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The Corvair College #6 Crew: From left, in back: Robert Pytel of the U.S. Virgin Islands; 601XL builder
George Hue of Shreveport, La.; Corvair builder David Gorosh of Pompano Beach, Fla.; Quickie pilot Roy
Shannon of Edgewater, Fla.; Dragonfly builder Glen Bankston of Moultrie, Ga.; myself, William Wynne, with Grace
Ellen; the father/son team of One Design Emeraude Piel builder Paul Mallard and 601XL builder Scot Mallard;
Zodiac builder Sevin Neufner of South Carolina; Corvair College Instructor Kevin Fahy of Port Orange, Fla.; and Corvair powered KR2 pilot Steve
Makish. In front, from left, are: A&P extraordinnaire Steve Upson of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; KR2 builder Bill
Clapp of Valdosta, Ga.; Pegzair builder Gordon Alexander of Shakopee, Minn.; 601 builder Doug Jamison of Jacksonville,
Fla.; Dragonfly builder Larry Koutz of Valdosta, Ga., proudly displaying his head; and Hangar Groupie Brigid Blaschak of Port
Orange, Fla.
Above is a Saturday afternoon group photo of many of the people who attended Corvair College #6. Right
behind everybody is the fuselage of the Corvair Tri Motor.
Friends,
Corvair College #6 is now in the record books. As usual, it was a great event, made enjoyable by the pantheon
of characters who make up the world of Corvair engine builders. While it was not the largest College to date,
the two characteristics that seemed to define the event were a relaxed attitude made possible by good weather
and the hangar prep, and a very high degree of productivity. A number of builders made big leaps forward on
their engine, and event Poster Builder Gordon Alexander went all the way through to complete his 3100 engine.
Read on to get a flavor of the event. As you look through the images and read the words, picture yourself at
the next Corvair College making friends, having fun, building your engine. As a Corvair engine builder and
future pilot, you're the focus of our work, and having you attend is the mark of success. Thank you.
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The First Arrival
KR2/Corvair builder Bill Clapp of Valdosta, Georgia, above. Every event has one guy who is the outstanding
volunteer, spending his time helping other people and adding a lot to the atmosphere of the event. Bill had
attended Corvair College #3, and has a completed engine on the front of his KR airframe at home. He worked his
regular work week and then drove straight in to help us with a lot of the prep work. When exhaustion finally
overtook him, we snapped this photo.
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EAA Publications Writers' Meeting
This is Torello Tacchi, above right. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and like me, is a writer for EAA publications.
His field of expertise is engines, and he has a lot of experience with automotive conversions. I've known him
for several years, and he was instrumental in helping Pat Green of Jacksonville re-work his Corvair powered
Pietenpol Air Camper, which now has about 700 flight hours on it. In the background is Corvair/Wagabond builder
Jeff Bacom of Port Orange, Fla.
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The Before Shot
This is Q200/Vair Builder Larry Koutz, Valdosta, Ga., above, with a table full of parts. Larry is a highly
experienced tandem wing pilot and well known in that community. His "been there done that" list in aviation
includes such footnotes as being a McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom pilot for the USAF.
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Close Inspection
Kevin Fahy gives a close eyeball to a clean set of cylinder heads. Kevin has consistently worked with me on
aviation projects since 1998. He's an expert on a lot of aspects of the Corvair engine, and has been a big
part of my work with Corvair engines all along. He was at the College all weekend, and as usual, burned the
midnight oil to ensure that it was a positive experience for everyone who attended.
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Discussion
We spent a lot of time talking about inspection issues and modifications before we dug into the actual work.
Knowing what you've got and where you're going is the starting point in the road map of your Corvair engine
converison.
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Turbo Time
Gus Warren and Steve Upson man the turbo engine on the test stand. The turbo engine more than any other project
we have in R&D generates a lot of interest. My initial tests indicate that a boosted engine can make more thrust
for less weight than a naturally aspirated geared motor. The prop being used in this test is 72" in diameter. Look for an update soon
on the Turbo page at www.flycorvair.com.
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The Locals
Flying in were two examples of non-Corvair alternative engines belonging to our friends. In the foreground is
Roy Shannon and his Onan powered Quickie, along with local EAA Chapter Treasurer Jackie Johnson in the background
in front of his Subaru powered Zenair 601HDS. Roy is considering a one-third Corvair for his bird.
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Planes
Starting with the farthest from the camera: Gus Warren's 1946 Cessna 120, restored by him from basket case to
1998 Oshkosh Type Champion. Next, Grace Ellen's mint 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D with C-85 power. Then, Steve Makish's
Corvair powered KR2, newly converted to fixed gear. More than 150 flight hours on Corvair power. Nearest to camera:
The StolGlas, a factory built aircraft from Colombia, marketed in the U.S. by CR Aviation in Miami, Fla. This
aircraft is currently 912S powered. Representatives of the factory have dropped it off at our facility to be
re-engined with Corvair power for Oshkosh. When aircraft manufacturers recognize the power, reliability and value
of Corvair engines, it speaks volumes about the value of our work developing this engine.
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Clark's Catalogs for Everyone
George Hue, 601XL builder from Shreveport, La., proudly displaying his Clark's Catalog. All kidding aside,
Clark's Corvair Parts graciously provided free catalogs to everyone who attended this College, as well as CC#5.
