The big news is that I have my engine. The little post is the link to the documentary about the experience of getting the engine. In late February I traveled to Tulsa to watch the assembly and first run of my Superior IO-360 at Barrett Precision engines. I was gone nine days, and it was quite an adventure. I won't elaborate too much here because it's all in the documentary, but I will explain the documentary process a bit and touch on subsequent events.
Since I was already planning to document the experience using video, photos and audio recordings, I decided early on to assemble it all into a movie that would be 45 minutes or less. That would make it the perfect length for a presentation at one of the EAA Chapter 113 meetings. I figured it would be the most efficient way to share the story, rather than get up there with a ton of slides, pages of notes and a tangled tongue. The video is a mix of real time, time lapse and still photos. The audio is a mix of voiceovers, sound effects and a musical sound bed. Visual media was captured on a Garmin Virb action camera and a Canon EOS Rebel SL-1 camera. Audio was a mix of different recordings captured on the Virb, Canon, my cellphone, my computer, vinyl albums digitized onto a Sony hard disc recorder, and downloaded music and sound effects. All of this was compiled and edited on the road and at home in many different locations and circumstances, so it's a bit of a mismatched mess in some ways, especially the audio. I was in a rush to get it done as quickly as possible because my new computer had to go back to the manufacturer for some warranty repairs within a limited time frame. But the editing pulled it all together well enough that I think it's worth sharing. I met my goal for the length, just barely; running time is 44:56. Although I did cover the build in detail, this isn't an instructional video on how to build an engine. It's more of a documentary on my entire experience during the journey, from beginning to end. So pick a good movie night, settle in and enjoy it for what it is. Here's the link:
Barrettrip 2018 Movie
After my return, it was a couple of days before I could get the engine out of my pickup truck and into the detached garage. With the help of two of my PTK friends Harry Manvel and Jeff Nelson, I got it offloaded and on sawhorses.
I built a rolling table for the semi-crated engine that would allow me to roll it around the garage as needed, and also be capable of rolling outside from the garage area to the main shop. I'm sure this will be modified in the future, but this is the way it was initially built.
So the engine is built and home now. I'm still waiting for a delivery date on the prop from Whirl Wind. I keep hearing that it will be soon... but they've said that for three months now. I'll let you know when I find out. Even though I've been home over two weeks, I'm still catching up on a lot of administrative duties at home, so very little progress on the airframe has occurred since I've been back. That's where the next post will begin... but you knew that.
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