Warbird Information Exchange

We have seen many places, where there are volunteers that help to rebuild aircraft.

I am 49 now and am working alot and have hardly any time at home to rebuild.

My father was supposed to be here working on the aircraft while I went away to make the money
and get back a week or so at a time to work together.

But, there's just not enough time unless I'm here full time.
I usually work about 16 days straight through a month if I can.

How has it been seen at other places where volunteers are found that are
retired and want to fly that actually have a good work ethic,
are not going to ebay sell your parts, lend out your tools to never see them again,
and invites over guests while you are away that pilfer through your stuff?

And weed out people that are looking for a free ride. As in, room and board but accomplish
nothing while you are away?

I rebuilt a fellas beautiful old relic that was hit hard in a hurricane and flew it for 15 years before he sold it. Was a beautiful old girl.
All I had to do was rebuild it in exchange for free rent and him paying for the parts.

For example I would love to replace my Fathers vacant seat with a maintenance experienced retired
wall street hero that had no children and now wants to play. But that ain't going to happen.

Not going to meet that rich female doctor either. Darnit.

Time to get things working now that I'm back from overseas.

How to do that?

It's exasperating being a one man show.
Spent 6 days now at home just doing paperwork and tax work.

Good luck with that. It is hard to find someone competent and motivated. Lots of alcoholics and speed junkies around though. Some do good work but I wouldn't want them alone in my hangar.

So what you are saying is , those of us that are, ... there are usually only one of us in a certain radius of mileage around home base.

That sucks.

Well, I really enjoyed rebuilding the airplane, of whom turned out to be a life long friend who became a father figure throughout my life and getting to fly his airplane at any time.

Figure there has got to be someone out there like me.






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I've talked to some museum currators lately. They said they have retired mechanics that do a lot of work. These well meaning fellas seem enamored being put in charge of one airplane or another and giving them a moniker and that written on the side of the plane as "Crew Chief: Jeff Smith" but don't get to personally fly the plane they are taking care of.

Interesting.











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Mike Robinson wrote:I've talked to some museum currators lately. They said they have retired mechanics that do a lot of work. These well meaning fellas seem enamored being put in charge of one airplane or another and giving them a moniker and that written on the side of the plane as "Crew Chief: Jeff Smith" but don't get to personally fly the plane they are taking care of.

Interesting.

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If you were running a museum, you'd probably get more response. At least at a museum you have (hopefully - as Evergreen, and other deals come to mind) a competent legal structure set up that protects (some) of the interests of those involved and sets forward a common goal that is (allegedly) for the good of mankind, or the preservation of history, or educational purposes. People gladly donate their time to those kinds of museums all around the country every week.