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Motivation==

TS Flightlines

Well Known Member
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Anyone just get stuck in their builds? You know, where things have slowed or come to a halt for normal life reasons? I'll bet there are some of you out there, LIKE ME, that it has happened to. I think I found a solution. Beg, borrow, bum a fairly long flight in a RV and the spark will return.

I bought a 7 kit in fall of 2014 and made pretty good progress until disaster--November 11, 2015. No, not a date that will live in infamy, but one that I relive over and over. Date of my surgery incident. Well, yeah work stopped for about 4 months. Recovered, moved to Ridgeland, got married to Suzanne ( yeah!) and fortunatly/unfortunately business really picked up. August 4, 2016, The FORMER employer in a brilliant stroke of genius on their part, decided after 17 years they didnt want me anymore. Had some wet behind the ears wannabe that they could pay less and work more to fill my spot. OKKKK.
So we turned up the heat on TS Flightlines to support us, but N**TS took a back seat.

Just when we got motivated to go back to work ( actually the fuselage was in the way in the shop), January 2018 rolls around and we get the crushing news that Suzanne has developed stage 4 MBC breast cancer. Obviously, taking care of her became dual priority #1 along with keeping the business going to provide for us and her care. Its now end of May, 2019, and several GREAT things have happened. She is doing MUCH BETTER, thanks in part to the awesome NEW onocologist we have ( the first one was non-ceremoniously fired by us--seemed medical Practice was the operative word instead of treating) and the business expansion with our joint venture with Aircraft Specialty called AS Flightlines. So what to do about the 7 project?

For me, it didnt matte how many builders we helped, how many first flights of clients we heard about, how many times I HEARD guys flying over the house, something in the motivation department was missing. Needed a cattle prod with some jumper cables. Well I think I found it in the form of flight.

We've had a long time customer in the Washington DC area that was building a 14A, and planning to install several custom accessories that we needed to decide on how to plumb them. I doesnt matter how many pictures or videos you get, how many drawings are emailed back and forth, there just isnt anything like getting you hands on the real project so you can see little things, like obstructions, and were to make little changes in tubes to make a better product. The client had decided to get some help from our friends at Synergy Air South in Newnan, GA, and he had previously trailered his fuselage there to get help from Allan Nelson. I had been there earlier in the year on another project and KNEW that a 5 hour drive wasnt exactly how I wanted to spend my Sunday Memorial Day. But, it was the only day that the stars would align for the client, for Allan, and for me. So the date and time was set. Yuk----get up at 3 AM, leave at 4, drive 5 hours one way to do a hour and a half mockup, and drive home, getting back in time to eat, watch the Indy 500 highlights, and the CUP race from Charlotte, falling asleep on the couch about 1/4 of the way through the event. BOOM-- phone rang--
Hey you want to see a NICE 6A a friend calls and says. Sure, and he flies it over to 3J1. Nice plane, and we talk about it for a while, catch up on small talk, fill him in on Suzanne's progress, etc. "Well we should go for a ride sometime", was the lead in to the next question for him. Hey, what about flying me over to KCCO in Newnan to Synergy Air South on Sunday Morning?
HUM,, ok we can do that WX permitting.

Appointed date and time arrived, and I drove to his place--out in the country, quiet, grass runway. Just the thing. Well The 6A was in the hangar, but ready to go was his new F4 Raider that we had a small hand in doing to the engine plumbing on. Well not exactly an RV, but a cousin, so thats close enough. Off we went--direct to KCCO in 1 hour 15 minutes. I did what I needed to do, saw a few other things, and we launched for home--again 1 hour and 15 minutes. IF I had driven the one way driving time would have been more than the ENTIRE trip in the plane. Home in time for LUNCH, NOT home in time for DINNER.

I has always joked to Suzanne about getting up and flying to Myrtle Beach for Capt. Benjamin's Seafood Buffet. Go up, have afternoon shrimp and crab legs, fly home and have ice cream. Ha Ha, big joke. Or leaving here on a Friday afternoon and flying her to her mom's house on the VA Eastern Shore--not far from Glen Salmon's farm. 9.5 hours driving time, 1 fuel stop 2 or 3 rest stops for her. Stay until Sunday afternoon, then fly home and get back before dark. Ha Ha, big joke. UNTIL REALITY Gibb's slaps you in the back of the head when you realize that YES it can be reality, and not just a dream.

