EAA Sport Aviation - November 2011

book, magazine, or website could. It let us take the tools—in this case a household iron, ruler, and pencil—into our own hands and cover a real airplane elevator under the guidance of an instructor. We left the workshop with more than knowledge. We left with confidence.

It was magical to watch that loose bedsheet take form into a real airplane part, and since Katherine and Angie did practically all of it, their faces beamed with accomplishment and excitement. For the first time, our wives tasted the joy of homebuilding.

Caleb and I high-fived and knew they were hooked.

Since the workshop, Katherine and I have sat on the couch deburring nose ribs together while watching TV, and Caleb’s wife has flanged nearly all the flap nose ribs.

In case you’re concerned our guy time has been infringed, trust me, our airplane factory, Caleb’s basement, is still very

I wanted a meaningful project, like an airplane, that we could work on together as a family.

much a man cave. Katherine and Angie are not down there as much as we are, and we don’t expect them to be. That said, it’s nice to see their newfound interest and ownership in the project. This is starting to become “our” plane.

SHARING THE JOY

Walking away from that workshop at AirVenture felt very similar to climbing out of a plane after a Young Eagles flight. I was energized and excited in a uniquely euphoric way.

As any Young Eagles pilot can tell you,
this satisfaction does not come from the
flight itself, nor was my excitement after the
workshop because of the new skills we had
just learned. The joy went deeper.

Brady Lane, EAA 808095, is a multimedia journalist
for EAA and a sport pilot. Visit www.SportAviation.org
for a link to Brady’s blog where you can watch live video every
Tuesday night.

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