WIX Archives
Re: Best / Worst Restoration facility? & Should they be 'Open'?
Posted by Olivier Lacombe on Tue Dec 09, 2003 03:25:55 PM
In reply top Best / Worst Restoration facility? & Should they be 'Open'? posted by JDK on Tue Dec 09, 2003 02:07:30 PM
Excellent question JDK!!
I've never been to a restauration shop apart from our place or where Spitfire SL542 is being rebuilt (the guy is a friend, so it doesn't count). My point is that no, the shops shouldn't be obliged to open it up. Look at it this way : you like cars, and you go to a Ford plant and ask to be taken around the facility. What will happen? Propably they'll tell you to come back to the open day!
Our policy is too accept no one on WEEK-DAYS, because our mechanics need the time to work on the planes undisturbed, but if you'd show up on a SATURDAY, where we're always hanging around, it'll be our pleasure to show you around, depending on what's going on. If aircrafts are outsides and ground runs or flights being prepared, you'll be invited to stick around to have a look at the operation, and afterwards, a tour of the place can be made. Sometimes, we're having a family reunion at the hangar, and when someone shows up, I tell him that we can't tour the place, but that he's welcome to come back another Saturday when we are free. I never turned anyone away and am always glad to answer questions when we get visitors in the summer time.
My best memories was about 4-5 years ago, one week-end before going to the Mont-Joli airshow with the T-28, Harvard, Chipmunk and P-3. I had arrived early to get everything ready, and a guy jumped over the fence (usual way to get in, LOL!) and came up to me, asking me to tell him what aircraft was parked outside (our locator had a Commander 700 at the time). I told him what it was and invited him on a tour. I showed him everything, he was stunned to see all those Warbirds in the hangars! He asked permission to take pictures of the T-28 (he thought it was still an active USN bird!) and the rest. I learned that he was a civilian contractor working for the Luftwaffe and that he was in Montr?al for a class on the Challenger. Whew!
Well, as I said, shops shouldn't be obliged to open up, but they should at least have a couple of open days each year or have a time when people could come to check things out!
Cheers,
Ollie