REFLECTOR:Velocity Manuals, Methods & Views

Robin Ream reflector@tvbf.org
Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:43:11 -0500


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C4214C.7FB9F160
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="Windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Chuck,

    I couldn't be more in agreement with you.  The value of such a =
program would be far reaching and I suspect that most builders would be =
willing to ante up a little to the pot to get it going.  Future =
maintenance costs of the program can be part of the purchase price, and =
by that time it would be nominal.  This would impact safety, build time, =
builders confidence, insurance underwriting, and maybe even factory =
liability since at that point a reasonable person would conclude the =
factory had done everything possible to keep every owner of every =
Velocity airplane kit constantly updated. =20
    Having said all that, I doubt that it will happen though.  Aircraft =
kit factories are very good at hardware, the better ones are good on =
customer service, but as far as I can tell none of them are good at =
information technology :-)  Still, it's one hell of a fine idea!  --  =
Thanks for the thoughtful input.

Robin
   =20

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Chuck Jensen=20
  To: 'reflector@tvbf.org'=20
  Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 10:05 AM
  Subject: RE: REFLECTOR:Velocity Manuals, Methods & Views


  Kurt,

  You bring up a good point...and bad point.  Certainly, the good was =
your discovering the deficient nose gear before it had a chance to bring =
itself to your attention at a most awkward time.  The bad point is the =
"system" that would have you in a place where you have a known deficit =
part, and didn't know it.  Strictly my opinion, but in this day of =
computers, internet, email and relational databases, it seems there =
ought to be a better tracking/notification system. =20

  Such a system would be a significant investment in setting it up, in =
that there are already a few hundred planes of unknown history and =
pedigree that would need to be entered.  But once set up, it would have =
high utility value to builders and would help prevent your very =
circumstance.  If the Factory (the obvious "owner" of the program) =
needed to recover some of the upfront cost, they could ask a one time =
subscription fee of $200 or $300 to cover initial costs.  The =
budget-minded among the builders could just choose to not participate =
and continue to rely on luck in obtaining the information.  I would =
expect that a quality control program of this sort would ultimately come =
close to paying for itself as a strong selling point to new potential =
buyers for the Factory.

  I'm sure Scott could fill us in on the number of times that changeout =
of the nose gear has been mentioned in VV and here-n-there, but you are =
evidence that the "system" employed is still not good enough.  From your =
postings, it seems apparent that you take care, are merticulous and are =
sometimes even anal on details (your description!), yet you =
(re)discovered the problem by luck and happenstance.  That's not really =
good enough for a plane that ends up costing $100K+.

  Still room to improve.

  Chuck

  [Chuck Jensen]  -----Original Message-----
  From: reflector-admin@tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-admin@tvbf.org]On =
Behalf Of NMFlyer1@aol.com
  Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:12 AM
  To: reflector@tvbf.org
  Subject: REFLECTOR:Velocity Manuals, Methods & Views

            This has been an interesting couple weeks. I just thought I =
would share a couple things.
    I know you have read some of my posts regarding aileron and rudder =
frustrations lately.=20

    I have been working on my kit for quite some time (almost 3000 hours =
so far). No fast build anything, almost nothing farmed out, and my =
change to Chevy power eats up a LOT of time.=20

    Due to the time line, many things have changed at Velocity. My old =
manual is obviously outdated, but will usually work. On my ailerons, it =
did not. The factory has always been helpful and patient, and my aileron =
quest caused me to start printing out the newer On-Line plans. Of =
course, the new plans and my old manual are similar in some areas, and =
quite different in others.=20
      I believe that a number of improvements and clarifications are =
located in the new On-Line instructions that would be valuable to other =
builders that have been building for some time.=20
    There will be areas where the older parts or methods do not quite =
jive with the new instructions. That can be dealt with, but I believe =
the newer methods are much improved.=20
    I ordered some parts from Aircraft Spruce & Headache, and my rudders =
should be finished within a day or two of receiving the parts. The =
relatively cheap parts will allow me to follow the newer methods in the =
manual, and have better functioning and longer lasting rudder controls.=20

    Since I have been building a while, I have a stack of velocity Views =
about 3" thick. I read every one and check the KPC's in every issue. =
There is always the possibility that one can miss some information, and =
that happened to me.
    The latest V-V Rehashed the issue on nose gear forks. Last night in =
the hangar, I glanced down at my nose gear fork, and: Holy Batshit... It =
looks like I have the obsolete nose gear fork!=20
    Now I have to get my V-V from work and double check... but THAT is a =
valuable piece of information! That one little piece of previously =
emparted information could well have saved me enough headache and damage =
money to pay for a life's subscription to V-V. =20

