nother process, and a very steep learning curve. There's hours and hours that go into editing, and when I look back on early efforts it's demoralizing. The poor lighting, low sound quality, repetition.......the list goes on. I look at others channels with admiration, because I know how much work went into each episode. It would be no surprise if some simply stopped posting during their builds.

[TJ_Slice]

Thanks, makes sense. If it were a case of abandoned builds, I'm sure there would be a lot more partially built kits for sale.

[Boycie]

Your efforts are well appreciated Nev! Very informative and enjoyable videos to inspire us all.

[Nev]

Thanks - appreciated !

[AKKen07]

For me - I stopped posting videos because better videos were being made and I wanted the time to focus on building vs editing videos. Plane has been flying for a year and a half!

[Battson]

+1
I used to try and make content, and 20 years ago it wasn't half bad. These days it's all so professional, I struggle to find the time to create a reasonable standard of content.

[Battson]

As I do more research, one of the things that concerns me a bit is the amount of builders who have posted videos on youtube, and then just stopped or haven't posted anything in the last year or two.

There are the exceptions, but compared to, for example the Rans S-21, there seem to be a lot more unfinished builds.

Is this a case of youtube burnout, or are their builds just sitting unfinished? Does it speak to the relative difficulty of building a bearhawk up to this point?

I know Virgil is actively working on making the kits more builder friendly.

With greatest respect to all builders and the work they put in, there is an important distinction.

Anecdotally, the majority of people who buy a kit will finish and fly. I am not saying 90% of people who buy kits will finish, but it's certainly well above half.

Lots of people start a scratch-build project (this isn't Bearhawk specific either), however the stats are much less reassuring there. But the stats don't tell the full story!

I have several friends who like scratch building for the love of the build. They have a desire to fly, but the build / the journey is their ultimate destination. By that measure, an "unfinished" build shouldn't be viewed with any negative connotations, but rather as an opportunity for continued enjoyment.

I can't say how many scratch builds finish, but it's less than kits - possibly for this reason. I also think scratch building has a low barrier to entry, you only need a few hundred dollars for plans and materials if you have the workshop and tools - so it's easy to give it a go and make a few wing rips, maybe throw a video on YouTube. Maybe that explains some of it?

[geraldmorrissey]

I think a lot of people just age out. Many start at retirement age and after a while the road just looks too long. Lou Stoulp of Starduster fame use to say that 1% of plans holders would finish and fly. I'll bet that still holds. Plus the cost to build is going thru the roof. Priced a hanger lately? My first scratch build with 2 other guys was a Starduster II. Cost to build was $6,000. Just about broke all of us. No radios, lights, gyros, intercom, fancy paint or insurance, just basic electrical. Didn't even have a spinner or wheel pants. Didn't need any of that stuff. Kept it outside, gas was cheap. Taught all my friends to fly it. Plus it was a girl magnet. Flew the hell out of it, what a plane. Sold it for $8,000, thought we made a killing. Adjusted for inflation you could probably buy that plane today for the same price, except no engine or prop.

[geraldmorrissey]

I'm on the left. Glad I live through those days but I would give it all up to be 20 again.

[geraldmorrissey]

[Nev]

Very cool. What a great experience !