What did you do to your bird today?

Two different unrelated guys, right?

Once he pays and takes delivery I wouldn't let him near your shop - unless he had a medical excuse and apologizes. Where was he for 2 1/2 years?
 
We've been in constant contact 1 to 2 times weekly, so comms weren't the issue. It took another airplane for parts to get it all back together. It all stems from the 2.5 years it took to put it all back together. I’ve talked to some friends and they all tell me thats not an unreasonable amount of time for a one man operation. I even suggested it be test flown prior to pickup, he was insistant on test flying it himself.
Airplanes seldom come out of resto's without a list of issues to dial in, its a given for anyone who knows. I was honestly surprised this wasn't the case. I haven't been beaten like a rented mule since the 80's.... and that was dad.
 
I had one boss decades ago.... We rebuilt a customers cub, among 4 or 5 others..... We did them all in phases, all the wings, then fuselages, then engines...... Anyhow, it took all winter to build them up. They all came out by late spring.
Normally, we would fly the first 3-5 flights, hour each, before handing planes over to owners to finish the break-ins. (Side note, great way to get paid to fly as a low time private pilot! And they say you can't get paid to fly as a PP)

This one a-hole customer didn't want us to fly his plane(we were fully insured, btw) he wanted to do it himself. So of course, he would come back with squawks, all the normal minor stuff that we would adjust/fix during our first few flights. He bitched right in the bosses face. Then refused to pay. Said the plane is his and he's taking it elsewhere..... Boss calmly walked outside, pulled his knife out, and started cutting all the fabric off the plane.... When the guy started freaking out, boss turned and said "the plane might be yours, but the fabric is mine until it's paid for"....

In case you are wondering, plane went elsewhere. And a lien was placed on it for the airframe repairs and engine overhaul, not the fabric job.
 
I was going to mention, you may want to put a mechanics lien on the plane for a little protection. This guy’s antics smell of trying to get out without paying or demanding a substantial discount.

LOVE the story about cutting the fabric off. Only seems fair.

I’ve always said, Life would be great, without people.
 
I'm at peace with it now, I shared the story with a couple friends yesterday and you guys... its crazy but it actually helps. I have a plan moving forward. A good friend is a legitimate test pilot for Utah state, and does occasional work for nasa. Im turning the project over to him to punch the squawks, it'll be good to place some distance between me and the issue. Ive already built a beautiful aircraft for this guy as a hobby, as according to my math (without the final 12k payment) it works out to 24k/year for the 2.5 year build, So .... I got an education, once again, that i paid for.
The biggest thing ive learned is to never do a resto again for anyone but me, as my detail level work drives me too far into unpaid hours. I suppose if a guy came to me and said "I want an award winner and you have a 300k budget "...... maybe, but I'd need to ponder and meditate over it for at least a week.
From previous life experience and friends, I've learned that this behavior is a negotiation tactic... often used by a portion of the better healed among us.
I always taught my children people are more important than things, most never learned that lesson, all three of my sons are eagle scouts, they and my 2 daughters were brought up to live by the principals of the scout oath and law... Now in a world in which the BSA cant operate within its own original framework, im pleased to observe my children do.
Like i mentioned my worst day this month is nothing compared to Johnathans.
Tamara and Zadok will be dearly missed, unfortunately Johnathan is left here critically injured and with no potential for an income. I'll be forking what little I get on the next couple of jobs, hopefully it'll help, even if only to buy groceries.

Screenshot_20260513_200443_Facebook.webp
 
Last edited:
Tape'd (?) and grommited a wing today with pf and shot a couple parts .... pretty boring day. Although i do enjoy taping and lacing, it gives me time to listen to books. Im thinking ill start the red rising series again next week.
 
Last edited:
Apostrophes are over-used, if that is the question.
Getting ready to rib stitch a Stearman wing. Probably start around Wednesday. I will supervise . . .IMG_1731.webp
 
This particular wing was covered and abandoned. The fabric only overlapped about 2.5". Personally I prefer the blanket method and typically overlap the whole d-tube, anyway I ended up wrapping the le with another piece... glued it solid with polytak on the perimeter, shrunk it and then penetrated the fabric with thinned polytak..... it ain't going anywhere! Spraying pb today.

what's with the security clearance level pw crap?
 
Last edited:
That's what I do - blanket, then full D-section wrap after all tapes are on. From memory, 2" laps on leading edges are legal for Poly Fiber. I got used to 4" from the Ceconite days.
 
rsrguy3 said:
what's with the security clearance level pw crap?
Click to expand...

did you just start using the internet? there were times when I had to delete 20 or 30 spammers a day trying to get through to the site. I'd prefer we not have accounts being compromised by hacked passwords because if the site becomes too much to manage due to that, it's lights out.

there were 130 people whose passwords were flagged for whatever reason, I don't know what your passwords are so I don't know the specifics. They were reset and here we are.
 
Looks really good from here. I just finished rib stitching a Stearman wing with flat cord, using the Poly Fiber inside knot technique. Really satisfying - it would be neat to have a bump free Decathlon wing.

Your paint interfaces look great! Better than I can do. I have to use pinked masking tape to make a repair look like it belongs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top