Gelato Aids Aircraft Construction

Sometimes, necessity becomes the mother of invention—which leads to thinking outside the box.

Every once in a while, some of the most mundane and obvious things we have around the house suddenly become a necessity in a busy hangar where aircraft building is taking place.

This is just what happened in the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 hangar at Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida.

For example, empty and washed Talenti gelato or sorbetto containers with screw tops make excellent containers for the nuts, bolts, washers and rivets needed for building an airplane.

In Chapter 534’s situation, these containers gradually started to accumulate at workstations within the chapter hangar.

The Hangar Monkeys—chapter members who show up to build and repair aircraft—no longer have to scour the hangar trying to find the right-size nut and bolt or some other exotic fastener.

Thanks to three husband-and-wife couples who enjoy a tasty frozen dessert called Talenti gelato, the Chapter 534 supply of aircraft fasteners is now organized and on display at various workstations in the hangar.

This ice cream treat becomes the source of the crystal-clear containers that can be purchased at most grocery stores.

Now, because of these pint-size plastic containers, much less time is wasted searching the hangar for the correct nut or bolt—and you’re helping the environment by keeping plastic out of the landfill.

Granted, someone has to take the time to do the sorting in the beginning, but once the system is set up and placed in convenient locations, everybody saves time.

During the sorting process, members learn what sizes of nuts and bolts are on hand and where they are. They also learn what other fasteners they might need to buy to round out the supply.

Blue masking tape is placed on the outside of each container or on the top of the screw-on lid, and the contents are noted with a black Sharpie. By picking up the container and looking through the clear plastic, it’s easy to verify that you’ve found what you need.

This very simple, time-saving solution facilitates aircraft building and repair in your hangar or shop—and besides, you get to enjoy a delicious dessert treat.