Adjustments

Hello all,

As you might imagine my time is in short supply. I am committed to this build both in terms of the airplane and our skills at building the project.  In order to reduce wasted time, I have learned not to engage in heavy amounts of preplanning. I have found it to be much more effective to start a project and make adjustments to tailor the process rather than being locked into a plan. Since beginning, I have been thinking of the biggest challenge facing us- Effective Scheduling. I certainly don't want to waste anyone else' time, so I want to be sure that the time any team member spends is productive.

Secondly, there are actually two projects here. One is the airplane build. The other is the team build. Actually, we are using the airplane to build a team. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we work together to create a skill set. This project is foremost a learning experience. I would like everyone to crystalize that thought in your mind. We are here to learn how to build an airplane. So with that in mind, the following is the approach I want to use.

We need to study and practice each phase of the build before joining parts on the actual airplane. We will have morning and evening sessions centered around each phase probably on the order of three days a week. The first phase will be the rudder. According to the kit manufacturer, if you can build the rudder... you can build the rest of the plane too. Once we are confident that we can successfully complete the phase we will get together on a 'build day' to work on the actual aircraft. Build day will be subject to everyones availability as I will try to accommodate as many team members as possible.

As of right now, we are in the throes of setting up shop. I am shooting for next week (first full week of August) to have the shop completed to the point that we can comfortably work. We will commence the Rudder Phase as soon as practical.  It is very important to get the set up right so that we don't commit 'unforced errors'. We want to have all of the right equipment and hardware on hand.

Lastly, we want to continuously improve the 'Hangar' at Weber High.When we are at the Hangar we want to always be doing something to make it better.  More on this later.

Have a good night.

Dave Satterfield
Project Manager, Eindecker