Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net> (Marvin Kaye)
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 11:02:23 -0400
Message-ID: <redirect-2589190@logan.com>
From: "Paul Davis" <pgd123@swbell.net>
Reply-To: "Paul Davis" <pgd123@swbell.net>
Subject: Re: [LML] Factory Builder Assist program 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 18 Sep 2003 20:13:57 EDT."
             <list-2584972@logan.com> 
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I'm way behind on e-mail (73 unread messages on this list alone) so 
maybe you've already gotten better responses.  But here's the brain 
(such as it is) dump -- in no particular order.

  Frank> Any "lessons learned" to share from those of you that have
  Frank> been through it?

I wish we'd given more thought to "information gathering".
This needn't be just about "getting stuff done".  It's also a great 
way to learn how to do this on your own.

1.  Baby pictures:
Take a good quality camera.  My personal recommendation would
be a good digital camera with some mechanism for downloading to a
laptop.  Best if your laptop can burn CD's so you can take lots of
pictures each day and transfer to CD each night.  Keep in mind that
you're going to be working with chemicals that aren't exactly camera
friendly.  You might even consider buying an underwater camera box
such as divers use.  If you can't burn CD's consider sending this
stuff back to yourself as e-mail from your motel or from the factory
(about once a day).

Not only will you want/need to take photos of your own kit before you
close things up but you have a golden opportunity to get shots of
other aircraft -- and tools!  Hopefully you'll never need to see the 
inside of your wings again after closeout, but you never know.

Take a good quality camera *with flash*.  Can't emphasize the flash
enough.  If it's a new (to you) camera, spend a little time practicing
with it.  Before you go take some shots of systems on existing
aircraft you might have access to, and then try evaluating those
photos.  Would your photos enhance your ability to interpret drawings?
Are you in close enough?  Too close?  Do you know how to increase
depth of field?  Did you get shots from as many angles as you'd want?
Did you get a wide enough angle for context before zooming in for 
detail?

We didn't take our best camera (which I regretted) and since I hadn't 
taken photos and then evaluated their usefulness I missed details I 
should have captured.  I'd photograph things differently now.

Photograph epoxy pumps, cutting and layup tables, air tools -- 
*everything you can think of*.

2.  Shirt pocket sized notebooks and a pen or mechanical pencil
or two.  You're going to hear lots of little tips that are easily
forgotten or (worse) mis-remembered.  Jot them down and transfer them
to your laptop (assuming you brought one) each night.

When someone tells you about the "rules" for orienting bolts/nuts,
safety wiring, etc --  write.

3.  Audio recorder?  Our PDA's have a built-in voice-memo recorder
function.  Something like that might be handy and faster to use than a
notepad.  But, as with the camera, take some plastic wrap or something
to protect the PDA or recorder.

4.  Camcorder?  Not a bad idea.  Some things you just won't be able
to capture with a still photo.  If you do this right, you can convey
things like how viscous the epoxy should be, how much micro/flox is
"enough", proper technique for mixing/spreading epoxy, prepping at
the layup table, etc, etc, etc.  But you're going to need another set
of hands for this.  And even if you take a camcorder you'll probably
still want a still camera.

5.  Another set of eyes/hands.  My wife and I did this together.  More
fun that way and much easier to capture the information you want.  If
you're both planning to (alternate) work on the plane, then make sure
you've both practiced with camera/recorder/camcorder *before* you get
to the workshop.  Decide who is to be listed as primary builder and 
"document" that person working -- even if you both take a shot at a 
particular task.

6.  Spend some time each night writing about what you did that day 
and organizing notes and such.  You're going to cover a lot of 
information in a short amount of time.  Don't rely on memory.

7.  Glasses/contacts/safety-glasses.  If you wear contact lenses
consider switching to glasses for the workshop or at least be really
careful about wearing safety glasses.  And speaking of safety glasses,
you're going to be wearing them *a lot*.  Lancair provides perfectly
usable safety glasses, but you might consider shopping around for
some really comfortable ones you'd be willing to wear most of the
day, every day, for two weeks.  Remember to take reading glasses if
you need them for close work.  Think about wearing reading glasses
and safety glasses at the same time.  Don't count on a skimpy pair of
reading glasses (which you may really need for close work) to take the
place of safety glasses.  Check the hardware store for a combination
pair.  If you need prescription correction, get some safety glasses 
(splash and impact resistant) in your prescription before leaving.

8.  Clothes.  Comfortable work shoes -- probably two pair so you can
switch each day.  And whatever shoes and clothes you wear are going to
have epoxy dripped on them.  Count on it.  And don't wear your Rolex.
If you want to track the time buy a cheap wristwatch (that you keep
in your pocket).  This might be overkill, but keep in mind that you
may be using tools like a drill-press (I did).  I'd leave watches and
rings at home.  If you're going in the winter take a cheap jacket or
sweater or two.  We went in January.  There was snow on the ground and
some mornings the doors were open for one reason or another and things
got downright chilly around our work area.

-------------------
Paul Davis, RPh
INTP
Lancair Legacy builder
pdavis@bmc.com
Office phone 713.918.1550
-------------------
Esse quam videri bonus malebat (Bellum Catilinae, LIV.6)
He (Cato) prefered to be good rather than seem good


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