By Lisa Turner, EAA Lifetime 509911
In the last article, we covered making reporting more straightforward and fast. If you use the online template and keep records in a simple notebook, you’ll have everything you need, when you need it. And Murphy’s Law says that if you have everything you need, you won’t need it.
This month let’s finish things up with some special topics. Over the years I’ve encountered plenty of builders with the same set of problems that don’t seem to fit into normal categories. I’ll talk about three of them.
Alterations and changes to the plans or kit. One of the first things a builder will say to me is what does he/she need to do in order to make changes or upgrades to their kit or plans. My response is to ask what the changes are. We sit down with the plans or the kit instructions and list out exactly what the builder wants. Once this is complete, we ask questions and write the answers down. Documenting the process will help the builder when he or she talks to the kit manufacturer or engineer, and will help us understand if the change is going to affect airworthiness. Questions to ask include, “Does the change affect flying qualities or structure?” and, “How will the changes affect schedule and cost?”
Some technical counselors automatically say, “Don’t even think about any changes to the project. I can’t help you on that.” My opinion is that if you say this, the builder will make changes anyway without you. It would be better to say, “Let’s talk about what you want to do. Then, rather than me telling you how to proceed, you’ll get in touch with the factory and have the discussions you need to see if the changes are feasible.” This way you stay out of the discussion, and your builder knows what resources to engage. I do discourage a TC from participating in any structural changes — let an engineer or other factory representative do that. Some changes are clearly cosmetic and these make for easy decisions, but the structural ones are serious.
Project interruptions. Rare is the builder who does not encounter some event or circumstance that upsets the schedule. Sometimes events will shut down the project, such as personal medical issues, relationship and family problems, or financial issues.
When this happens, it’s the bedrock of the dream that keeps the project going or restarts it. You should have this discussion with the builder. What could halt the project? What would they do to restart it? If they think about this ahead of time, the problems will be easier to dispatch.
Have the builder think through, and write down, the reasons for building the airplane. What scenarios could interrupt it? How will they deal with it? If one of them happens, then they have their own advice written in their build notes, with reminders of why they are building. Then the project becomes the driver, and the builder has the energy to overcome the problems. This perspective has saved many a project from abandonment.
Flight testing. This is the stage of the build that is most likely to get shortchanged. The builder is anxious to get in the air, they feel as if they have gone through their lists so many times that they know everything is fine, and they take on a Pollyanna air, as if nothing can go wrong at this point.
There are two pieces of advice you need to provide to your builder before you hand the reins off to the Flight Advisor. The first is that they need to find qualified people — from you, their TC, to A&Ps and other builders on the field — to examine the airplane. The more eyes they can get on their airplane the better.
The second piece of advice is for the builder to consider the flight testing as an entirely new phase that they should treat like they did when they started opening up the build crates. They cannot assume everything is fine just because they spent thousands of hours building. Help them engage with a Flight Advisor (if it isn’t you), and tell them to purchase the EAA Flight Test Manual. Following a specific test plan will be the very best insurance against problems and accidents.
As a Technical Counselor and/or Flight Advisor, just imagine how much safety and joy you bring to aviation. As we know well, it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do in life.