EAA Sport Aviation

folks watching our next Tuesday night live
stream. Most of them were watching the week
before when we made the mistake.

RHENEY TO THE RESCUE

To our delight, the group didn’t beat us up for our
mistake. Some disagreed with our decision to
move forward with a slightly shorter spar, which I
understood since I was initially also in that camp.

But then the community did what they do best: They began tossing out other ideas—great ideas we hadn’t thought of. One person suggested we simply make the fiberglass wingtips 1/2 inch longer. Caleb and I looked to each other with eyebrows raised.

Then John Rheney, EAA 811253, offered the best idea of all. He suggested we simply make the fitting that attaches to the end of the spar 1/2 inch longer. It’s made out of the same material as the spar, and this way we wouldn’t have to cut all the other spars and ailerons shorter. Our wings could still be the proper length.

Genius! Such a simple, obvious idea that none
of us had thought of.

LESSONS LEARNED

Mistakes while building are as inevitable as
crosswinds while landing. Are they challenging?
You bet. But learning how to handle them is part
of being an aviator.
Some situations require a go-around, a start-
over—but not all of them. Being a good aviator is
knowing how to discern the difference.

I don’t want to be a pilot who always has to land directly into the wind; I’d rather have the skills needed to handle a crosswind. I also don’t want to be a builder who has to start over at every mistake; I’d rather have the skills needed to improvise and repair.

Thanks to Tim, Chad, and John, I’ve once again seen how the EAA community is by your side not only when you hit a home run, but also when you strike out. And that spirit is exactly why I know our plane will one day fly, with or without clipped wings.

Brady Lane, EAA 808095, a multimedia journalist for EAA

and a private pilot, is plans-building a Bearhawk with his friend Caleb Ihrig. Visit www.SportAviation.org for a link to his blog, where you can watch live video every Tuesday evening from the shop. Contact Brady at blane@eaa.org.