On Sunday, George bought lunch for everyone in the hangar. He has his own 3100cc engine at home, and attended
the college to gather new information and meet new people.
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Lunch Break
We had great weather, and the setting of the College was very relaxed. Rather than run out for food, we fired
up the grill and cooked a lot of stuff so that we could spend the maximum amount of time at the hangar. Everyone
found their own groove, whether it was intensely working on an engine or kicking back and enjoying the afternoon.
Seated at the table, clockwise from left in front, are 601/Corvair builder Scot Mallard, Bill Clapp, Steve
Makish, Roy Shannon, George Hue and One Design Piel Emeraude/Corvair builder Paul Mallard.
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Steve Bids Farewell
Steve Makish left late in the afternoon Saturday to fly home to Boca Raton, Fla. If you click on the photo
above, you'll see a movie of his departure. Visit
QuickTime to download the movie player.
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The Mangler
Kevin Fahy goofing around in the hangar between engine assemblies. I was recently told that Dave Martin,
good guy and former editor of Kit Planes magazine, tried only to publish photos of clean cut, responsible
looking people who he felt promoted the right image of aviaiton. I'm going to send him a link to this photo
saying "Here's my chief of staff and the shape of things to come in experimental aviaiton." I'm sure he'll
find the gesture funny. In my world, all that counts is knowledge, motivation and the desire to achieve
something. We've all read too many stories about aviation companies that went bankrupt even though they were
entirely staffed by cleancut people wearing embroidered polo shirts who didn't know what they were doing.
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Into the Night
By the time the weekend was over, we had assembled five shortblocks and two complete motors. This shortblock
belongs to Sevin Neufner, a 601 builder from South Carolina. Kevin built up the case several times in our
jig: Once to check the bearing bores with the dial indicator, a second time to check the roundness of the
bearing shells, a third to Plastigage the crank, and a fourth time for final assembly. Even though we wanted to
get a lot done at the College, nothing takes a backseat to doing the work correctly.
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Keeps on Going
On the left above is Sevin Neufner, who worked closely with Kevin at every stage of the build up. On the right
taking a photo with his phone is Doug Jamison, a 601/Corvair builder from Jacksonville, Fla., whose case was next into the jig.
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Welding 101
David Gorosh of Pompano Beach, Fla., at left above, had never tried his hand at Tig welding before. We took some
time Sunday morning to give him enough practice to get started. As a former welding instructor for Embry Riddle
Aeronautical University, I cannot say enough that welding is a skill, not an art. And, with proper instruction and
practice, anyone with motivation can be taught to weld.
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Cleaning
Sevin Neufner, left, and Doug Jamison, right, spending quality time at the cleaning tank. We possess all types
of cleaning equipment at the hangar, but the most important part of the cleaning process is putting enough care
into it to ensure it's done properly.
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Heading Home
Although it may be odd to include a photo of Sevin's engine packed in the trunk of his car (ironically, it
was a VW), this illustrates an important point about Corvair College: It's all about what you take home. While
many people take home enjoyable memories, it's also important that we advance the physical state of builders'
projects. If you want this to be a photo of your trunk, make plans to attend CC#7. By the way, Sevin's already
sent us pictures of his Corvair engine's temporary new home in his living room.
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Dragonfly Meets Volmer
On the left is Glen Bankston, a Dragonfly builder from Moultrie, Ga., getting a hand from Thomas Waters, a
Volmer builder from Clapton, Alabama. Glen is a very experienced experimental aircraft builder who accomplished
a lot on his engine at the College. Glen told Grace Ellen that our format was very similar to the "See One, Do One, Teach
Teach One" process used when he was in the U.S. Air Force. Thomas Waters brought down a lot of photos of his Volmer
project, and picked up a Motor Mount Tray along with a lot of information on Corvair mount design.
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The QVair Power Plant After Party
Larry Koutz completed his engine on Sunday. We went all the way through and did the valve train installation
and adjustment. As you can see from the photo above, Larry was very pleased. Every time I show a group of
half a dozen people exactly how this is done, that's six more people who can be volunteer field experts on this
for the next class of Corvair engine builders. Building a large network of people with personal experience on
how we convert flight motors is a core element of responsibly promoting the Corvair engine.
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Another Case Closed
Doug Jamison, right, and I admiring his closed engine case. I like to get as many of these done as possible at a College
because it's the first mile marker on the way to assembling your Corvair flight engine.
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3100cc Assembly
Left to right above, Tom Waters, Gordon Alexander, Bill Clapp and George Hue. Gordon dug in and did a lot of
work and was paid off with a complete engine assembly. Although his engine case was previously closed, as seen in the
photo below, we cracked
it open to modify his crank for the installation of a Safety Shaft. Starting from this point, his engine went
all the way through the assembly process. Bill Clapp offered a lot of help to Gordon, who was grateful. Gordon's
Corvair is destined for a Pegzair.
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Before ...
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... and After
Gordon Alexander is all smiles because he's making progress on his 3100cc
Corvair for his Pegzair. Gordon returned to finish his motor at Corvair College #6.
If you'd like to get the same kind of smile on your face, come to Buckeye CC#7 in Alliance, Ohio. Learn stuff,
have fun, make new friends. It's all part of the best deal in aviation. Look for details soon at
Corvair College #7 brought to you by www.FlyCorvair.com.
Thank you.
William
www.FlyCorvair.com