Folks here's my take on Gathering 2012. I'm a technical writer and an IT specialist so I tend to look at things a little differently. Having been a newbie several times in the last few years of my career, the newbie vantage point seems to have become pretty important to me and one that is often overlooked.
So bear with me for the next few minutes. I have spent some time going over my notes, looking at the pictures I took and going over the events I was able to attend at the Gathering. My wife and I drove to the Gathering from Collinsville, IL, about 1hr 20m from MVN. We were only able to go for a little while on Saturday due to schedule issues and the like. We arrived about 10 am on Sat just in time for the "Technology in the cockpit" forum. I opted to go look at the planes instead because I'm an owner and builder of a stock KR about 50% complete and I really wanted to see how the various builders did things...like seats, rudder pedals, cable routing, panels, landing gear...well, you know...the cool stuff. I was happy to see 10 KRs out there. I would have liked to see a few more but that's ok, the weather kept several away. I didn't see any of the KRs fly, no opportunities to bum a ride. I'm sure there will be time for that down the road but would have been nice to see them in action. We got to talk to a few people although it was hard to talk to those who flew their KRs in because there was no way to identify the owners/builders from the rest. I would have liked to know what plane belonged to what owner. I don't think I was able to talk to any of the owners except Larry Flesner, because my wife and I met him at the Sparta airport to look at his plane one weekend. I talked to some other guys there but most were like me, newbies, and that didn't help much except the ability to share the excitement and enthusiasm we each have for KRs and our respective projects. I sat in on the Engine forum. It was good to hear what Steve Bennett, Mark Langford and others had to say about the various engines either pulling KRs or being considered. All in all it was good but as a newbie I went away from it wanting a little more. Sure I can read FAQs all day long but that isn't as fulfilling as having an experienced builder (or builders) get up there and give an overview of what a builder needs to know about the various engine out there...what it's like to own a plane using a particular engine, what is life like sitting behind that engine, what maintenance is like with that engine, what to expect as far as real-life performance, reliability and longevity with that engine. Steve B demonstrated the effects of fittings in the fuel line in a gravity fed fuel system. What was missing was best practices with regard to fuel systems. I was sitting there waiting for the answer. I intended to have an electrical lift/boost pump in my plane anyway but it would have been nice hear it from an expert. Maybe they felt like they might be preaching to the choir. There are newbies out there too. So what if it seems a bit elementary for the guys already flying, I would have enjoyed it a bit more that way. What else would I like to see? Well, I've never been to a Gathering before but maybe some workshops, I don't know. I have lots of questions about electrical system design, proper fiberglass work, where carbon fiber is better than glass, antenna installation, maybe Wicks can come out with their rotary swage tool and make custom swaged cables for folks at a special price, I don't know. I only saw 2 items on the "for sale" table....maybe have more stuff for sale/trade available...I know that's more weight to carry around and all... Please don't take this as a dig. The organizers did a great job. I enjoyed it very much...but please take my observations as constructive criticism from a newbie's point of view. Someone was just saying, we need more new planes to drool over....well, it will be by and large the newbie that will provide these drool inducing things in the future. ...or not. Phill Hill Collinsville, IL
