April program: Rex Harris, Spectro Oil Analysis

It ain't just RV's

   As a Thorp owner, I just liked the title. There is little doubt that the advent of kit constructed aircraft has been the single most important boost to homebuilding and the EAA. You also will not get much argument that the RV series has probably been the best of the lot as evidenced by the numbers of finished planes and the fact that I‘d like to own one. At times I forget about the enormous amount of activity out there that is not contained in the kit basket. Guys designing new engines, plans built aircraft, one of a kind aircraft, modifying an existing ship or inventing a new piece of hardware. There’s an amazing amount of innovation going on in and around the EAA. Now that I’ve prostrated myself at the altar of VanGrunsven, let‘s visit some other parts of the experimental world.

Sam Tilleman and Saber Manufacturing
   You’ve seen the commercial with the line, “I liked it so much I bought the company”. A couple of years ago Chapter 983 member Sam Tilleman almost lost a prop on his Thorp because of an incompatible extension and crush plate. He had to buy a new set and when he saw the quality of the work and the materials he liked it so much he bought the company. After all, he didn’t have enough to do already as a supervisor at the Commanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant.
   Judy Woofter started Saber in 1984 and the one woman operation moved to a mountaintop in Arizona when she married Clark Lydich who manufactures Performance Props. The combined work had gotten to be a little too much when along comes Sam and a short time later he’s trying to figure out how to get a mill, a lathe and a truck full of gear down that gravel, switchback road.
   It’s a fascinating business and it’s all experimental. His extensions and crush plates are on all the Formula 1 racers, test stands for Continental and Sensenich, almost every homebuilt that uses an extension and just about every new experimental being built. Sam says the new aircraft programs are one of the best parts of the business. When a new plane is taking shape he gets to see it in the design phase and sometimes will make several extensions as it morphs. He just recently sent the first extension to Taiwan for a biplane MIG replica. He supplies about 90% of the world market for prop extensions and has manufactured them for biplanes, blimps and chicken coop fans.

   We talked (actually I listened and half understood ) about quality controls for the materials and manufacturing process. Every shipment that he receives, whether it’s raw stock or prop bolts, is accompanied by a document certifying material and manufacturing test results for the particular lot sent to Sam. Even the anodizing is done to MIL Specs. The CNC mill and lathe he uses are controllable to within many decimal places (I’m usually working in the 1/4 inch tolerance range) but when he said 1/60th the thickness of a sheet of paper I got the idea. Hold up this piece of paper and look at the edge!
   When I first heard about his place on Nassau Bay Airpark I envisioned; a big hangar, big machines and racks of tools and supplies. In actuality his work area is about 20’ by 40’ and that encloses both machines, work benches, desk, computer, racks of finished pieces and various bits of equipment. Tight but handy. All this in a hangar shared with a Thorp, a Bellanca and his ‘65 Chevy Hot Rod pickup.
   If you have the opportunity, stop by and visit Sam. It’s always interesting to meet one of the many faces of experimental aviation.