Rick and I enjoyed this week. We learned a great deal. We now feel comfortable with the assembly process.
Rick & Leah Hurst
RV-10 - June, 2008
rdawson@eastman.com
This was superb training. Jacob and Mike did an outstanding job. I would highly recommend it to any experimental builder.....Thank you for providing such a wonderful course and an excellent experience. This was one of the highest value for money experiences in all of my professional career.
David Fogarty
RV-7A - August, 2007
djfogarty@aol.com
Jacob did an excellent job instructing and preparing us for the rest of the build. He is very knowledgeable and patient. He taught us the basic skills we need and is very meticulous about the results. He gave us pointers on reading plans and warned us about pitfalls. We highly recommend this program to all builders - especially first time builders.
Dean and Debbie Maheras
RV-7 - May, 2007
Jacob and Mike did an excellent job teaching us the fundamentals necessary for proceeding with this project. Jacob strives for perfection and expects the same of his students. I consider the parts we built are of good quality thanks to the supervision of Jacob and Mike. I don't think I would have embarked on this project without the valuable tools/techniques I picked up from this class.
Donald Kirmis
RV-7A - February 2007
kdcabin@starband.net
Jacob and Mike did an excellent job and are very knowledgable. They demand high quality and scrutinize your workmanship. Just what a first time builder needs.
John McKiernan
RV-7 - November, 2006
rockyjs@mchsi.com
Great course. Jacob and Mike did a thorough job of instruction. I wish we had spent a little more time on what to expect with the rest of our project. This course is a must for builders new to airframe construction. I would not have been proud of what I would have produced without the help of Jacob and Mike.
Tim & Emily Taylor
RV-9A
taylort@umkc.edu
I recently attended your RV Builders Assistance program and wanted to personally thank you and your staff for the excellent hospitality and learning experience. The two instructors, Jacob Biang and Mike Crowe, provided a wealth of knowledge and time in working with me on my project. Their expertise and skill gave me the necessary training and confidence to complete the remaining portion of my airplane project.
The accommodations and specifically the room and tools for building the tail kit were excellent. All of your staff was extremely pleasant and helpful with everything that was needed.
Gary Collier - April, 2006
RV-10
skyking@us.ibm.com
Ron, I want to take a moment to thank you for the outstanding week I just had in your tail kit program and to let you know what great people you have working for you.
Jacob and Mike are the greatest! Their knowledge of not only the tail kit but standards and building in general is quite impressive. Jacob is an outstanding instructor and communicator and just an outstanding young man. He will go far in life and is a great asset to your organization. Mike’s knowledge and skills are beyond reproach and a great addition to your program as well.
I must admit that I was overwhelmed the first day or two but by Wednesday I started to settle in and began to understand what I was doing. Under the watchful and patient eyes of Jacob and Mike, I was able to get through the week with only a few “dumb” mistakes. It was a blessing having them there to correct me before I got in too deep.
The course was everything I could ask for and more. While I believe I have good mechanical aptitude and skills, aircraft construction was totally foreign to me. I could have muddled my way through the empennage but I am convinced that the time to do so would have been measured in months instead of days and the quality would surely to sub par to that which I achieved in your program.
Everything flowed smoothly from my first communications with Beverly to the packing of my finished tail kit for the ride home. It was a fast paced week and I am still amazed at how much I learned and completed in a short week. I left your facility one tired puppy but with the confidence that I can now continue with my RV and finish with a quality and safe project.
I highly recommend your program to any new or intermediate level builders who are interested in becoming effective and efficient builders and want to get out of the starting blocks quickly.
Thanks again to everyone for their hospitality and especially to Jacob and Mike for putting up with my newbie questions and so willingly sharing their knowledge and skills with me. They were simply awesome!
I wish all the best to you and to your team.
Regards,
Tom Maxwell
Houston, Texas
Tom Maxwell - February, 2006
RV-7
maxwelltl@aol.com
Jacob Biang is an excellent instructor. He has the ability to explain the process where someone with absolutely no experience can grasp and understand it. He is a very safety coscious instructor. We really enjoyed him.
David Watson - February, 2006
RV-8
watson.david@ccbg.com
The instruction was the very best possible. Jacob and Mike are the best people you could find for their jobs. I really had a fine time and learned a lot.
Gird A. McCarty - January, 2006
RV-9A
mac11hsd@earthlink.net
This was the greatest course/workshop I have ever taken. I can't believe you are not overbooked. Every new RV builder should be taking this course. It would be worth it at twice the price. I will spread the word to everyone I meet.
Jack Basiago - December, 2005
RV-7A
email jbasiago@sprynet.com
Mike and Jacob were excellent instructors! Both were patient and knowledgeable. If I did not take this class I may have never completed my kit. Now I am sure that I will.
Chuck & Cindy DiBella,
RV-7A - November, 2005
The class gave me choices of which tools to buy for myself. I am a very satisfied customer. I will visit when the airplane is finished.
Joe Bechtold,
RV-8A - October, 2005
I feel the knowledge I gained while attending the class was insurmountable. Jacob did an outstanding job of demonstrating the "right" way of doing things and which techniques deliver the best results. Thanks a million for your help!
J.T. McCracken,
RV-8 - October, 2005
Great course! Would be nice to have more courses for different stages of the building process. Also painting and preparation.