Yeah we all read the great travel stories on VAF; the continuing stories of Vlad, Rosie, Scott, Tanya, Dave, and a bunch of you. Until yesterday, for me anyway, they were great travel stories. Maybe it was the immulman that Ray did before we landed. My Gibb's slap of reality that I had a magic carpet in the shop that COULD allow us to do the same thing that or friends and clients are doing, or will be doing. That envy/jealous feeling suddenly became motivation.

Now that Suzanne is doing MUCH better---oh BTW, for those of you in the medical onocological and radiology fields that have called, emailed, offered advice, allowed me to vent----her scans from 3 weeks ago show NO active cancer cells in the bones. No progression. Bones show signs of healing, pain level from a 7-8 to a 1-2 soreness, NOT pain. YES, there is a GOD, and he is great. So I cant use the excuse of taking care of her as to why I'm not making progress on the plane, but she IS the excuse to why we ARE going to make progress and join the Flying RV club.

Paul Dye---I just have to tell you my friend---seeing the little jet fly is also a big motivation---hope to see it at OSH if thats possible!!

Thanks to all of you -- for putting up with me, and motivating me to finish the plane. It will now be a 7A, yeah I know--but at least its a start. Dreams can come true.

Tom
 
Fantastic news regarding Suzanne.
Great news regarding continuing your build.
Enjoyable read. Thanks for posting.
 
Tom,
That's an amazing post of GREAT NEWS!! I'm sure you're ready to get things on track and get in the air. After all the folks you've helped, I'm sure there are many who would be honored to help you with your build, myself included.
Dave
 
Thinks always do look brighter from above the planet Tom - and when they are still better when you get your feet back on the ground, life is progressing in the right direction!

Continue carrying on with style - and we’ll see you at KOSH....

Paul
 
Well heck ya Tom. Keep on keepin on! Looking forward to that -7A getting finished!
 
Thanks!

You provided me with some fuel lines - I tried to make (tried 10 times and bought 3 tools trying). Incredible service!
I did not know about your wife, thanks for sharing!
I need to get out there and keep building!
Waiting on Lycoming (Thunderbolt) - hope they catch up soon.
If you have a booth at Oshkosh, I will most likely see you there.
Larry
 
I'm really glad both for the good news about your wife, and for the increased motivation on the project. Good news all around.

Dave
 
Your story is motivation. I am glad to hear that you are back in the building game and mostly that your best friend and bride is doing better and on the mend! Fantastic news!

I am somewhat in the same boat. Not as bad as you were, but I can relate to what you went through. I too had three small life events that equaled a large life event in total when they all came out of the woodwork back to back and unexpected. Really threw building an airplane for a loop and set the project back about a year. Probably closer to 2 years as I had to stop my PPL training as well to concentrate on fixing the problems.

Glad to see you finding the light at the end of the tunnel! Really glad to hear it is working itself out.

Thanks for sharing. It does help to know I am not alone, and this will be temporary.

Regards, Ben
 
Thanks to all!!!
Ben--I too had to stop on my PPL---well my instructor stopped booking time anyway. But what the ****---there are other CFI's that can get me there.

Keep it up---
Tom
 
Wow. Fantastic read. Motivating. Hope all works out well. Thanks for helping me with my fuel lines too.
 
Your post has motivated me to be honest about something. I'm at about the 70% stage of the build, and hit a motivation wall. I can't blame it on big life changes, and I feel for all you've been through. I've just allowed a lot of little things to get in the way. Some good; some not-so-good... but in a way it felt easier to allow them to distract me. I've thought a lot about discussing it here, but somehow among such impressive peers, it felt like admitting defeat; acknowledging that I'm a quitter; a loser. I mean, I've wasted over a week just struggling with two glareshield ventilation fans, fer crying out loud. Fans that should have taken just a couple hours to get squared away... but they keep blowing up, even though all my trusted information sources tell me they shouldn't. I've been through five, and counting... and keep ordering more, and waiting, and they get here and they blow up. So I get frustrated and go do something else... while I keep waiting for more replacements... and no progress is being made. It's demoralizing when you learn that the further you get into the build, the harder the work gets. It's a bad sign when I walk into the shop and think, I just don't want to be in here right now... and walk out and do something else. But I can't give up. I'm too far up the mountain and I have way too much at stake at this point. So I come to this site for motivation... and find it in your post. Thanks for sharing, and motivating me to not only get back to work, but to share my own frustration, hesitation and misgivings. I'm grateful for all the support I get here and from all my Chapter and airport friends. Now you all know just how much I need it.
 
