Blog · corpus.blog/blogs/michaeldoornbos.com/posts
michaeldoornbos.com
michaeldoornbos.com
2018
26 Jul 2018
26 Jul 2018
25 Jul 2018
25 Jul 2018
Zenith Aircraft is now apparently doing a camper kit. I looked for wings. Nadda. Maybe it’s supposed to be a lifting body. Hoist it to 35k feet on the belly of a B-52 with the family on board and the let the screamcation begin.original ↗
25 Jul 2018
25 Jul 2018
24 Jul 2018
23 Jul 2018
23 Jul 2018
23 Jul 2018
You can’t question my coffee commitment. The entire purpose of this setup is camping coffee.original ↗
22 Jul 2018
Takes 2 hours to put up a free standing 3 hammock rig in a field but makes a pretty cool result. #airventure2018original ↗
21 Jul 2018
21 Jul 2018
21 Jul 2018
20 Jul 2018
Planning lunch with Caleb to go over his new business ideas. Pho and sailboat restoration much?original ↗
19 Jul 2018
Exactly 25 years ago I embarked on what seemed like a crazy adventure to a suburban kid from Chicago. I had absolutely no idea how it would build on the foundation my parents instilled in me and became core to who I am as an adult.original ↗
13 Jul 2018
On a new training program. Julie is strength training, Caleb is just starting Budo Taijutsu. I don’t want to be left behind in our family fitness quest.original ↗
13 Jul 2018
I pick three to five new Japanese words to learn every day at random (yes I wrote an app for it). Sometimes it makes for strange combinations...original ↗
11 Jul 2018
Gary gives a play by play as Mike G washes his plane. Mike G is the guy who says with pride “I’ve not washed this plane in 10 years”. We think he may have been switched with a clone by Aliens.original ↗
11 Jul 2018
Hard to tell until we move the table under it but it’s on it’s own landing gear for the first time. #myzenith750original ↗
8 Jul 2018
8 Jul 2018
Got to fly a terrific new airplane and made a new friend. Over the Mount Mitchell visitors center, around Mountain Air Airport and back in about 1/2 the time it usually takes. RV-10s are fast :)original ↗
8 Jul 2018
Making scale paper models to see if we can get a Zenith 750 and an RV-6A in a 48 foot T hanger together. #myzenith750original ↗
5 Jul 2018
4 Jul 2018
Last task before weight on wheels. Trying to hurry now because a hangar opened at AVL at the end of the month and we want to roll it onto the trailer rather than carry it. #myzenith750original ↗
4 Jul 2018
Caleb’s always been a metalworking kinda guy. Since I’m making an all metal plane he doesn’t need much arm twisting. Now if the camera man would put down the camera to hold the piece..:. #myzenith750original ↗
4 Jul 2018
2 Jul 2018
It’s very difficult to be unhappy if you’re grateful. This is one of the LESS scenic parts of my workout loop.original ↗
30 Jun 2018
30 Jun 2018
Wheel hubs. Check. Brake calipers. Check. Rotors. Check. Tools. Check. Baby powder... sigh. Check. Imma have fresh smelling wheels. #myzenith750original ↗
30 Jun 2018
One of my favorite things about small town living is the little things. A real barber shop with men talking about manly things on a Friday morning is one of them.original ↗
29 Jun 2018
In 1986 or so I asked for a Dremel for Christmas. This old thing helped me build model railroads, model planes and any number of projects over the years as an adult. I was a free range kid before there was a name for it. It shaped who I am. My parents bought power tools for their 10 year old and I still have all of my original fingers. Anyway it finally died. I feel kinda sad about it. So I bought another one. Here’s to another 32 years of making crap with Dremel tools.original ↗
27 Jun 2018
23 Jun 2018
Through Aviation I’ve become friends with so many people of all ages and backgrounds. Dave smiles like this every second he’s flying.original ↗
20 Jun 2018
Landing gear minus the wheels. I’ll tighten the bolts down when I am done measuring to make sure it’s aligned correctly #myzenith750original ↗
20 Jun 2018
11 Jun 2018
