About The Project:

The airplane is a home-built, scratch-built Zenith CH 750 STOL. Building from plans/blueprints is a challenging way to build an airplane, since most of the parts you use to build it are not prefabricated. I chose the Zenith CH 750 STOL for its rugged design, its STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) characteristics and its aluminum construction. Zenith Aircraft Company has designed this airplane so that it can be built from scratch or from a kit by the average person. They provide excellent technical support for both kit and scratch builders. In addition, I'll be installing a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair 164 cid horizontally opposed, air cooled, 6-cylinder engine, with special conversion parts to make it suitable for airplane duty. This is what the airplane will look like when I'm done, although I'll have a different paint scheme:

Follow my progress below!

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Training & Flying

Friends,

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the reasons I bought the Cessna was so that I could get back in the air while I build the Zenith. I had not been at the controls of an airplane in 5 years prior to buying the Cessna, and had logged very few hours in the previous 5. Most airplane builders usually have something to fly while they're building. After all, most builders are pilots and flying is largely the goal.

I got about 5 hours of dual instruction with a great instructor, and that included my Biennial Flight Review. I was amazed at how much I'd lost in skill in the last 10 years. I had to learn how to land a plane almost all over again! But, since getting my wings back, I've managed to fly another 12.5 hours. The plane has been in the shop for the past 3 weeks getting the nose strut rebuilt (a known issue when I bought it). But right before that, I flew my first Young Eagles!

My local EAA Chapter hosts three Young Eagles flight events during the summer. My first time out, I flew 31 kids and logged 4.8 hours of flight time, with 11 separate flights. It was a long, hot day, but totally worth it.  If you're unfamiliar with the EAA Young Eagles program, check it out here. I highly recommend getting kids to one of these free events to spark their interest in aviation! Free flights for kids ages 8-17, with a host of other benefits.

That's all for now. I'll be heading out to the shop to get back to work on the Zenith.

Cheers!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Greg. My son and I have been learning a lot from your videos and we are starting a homebuilder project also. We are located in Grand Rapids and we both fell out of our chairs when you mentioned service repo. My shop had been across the street from there for years. If you have time for a coffee we would love to sit down and ask a few questions at some point. We are in the Lansing area all the time. Thanks for all the great info so far. Eric

    Jadepigproductions@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Eric, Thanks for following my progress. I sent you an email. Cheers, Greg.

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