I had no prior experience in aviation before this job. I initially was hired to work in the parts department where I would create work orders and job kits for the production floor. I only worked in the parts department for a month when the shop manager put me on the production floor to train in various departments.

I assisted in the covering department; finishing the wings, tails, and fuselage with Dacron and dope as well as making the leather interior paneling / seats for the cockpit. I did that for a few months before I moved to the composites department where I learned to work with fiberglass and carbon fiber making baffles, fairings, and wheel pants.

After that I landed in my final resting place, the wing shop. I worked there the longest but would sometimes still go to assist in the aforementioned covering and composite departments as needed. They called me their Jackie of All Trades. 🥹

I use the word “department” loosely; the covering department was one person, the composites department was one person, and the wood shop only had three other people in it besides myself. It was a very small operation while I worked there. We only produced 8-10 planes per year.