4. 33”
EAA staffer Mark Forss, EAA 255102, explains the basic use of
Clecos at the beginning of the Sheet Metal Basics workshop. Each
class begins with some lecture and basic instruction, then moves
into a hands-on project where skills, tips, and techniques are
taught as participants work and develop questions. “I enjoy
watching the light bulb go off in their eyes, when they look at
what they’ve created and realize they can do this,” Mark said.
“People have bursts of inspiration when they take the tools in
their own hands and do these projects. The fog is lifted, and the
room is full of aha moments.”
3. 27”
“Now’s the time to make mistakes,” Mark
Forss tells his sheet metal students.
“Learn from them, before it’s on your
plane. A mistake here while you’re
learning doesn’t cost you a penny.”
4.03”
“The student to teacher ratio is perfect,” Forrest Ferdon, EAA 450865, said after watching instructor Joe Maj demonstrate a butt weld to a huddle of workshop participants. Forrest is currently a missionary in Ukraine and attended a SportAir Workshop while home on furlough. He is building parts for his Wittman Buttercup while overseas, then plans to ship them to the States for assembly when he’s done. “These courses are all hands-on, which is exactly the way homebuilders learn,” Forrest said. “You get introduced to new equipment then have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with it all. You can’t beat it.”
2. 70”
42 Sport Aviation May 2012
