By Michael “Z” Zyskowski, EAA 669825
This piece originally ran in the October 2024 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
When the August issue of EAA Sport Aviation landed on my desk in 2001, the conundrum for what aircraft I was going to build and fly instantly evaporated. As Van’s matured from prototype to production kits for the new RV-7, I researched what kind of tools and space I would need to get started and, after selling my half-share in a C-172, put my money down for a tail kit. I heard over and over again how important it was to minimize any friction between you and the airplane — and decided that if I was going to build an airplane, I should be able to build a garage. So the first thing I did was design and construct my “airplane factory” as a two-car garage addition to my house. Complete with installed air lines, a professional compressor from eBay, and a 240-volt electric heater, I was ready for action when the tail kit showed up.
Or at least I thought I was.
Quickly I realized that I had no idea how to drill, debur, countersink, punch, and rivet aluminum. I went from building a horizontal tail to taking an EAA metalworking class and building a toolbox and small wing starter project from Van’s. Throughout my build process I found the EAA SportAir Workshops to be indispensable for learning metalworking, electrical, composite, and fiberglass construction techniques.
I had three rules about building the RV: 1) Don’t take out a loan, 2) Don’t work on the project when I’m not feeling well, and 3) Family always comes first. These rules were meant to keep me and my family from having any resentments about the process, so when it was finished, we had good memories and could enjoy it. I would save up over time while building one part of the kit to purchase the next one. Usually the lead times worked in my favor as I always underestimated how long it would take.
There were a few problems with my strategy. First, my family obligations with four kids took a lot of time — well worth it and nothing I would change, but finding time to work on the airplane was hard. Next, living in the Pacific Northwest there are two seasons: rainy/cold and sunny/warm. The first is long and worked in my favor, but the nine weeks of sunshine we do get is completely dedicated to being outside. Work was also all-consuming at times, with business travel and long hours routinely taking priority. Striking a balance was difficult, and what I thought would be two to three years ended up being a 16-year build process.
The thing that kept me going was the flying community and EAA. Having the good fortune to attend AirVenture on a regular basis for work, I always came back energized and motivated. When stuck on an area, I always had someone to call who would drop what they were doing to help. The immense amount of online information was incredible — there are many builders out there who have no idea how much their online builder logs helped me.
Along the way I stayed a member of EAA and connected with technical counselors to help inspect my project at major milestones. Dave Weber was immensely helpful in many regards, coming to my rescue on more than one occasion. I also enlisted the support of two flight advisors: Eileen Bjorkman and Tom Staggs. Both are incredibly experienced pilots and professional flight test engineers whose keen eyes gave me a lengthy punch list to work through for both airplane and pilot.
First engine start was both exhilarating and terrifying. I made a blunder just prior to start, overtorquing the spark plug adapter and breaking it off in the engine case. Hangar rats to the rescue! I was ready to give up and come back another day, but they rallied around me, helped me extract the broken bushing, found me a temporary spark plug, and we got the engine started on the first try.
As the light at the end of the tunnel emerged, it was clear that my 16 years without an airplane resulted in a rusty pilot. I had occasionally done a flight review and had spurts of short flying cycles, but in no way was I ready for first flight. I put a ton of time into a J-3 Cub, flew an Evektor LSA, had a few flights in a Decathlon, and visited the venerable Mike Seager for RV transition training. Ultimately, Mike agreed to come to Washington and assist me with the first flight on August 26, 2023.
I can’t say enough about the Flight Test Card program offered by EAA. I ran through the entire list, and it was critical to my success. The common sense merging with the help of EAA advocacy is super encouraging — from the SportAir Workshops to technical counselors and flight advisors, the Additional Pilot Program, and the flight test program. They made my experience both comforting and rewarding. The people who supported me are all still friends today. A short but incomplete list; thank you to all: Jim Piavis, Hal Bryan, Mike Lambert, Dave Weber, Eileen Bjorkman, Tom Staggs, Mike Seager, Dennis Jones, Phil Sahnow and, of course, my family and friends who helped along the way.