Was really on a roll on the landing gear until I overheated my compressor motor. Apparently I have a better duty cycle than an 8 gallon compressor. #myzenith750original ↗
9 Jun 2018
I’m always surprised by how nice but underutilized the Rutherfordton airport is. I’m thinking that my Zenith flight testing will be here if they have an available hangar.original ↗
9 Jun 2018
Flew through the mountain pass where Chimney Rock is. You can see where the parking lot slid down the hill during the flooding last week.original ↗
8 Jun 2018
Had to divert on my flight home. Someone blew a tire and “exited” the end of the runway. Landing at another airport sounded cheaper than holding in the air for a hour.original ↗
8 Jun 2018
Been thinking about my NEXT plane build. This is high on the list. Maybe in a different color though.original ↗
8 Jun 2018
The flying club airplanes and civil air patrol are lined up like little soldiers this morningoriginal ↗
8 Jun 2018
Flipped a coin on which wing to start first. Heads was the call so the right wing it is. #myzenith750original ↗
6 Jun 2018
Did some repairs on Marc’s GPS unit. The backup battery was buried and soldered to the board. Sheesh.original ↗
2 Jun 2018
Building airplanes is hard on my hands. My knuckles are finally healed from the last thing and now I skip a cutoff wheel across a longeron and nick it again. #itsjustafleshwound #myzenith750original ↗
30 May 2018
28 May 2018
28 May 2018
23 May 2018
18 May 2018
Tonight I arranged for three men who were T-38 Instructors to give a talk about some of their experiences. It was much much funnier than I expected. What a great privilege it is to not only know these guys but to get to call them my friends.original ↗
15 May 2018
12 May 2018
12 May 2018
Spent the afternoon watching my friend Simon do his Private Pilot Exam at Rutherford airport. The newest pilot in the US at this very moment is a Brit! Congratulations buddy!original ↗
1 May 2018
When you have a CNC in your shop making things like stands for your sprout jars takes 5 minutes.original ↗
30 Apr 2018
When we moved to the mountains 6 years ago we dreamed of no commute, quiet evenings with a book on the covered porch together, tea or bourbon and a view of nature. Do yourself a favor and jump off a cliff. It’s worth it.original ↗
28 Apr 2018
I want to do the Zenith logo on my instrument panel (and a couple other places) in aluminum. Test run on hdpe turned out great. #myzenith750 #zenithaircraft #homebuiltaircraftoriginal ↗
23 Apr 2018
21 Apr 2018
The Test carve they include was boring so I changed it to something a little more up my alley.original ↗
20 Apr 2018
20 Apr 2018
These guys have a new definition of “some assembly required”. This is like step 420... and that’s coming from someone building an airplane. #inventablesoriginal ↗
19 Apr 2018
Tonight I'm giving a seminar called "So, you want to build an airplane?". 7pm at 21 Aviation Way at the Asheville Airport. All of the cool kids are coming.original ↗
17 Apr 2018
I’ve always considered myself a dog person. I like cats, but somewhat indifferent. Valentine has decided that I’m her person. She follows me around and is almost frantic to get into my lap sometimes. It’s easier on my ego if I think of her as a stealthy murder machine rather than a fluffy lap cat.original ↗
14 Apr 2018
Time to put the fuselage halves together and cover up the arm biting chefs knife features of this plane. #myzenith750original ↗
14 Apr 2018
Caleb can no longer say “I’ve never been on a submarine before”. Museum ships totally count.original ↗
10 Apr 2018
One of the things I find most odd about the 1950s refit of the Yorktown was the addition of a Westinghouse escalator. It seems really out of place.original ↗
10 Apr 2018
10 Apr 2018
Today was the first time I’ve flown without any passengers in more than two years. Here are some random picture since I couldn’t look at what I was taking pictures of.original ↗
31 Mar 2018
24 Mar 2018