What If?

Hear me out… as I continue to expand my thoughts about wing rebuilding, aircraft restoration, a very profound truth came into view.

It’s not a secret, Wing Shops are few and far between. Why is that? Please go back in time with me before I answer that.

When I first began working in a wing shop I was thrilled! I was a young guy doing something in aviation, I was just happy to be there. I’m older now. Things look different.

I look back, I look around, and I realize that most men want to keep their cards close to their chest. They think they have trade secrets, spending their lives filling up their shops with airplanes, tools, etc… only to find that they have run out of time and all they have to show for it is stuff.

There is nothing inherently wrong with building a shop and filling it with useful tools! Lord knows, I’ve done that 5 times! It’s what we do with it that counts.

What are we doing to give back? Are we hanging onto stuff… only to find we have run out of time to do anything meaningful? We get into the Babylonian mind set, where it’s all about getting stuff and living in luxury. Ok… let’s set that mindset aside and think realistically.

There are no longer secrets. Everyone has access to the same information. If you don’t do something meaningful with what you have, someone else will come along that will. When it comes to building wings, you need more than information, you need hands on training, a mentor, etc….

Mentors are also few and far between. It takes a while to learn this trade. It’s hard for employers to invest a year or two into some young buck, or doe, training them before they can see any return on their investment. And then there is the wing jig, that’s a whole ‘nother story. No such thing… right?

Let me ask you this: How many derelict Cessna’s do you suppose there are out there? It’s seems like there are several at every small strip I’ve ever been to. Many of them succumbing to the elements. They need hands on them.

Shipping is one of the biggest deterrents to fixing up some of these aircraft. Why? Because there is not a shop in close proximity, like I said, “few and far between”. That’s why I have people in Florida and Alaska wanting to ship wings to me.

What if? What if there was a Cessna Wing Jig in every state in the U.S. That’s what I”m thinking. I am taking orders. I wouldn’t mind doing a little traveling as well, maybe help set up your shop and give you some training.

Or better yet, let’s do this together. Are there any would-be aviators out there that would be willing to work in exchange for a flying machine? I believe there are! One of the problems with training someone is they end up leaving to go start their own rebuild shop.

What if someone, maybe you, would let go of an old C-150 or C-172 that is no longer flying? Let us use it to train some young up and comings, make it airworthy, and then give it to them in exchange for staying around for a couple years and helping establish this as a real, lasting program!

We are a Non-Profit, and any contribution can be written off! it’s a win/win. You could take the tax credit, while at the same time giving opportunities to others and supporting an organization that is thinking outside of the Babylonian Box!

There are more than enough broken airplanes to go around. Let’s start looking at this as a Cessna Revival! Can you imagine all the young up and coming pilots and mechanics, who would be filled with the same wonder of flight as we were? And then given the right tool to continue down that road, an airplane.