Tom,
You are right - there really is no substitute for the travel versatility of an RV. It is 100% real.
Last week I was working in Atlanta and flying home Wednesday night for the long weekend. Wednesday morning I called my wife and she said "I want to go to Key West for the weekend" (I made a promise when we got the plane that when she asks, I will take her where she wants; weather permitting). The Weather looked good, so I landed in Philadelphia on my commercial flight, drove home, and she had my bag packed. We took off at 6:30pm and landed for the night in Gainesville Florida. On the way we got a text invitation to a party back in NJ on Sunday. My wife said "Darn-it, I would love to go to that party", so no problem - We Spent 2 nights in Key West, then flew home Saturday night. We got to stop in North Carolina and have dinner with my son. How else could you have Breakfast in Key West, Dinner in Kill Devil's Hill, and sleep in your bed in New Jersey - then make the party Sunday?
I cant count the number of times we have woken up on a Saturday and my wife has said: "I want to go to Nantucket" or "Ocean City", or "XYZ" and we are there 2 hours later.
Now the down side to all of this is that my grass is overgrown, my house is several years past due for paint, and other things are neglected. But we figure that since I am away Monday through Friday the time together is more important than having a perfect home.
Tom, thank you for the support you have given me and everyone else with our planes! I am saddened to hear of your struggles. I pray that they are all behind you and that getting the plane done will give you many joyful adventures together. Please let us know how we can help.
 
Your post has motivated me to be honest about something. I'm at about the 70% stage of the build, and hit a motivation wall. I can't blame it on big life changes, and I feel for all you've been through. I've just allowed a lot of little things to get in the way. Some good; some not-so-good... but in a way it felt easier to allow them to distract me. I've thought a lot about discussing it here, but somehow among such impressive peers, it felt like admitting defeat; acknowledging that I'm a quitter; a loser. I mean, I've wasted over a week just struggling with two glareshield ventilation fans, fer crying out loud. Fans that should have taken just a couple hours to get squared away... but they keep blowing up, even though all my trusted information sources tell me they shouldn't. I've been through five, and counting... and keep ordering more, and waiting, and they get here and they blow up. So I get frustrated and go do something else... while I keep waiting for more replacements... and no progress is being made. It's demoralizing when you learn that the further you get into the build, the harder the work gets. It's a bad sign when I walk into the shop and think, I just don't want to be in here right now... and walk out and do something else. But I can't give up. I'm too far up the mountain and I have way too much at stake at this point. So I come to this site for motivation... and find it in your post. Thanks for sharing, and motivating me to not only get back to work, but to share my own frustration, hesitation and misgivings. I'm grateful for all the support I get here and from all my Chapter and airport friends. Now you all know just how much I need it.

Martin, the good news is that we all hit this wall, and the bad news is the same. It's like building a house, at first it looks like it's going up lickety split, and then the detail work begins and there's no end to it. What's worse is the fact that there's no way to get past the requirement that many things must be mounted and de-mounted, over and over again. Very frustrating.

What motivated me to get through this period was some comments I heard years ago from some "friends" who said I'd never finish it or said that I'd be able to sell the project for more money if I finished it. Uh huh, well f**k them and since I've been flying it, those friends to their credit admitted their doubts and wrongness.

At the end, it's grim determination (in fact, I thought about naming my plane Grim Determination) that gets these things done. The more you're a perfectionist (and you seem to lean that direction, which is why your work looks so nice), the more you're likely to want to quit...grit your teeth and get it done. You'll never respect yourself otherwise, I know that was true with me. You do very nice work and I for one want to see your plane at OSH 20...get 'er done!

I don't know if you're a fan of motivational speeches, but I believe that sometimes, you need a kick in the *** and I keep this video bookmarked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB-1SRcsgXA. See you at OSH!
 
Tom, you've been a great help to me. You and Suzanne deserve the best and I pray for her continued recovery. If you ever need someone to come buck rivets or do anything else, let me know and I'll fire up the -8 and be there!
 
Everyone---
Thanks so much for the VERY kind comments. Greatly appreciated!
Guess I'm not the only one to hit a wall. So if others can do it, so can I. Might take a while, but it will be ours.
I've been told to sell the parts and buy a flying plane. Well in order to do that, it would require getting a pretty sizable loan, which means a loan payment every month. I didnt borrow any money to start TS FLightlines, and didnt want to borrow any to have a plane. Pay as I went, and when it flew there was no loan attached to it. LOL---hard to go out and get a loan to buy TIME, but with the new found motivation I dont see it as a problem.

Thanks to all!!
Tom
 
Mark Dickens - Grim Determination is an excellent name for a homebuilt aircraft. Thanks for the encouragement. It has a lot of value, believe me.
 
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