    Just thought I'd share.... my TheRapist says it's good for me  :)=20

    All the best... Kurt Winker
------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C4214C.7FB9F160
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="Windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dwindows-1252">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: =
#ffffff"=20
bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D3>Chuck,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <FONT=20
color=3D#0000ff>I couldn't be more in agreement with you.&nbsp; The =
value of such=20
a program would be far reaching and I suspect that most builders would =
be=20
willing to ante up a little to the pot to get it going.&nbsp; Future =
maintenance=20
costs of the program can be part of the purchase price, and by that time =
it=20
would be nominal.&nbsp; This would impact safety, build =
time,&nbsp;builders=20
confidence,&nbsp;insurance underwriting, and maybe even factory =
liability since=20
at that point a reasonable person would conclude the factory had done =
everything=20
possible to keep every owner of every Velocity airplane kit constantly=20
updated.&nbsp; </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <FONT=20
color=3D#0000ff>Having said all that, I doubt that it will happen =
though.&nbsp;=20
Aircraft kit factories are very good at hardware, the better ones are =
good on=20
customer service, but as far as I can tell <EM>none</EM> of them are =
good at=20
information technology :-)&nbsp; Still, it's one hell of a fine =
idea!&nbsp;=20
--&nbsp; Thanks for the thoughtful input.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D3>Robin</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Dcjensen@dts9000.com =
href=3D"mailto:cjensen@dts9000.com">Chuck=20
  Jensen</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dreflector@tvbf.org=20
  href=3D"mailto:'reflector@tvbf.org'">'reflector@tvbf.org'</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, April 13, 2004 =
10:05=20
  AM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: REFLECTOR:Velocity =
Manuals,=20
  Methods &amp; Views</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004>Kurt,</SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004>You bring up a good point...and =
bad=20
  point.&nbsp; Certainly, the good was your discovering the deficient =
nose gear=20
  before it had a chance to bring&nbsp;itself to your attention at a =
most=20
  awkward time.&nbsp; The bad point is the "system"&nbsp;that would have =
you in=20
  a place where you have a known deficit part, and didn't know it.&nbsp; =

  Strictly my opinion, but in this day of computers, internet, email and =

  relational databases, it seems there ought to be a better=20
  tracking/notification system.&nbsp; </SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004>Such a system would be a =
significant=20
  investment in setting it up, in that there are already a few hundred =
planes of=20
  unknown history and pedigree that would need to be entered.&nbsp; But =
once set=20
  up, it would have high utility value to builders and would help =
prevent your=20
  very circumstance.&nbsp; If the Factory (the obvious "owner" of the =
program)=20
  needed to recover some of the upfront cost, they could ask a one time=20
  subscription fee of $200 or $300 to cover initial costs.&nbsp; The=20
  budget-minded among the builders could just choose to not participate =
and=20
  continue to rely on luck in obtaining the information. &nbsp;I would =
expect=20
  that a quality control&nbsp;program of this sort would ultimately come =
close=20
  to paying for itself as a strong selling point to new potential buyers =
for the=20
  Factory.</SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004>I'm sure Scott could fill us in =
on the=20
  number of times that changeout of the nose gear has been mentioned in =
VV and=20
  here-n-there, but you are evidence that the "system" employed&nbsp;is =
still=20
  not good enough.&nbsp; From your postings, it seems apparent that you =
take=20
  care, are merticulous and are sometimes&nbsp;even anal on details =
(your=20
  description!), yet you (re)discovered the problem by luck and=20
  happenstance.&nbsp; That's not really good enough for a plane that =
ends up=20
  costing $100K+.</SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004>Still room to =
improve.</SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004>Chuck</SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D000283914-13042004></SPAN><FONT face=3DTahoma><FONT =

  face=3DArial></FONT><FONT face=3DArial></FONT><BR><SPAN=20
  class=3D000283914-13042004><FONT face=3DArial>[Chuck=20
  Jensen]&nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN>-----Original =
Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>=20
  reflector-admin@tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-admin@tvbf.org]<B>On Behalf =
Of=20
  </B>NMFlyer1@aol.com<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:12=20
  AM<BR><B>To:</B> reflector@tvbf.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> =
REFLECTOR:Velocity=20
  Manuals, Methods &amp; Views<BR></FONT><BR><SPAN=20
  =
class=3D000283914-13042004>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbs=
p;&nbsp;=20
  </SPAN>This has been an interesting couple weeks. I just thought I =
would share=20
  a couple things.</DIV>
  <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
    <DIV>I know you have read some of my posts regarding aileron and =
rudder=20
    frustrations lately. </DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>I have been working on my kit for quite some time (almost 3000 =
hours so=20
    far). No fast build anything, almost nothing farmed out, and my =
change to=20
    Chevy power eats up a LOT of time. </DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>Due to the time line, many things have changed at Velocity. My =
old=20
    manual is obviously outdated, but will usually work. On my ailerons, =
it did=20
    not. The factory has always been helpful and patient, and my aileron =

    quest&nbsp;caused me to start printing out the newer On-Line plans. =
Of=20
    course, the new plans and my old manual are similar in some areas, =
and quite=20
    different in others. </DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp; I believe that a number of improvements and =
clarifications are=20
    located in the new On-Line instructions that would be valuable to =
other=20
    builders that have been&nbsp;building for some time. </DIV>
    <DIV>There will be&nbsp;areas where the older parts or methods do =
not quite=20
    jive with the new instructions. That can be dealt with, but I =
believe the=20
    newer methods are much improved. </DIV>
    <DIV>I ordered some parts from Aircraft Spruce &amp; Headache, and =
my=20
    rudders should be finished within a day or two of receiving the =
parts. The=20
    relatively cheap parts will allow me to follow the newer methods in =
the=20
    manual, and have better functioning and longer lasting rudder =
controls.=20
    </DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>Since I have been building a while, I have a stack of velocity =
Views=20
    about 3" thick. I read every one and check the KPC's in every issue. =
There=20
    is always the possibility that one can miss some information, and =
that=20
    happened to me.</DIV>
    <DIV>The latest V-V Rehashed the issue on nose gear forks. Last =
night in the=20
    hangar, I glanced down at my nose gear fork, and: Holy Batshit... It =
looks=20
    like I have the obsolete nose gear fork! </DIV>
    <DIV>Now I have to get my V-V from work and double check... but THAT =
is a=20
    valuable piece of information! That one little piece =
of&nbsp;previously=20
    emparted&nbsp;information could well have saved me enough headache =
and=20
    damage money to pay for a life's subscription to V-V.&nbsp; </DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>Just thought I'd share.... my TheRapist says it's good for =
me&nbsp; :)=20
    </DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>All the best... Kurt =
Winker</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C4214C.7FB9F160--