-Peter Tranchell-
RV-7A - September, 2005
Thank you very much for your excellent facility, personnel, and program. Jacob and Mike are superb instructors and their knowledge about the RV's is oustanding. This will be the best money we will spend on this project. Both Mike Brown and I were composite, rag and glue guys but now have the skills and attitude to build the airplane.
-Tyler Bryant- September, 2005
Jacob and Mike were exceptional. I couldn't have enjoyed it more or been more impressed with the company.
-John Castor-
RV-9 project - September, 2005
"I am very impressed with Jacob and Mike. They are an excellent team. Tools were very good. The course is a natural fit for people ordering quick build kits. This course is a great start."
- Steve Anderson -
" Alexander Technical Center
...a PIREP from Thomas Henderson
Ever drink from a fire hose .....for five days continuous?
I did that last week. You can put me down as a gonnabe instead of a wannabe. Ordered the tail two weeks ago, had it shipped to Griffin, Ga, and attended the Quickstart Tail program at the Alexander's Technical center.
If you don't know much about the program, let me enlighten you. This is not a "watch someone build you a tail" program. This is a highly refined instructional week with excellent and knowledgeable instructors guiding you through the process of completing the entire empennage (in 5-6 days). There is virtually no wasted time with "eyewash", and every working hour is maintained as high activity and is so well organized, that you must take notes to remember what actually happened earlier in the day. The instructors are great. Knowledgeable would be an understatement. Theses guys have seen over 200 empennage kits completed in their shop. They have all the toys (tools, jigs, workbenches, etc.), and the best part is that they maintain an enthusiastic and optimistic approach to building, even though we continually challenged their patience on a regular basis. The best part is they would not accept anything less than perfection. If it comes though the shop, then it leaves as a quality project.
Let me reemphasize the fact that they do not build your empennage. They teach you how, and supervise as you build it yourself. What an experience! "
- Tom Henderson -
"This program was one of the best hands-on training I have ever encountered. For a person who has no experience in sheet metal work and is building his own airplane, it is a great jump start in getting into building the kit and gaining the knowledge and confidence to carry on with the kit and finish it. The assistants were fantastic. I would recommend Alexander's to anyone asking me about it."
- Thomas R. Fries -
"Our learning experience far exceeded our expectations and will be used extensively in the remaining construction project."
- Frank & Carolyn Bretz -
"Great group of instructors."
- Larry Vihtelk -
"Best tuition dollar I have ever spent, and that includes a lot of grad school."
- Len Loudis -
"Instructors and assistants were professional, patient, courteous and friendly. I couldn't have asked for more."
- Linden Shoemaker -
"I stopped by your office on Friday to give you my personal thanks for an excellent experience. Unfortunately I missed you. I feel that the course was not only educational, but also fun. It gives me the skills and confidence to continue on with the remainder of the RV-7. I am sure that you have had many comments from other students about the quality of your course and facility so I will stick to two points.
First the cost. When I first explored the possibility of attending your course I was concerned about the cost. After doing a little back of the envelope cost analysis I decided that the cost was fair, so I signed up for the class.
After attending the class I discovered that the cost was a bargain. The point is how can this be conveyed to others. I'm not sure how to pass on this message, but potential students that might be put off by the cost need to understand the high value of the course and the resources that go into executing the course.
My second point is to say a couple of things about Jacob. Of course his technical and instructional skills are superb. He is a natural project leader. In my career as a senior engineer at Harris Corporation there were few engineers that were his equal. His organization and people skills are excellent. He continually is getting the next few steps ready to keep the work flow going. I also observed that he has the respect of the other technicians at your facility as well as other shops at the airport.
Again, thanks for a rewarding educational experience."
- Lapsley R. (Roger) Caldwell -
My name is Gary Guilliat and I am building a RV-7. Steve Wilson and myself attended your builder assist program from November 1 through November 7. I feel that we received quality instruction and training during the time allocated. I was more than impressed by Jacob Biang's knowledge, dedication, and persistent need to maintain quality control. The tools, jigs, and the facility was certainly adequate to do the job. As for the cost of the program, I feel that it was money well spent given the time it would have taken us to complete this on our own.
- Gary Guillait -
I feel that I received value for the cost of this program. I was very impressed with the instructor's patience, knowledge, and attitude
- Tom Gray -
I felt the course was well worth the cost and the effort. I learned a lot during the week and was very satisfied with the quality of the final part construction. I now feel confident that I can complete the rest of the kit. I'm sure I'll make mistakes along the way, but this was a great way to start. Jacob and Mike were extremely experienced and helpful during the entire week. Its hard to find that level of experience among other builders. The course was a LOT of work, The days were longer than I anticipated, but it was satisfying work. Thanks for a great start to my project.
- Craig Gallenbach -
...When I signed up for the course, I had two goals, one was to have, as a result of the workshop, a safely built tail kit, the other was to learn enough to complete a RV, I am happy to say the course was a real success as far as I'm concerned...
Frankly, I don't know how long it would have taken me, on my own, to complete the tail kit-or even if I would have....
I'm happy to tell that, because of what Mike and Jacob were able to show me, that I have every confidence that the airplane will fly in due course.
- Daniel Baier -