Any kit builders seeking volunteer help - Chicago Area?

[CHICAGORANDY]

A little background - I've been an aviation enthusiast for most all my 67years - free flight models, then R/C & flight sims, then joined EAA, now a regular volunteer at Airventure. I'm handy with tools, can drill or pop rivets with the best of 'em -lol - but am not a pilot and in fact have never even flown in a private aircraft. As such I don't belong to an EAA Chapter. I live within 10 minutes of Midway Airport on the S/W side of Chicago. Now that I am retired I find I have more free time than I need that I could put to good use for the right cause if not too far away.

All that to say I would truly like to be involved in the construction of a kit plane. I enjoyed being a TINY part of the 2014 1 week wonder at Oshkosh, and last year's wing assembly project. My financial reality dictates I will never be a kit owner or pilot but that does not prevent me from being close to airplanes.

Where would you good folks recommend someone start looking for builders who might welcome some free help to get their project built?

[vaflier]

Join an EAA chapter near you. You do not have to be an owner or pilot to do so. You will make new friends a number of which will likely love to have some extra hands on a project. It will expose you to many opportunities to become involved in aviation. You do not have to be rich to fly, and there may well be an instructor in the chapter that would trade some lessons for some help. All you really need to get started is a love of aviation and the desire to begin. Look into the Sport Pilot liscence, relativley inexpensive to train and then look for a used or damaged project to repair and fly. It can be way less expensive than you might imagine. Wish I lived closer to you as I would consider it my personal responsibility to get you into the air. it is never to late to get started. SOMEONE IN THE CHICAGO AREA PLEASE GET THIS MAN OFF THE GROUND !!!!!!!



Good luck
Randy in Va.

[Frank Giger]

We have a couple members who aren't pilots or own airplanes in our chapter, and they're treated with the same camaraderie as any of us!

Heck, due to experience with the chapter and around aircraft, treated as experts.

Just about everyone building or having built an aircraft wants help with something they're doing. Heck, even a hack like me can help sand on a wing.

[CHICAGORANDY]

There are 2 EAA chapters in the S/W burbs about equally close to my home (none in Chicago surprisingly?) Chapter 15 in Romeoville at Lewis and 461 in Bolingbrook at Clow. I'll flip a coin soon and join one of them to start the quest to assist. Lewis seems to have the 'better'? airport layout with two runways, a N/S and an E/W. NO idea if that matters. lol

[skier]

There are 2 EAA chapters in the S/W burbs about equally close to my home (none in Chicago surprisingly?) Chapter 15 in Romeoville at Lewis and 461 in Bolingbrook at Clow. I'll flip a coin soon and join one of them to start the quest to assist. Lewis seems to have the 'better'? airport layout with two runways, a N/S and an E/W. NO idea if that matters. lol

Rather than fipping a coin to decide which to join, go to each. See what people are building and how friendly they are towards you. All chapters have different personalities. See which is a better fit and join that one.