50 | AUGUST 2019 FLYINGMAG.COMAIR
LIFE
IN THEA
couple of years ago, I restored a
17th-century barn in upstate New
York. I acted as the general contrac-
tor. I was working from home, writ-
ing a screenplay, and figured I would
keep costs down by not hiring a GC.
And I did. The screenplay, though, did
not get written. Between research-
ing and buying materials, supplies
and fixtures and hiring subcontrac-
tors (plumbers, electricians, builders
and masons), it turns out being a GC
is a full-time job. While I am not sure
it was worth the money saved, I don’t
regret it one bit. I got to see that barn
transform into my new office, osten-
sibly where, one day, I will do all that
writing I’m supposed to do. We’ll see.
In general aviation, there is no
such thing as a GC. You’re it. Still, I
have yet to find a GA piston pilot who
laments this role. Pilot-owners don’t
want to hand the job over to any-
one. Beyond the obvious safety con-
cerns that would incentivize a pilot
to be deeply involved in any project
on their airplane, it’s also a free edu-
cation. With my barn, the time and
cost were balanced by the pleasure
of seeing the pieces come together,
studying the underpinnings of such
an old building and fundamentally
understanding how the failing struc-
ture was shored up. Growing up in
a family that wasn’t mechanically
inclined meant that when somethingbroke we called “The Guy.” In my
adult life, I have endeavored to learn
enough to avoid making that phone
call whenever possible. It tastes like
failure. Now, when something goes
wrong in that barn, my first thought
isn’t, “Let’s call ‘The Guy.’” Instead,
I troubleshoot the problem myself
because there now permanently lives
an exploded plan of the structure in
my head. Not there with the “Bo” just
yet, but I’m making strides.
Then there’s the research. The
sweet, sweet research. How ironic
that something I was so diligently
miserable at in high school and college
became my strong suit in middle
age. My proficiency at research now
borders on obsessive. I would be
afraid to know how many hours I have
spent online in the last six months
researching everything from filiform
corrosion in magnesium ruddervators
to engine-hose colors. My browser
history surely reveals a strange mix of
high and low, converging the unlikely
bedfellows of complex engineering
and useless aesthetics.
As is common in all remodeling
projects ( house, boat and airplane),
the phrase “While we’re in there...”
has come to dominate both my life
and bank account. As in, “While
we’re in there, we should replace the
heater-duct seals.” Or: “While we’re
in there, we should just completelyoverhaul the engine.” Some hurt more
than others. But we started the resto-
ration on N1750W with a specific goal:
to see just how high of a standard we
could bring a legacy aircraft up to.
The airplane is currently a few
weeks away from completion. This is
where we’re at:
The two biggest items we tackled
were the avionics and the engine.
As I write this, the motor is at ACE
Aircraft Cylinders & Engines Inc.,
where it is getting overhauled by
the shop owner, Joe Folchert, and
his protégé, Brian Rosin. ACE is
located on the same field in Greeley,
Colorado, as Advanced Aerotech,
which is doing the avionics, and
Beegles Aircraft Services, which is
doing some airframe work. It’s help-
ful when everyone romps in the same
playground. The compression test on
the engine revealed one cylinder that
needed immediate replacement, but
some pitting was discovered on the
camshaft, and then, you know, while
we’re in there... For the engine over-
haul, I went with Superior Airparts
for both the top and bottom end. I
had Millineum cylinders in my last
airplane and had a good experience
with them. I purchased the few parts
Superior could not provide from
Aircraft Specialties Services.
On the avionics side, I chose Garmin
because I already had a GTN 750 asGENERAL CONTRACTOR
WHEN YOU BECOME “THE GUY”By Ben YoungerLEADING EDGE