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Jim and Wayne By Ralph Ballard
Most of you know Jim Coffman and Wayne Styles. Some know that they are good friends and joined the chapter together, a few years ago. But, did you know that they have a plan? |
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Jim fell in love with the RV-8 and Wayne did the same with the Bearhawk. The result was a pact. Jim would build the RV-8 with Waynes help, and Wayne would build a Bearhawk with Jims help. They both pitched in to help Dick Haigh build his RV-6A, in order to learn the basics of homebuilding. |
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They have bought and built tools to help in this endeavor, and have a well stocked work bench, tool cabinet and paint booth, as well as, a new back riveting table. As you can see in the above picture, they also have a system worked out, that works like an assembly line. Wayne removes the cleco and puts the rivet in the hole and Jim sets it with the squeezer. They riveted the horizontal stabilizer in to time flat. Of course, preping the parts takes much longer, but four hands are better than two. The back riveting table allows one person to rivet things like stiffeners spars and ribs, at least partially, to the skin. Jim and Wayne can usually be found at the hangar on weekends, and welcome any help or questions. |
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Above; back rivet table w/ 1/4” steel plate embedded in front edge. Right Top; paint booth. Bottom; tool and parts cabinets |