EAA’s program to build a complete aircraft during AirVenture-Oshkosh 2014 moved a step closer this week. Zenith Aircraft President Sebastien Heintz has put the final screws into the crate holding all of the materials needed to assemble the airframe for a CH 750. Another crate containing the powerplant will be shipped by Rotax and avionics are being sent by Dynon Avionics.
As the materials arrive in Oshkosh they will be placed in the enormous tent being erected on the EAA Square to house the construction of the One Week Wonder. At 8:00 a.m., on Monday, July 28th, EAA President Jack Pelton will open the crate and the countdown timer will start and a team of volunteers will begin the process of building the CH 750 with a goal of completing the aircraft and taxiing it by Sunday, August 3rd. While a core team of up to 100 volunteers will do most of the work, it is expected that thousands of additional people will stop by to watch the process, take a minute to pull a rivet and sign the construction log.
The mission of the One week Wonder is to introduce as many people as possible to the enjoyment and excitement of building an airplane from a modern kit. All of the difficult parts have been fabricated at the factory and the few skills required to assemble a quick build kit like the CH 750 are very easy to develop. The entire process can be accomplished with simple tools and basic, aircraft grade hardware. CNC machines have taken the complexity and difficulty out of building metal aircraft kits.
The core volunteer building team, responsible for most of the work, is for people who want to spend at least a few days working on the aircraft. For those interested in more than pulling a single rivet, applications are still being considered. Anyone interested in the core team should go to www.sport.aero.
