Fisher

[David MacRay]

Recent conversation about Canadian advanced ultralight rules being somewhat similar to the US Light Sport situation has brought to my attention Fisher kits.

Originally an Ontario company sold to someone who moved it in Ontario and now being revived by CKD.

They’re nice looking airplanes.

https://shop.ckd.aero/collections/airframe-accessories

[Slick Goodlin]

This has some good views into Fisher’s operation back when they were in Ohio(?). You have to get past the crushing failure of a guy who really thought everyone but him was an idiot and into the part where he finds humility and succeeds.

[Slick Goodlin]

And IIRC Fisher started in Ohio or somewhere thereabouts, moved to one of the Dakotas, then Ontario, then maybe China? Now back in Ontario.

They have an interesting way to protect their IP. Last I checked their drawings are incredibly expensive but include a credit towards parts. I think this helps prevent scammers from buying plans for a reasonable $200 or so, then copying them and reselling for $25 a set. On the other hand it prevents a cheap ass collector like me from buying reasonably priced plans that I’ll never build from.

[Colonel]

a guy who really thought everyone but him was an idiot

He might be right, you never know. Is he fabulously weathy and doesn't work very hard? Or is he a really smart guy like Sir Isaac Newton or Bobby Fischer, who had an IQ of 181 and is considered by many to be the greatest chess player that ever lived, which is impressive even by Canadian standards.

he finds humility and succeeds

Really? Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos and Musk all found humility and then succeeded?

I'm going to go with what Warren Buffet said about aviation.

Warren Buffett has expressed significant reservations about the airline industry, famously stating in 2007 that if a "far-sighted capitalist" had been present at Kitty Hawk, they would have "done his successors a huge favor by shooting Orville down". He views airlines as capital-intensive businesses with low profitability and high costs.

Here's a more detailed look at Buffett's views on aviation:
Aviation as a Poor Investment:
Buffett has consistently characterized the airline industry as a "death trap" for investors, highlighting its high costs and low profitability.
Capital-Intensive Nature:
He emphasizes that airlines require massive capital investments for fleet expansion, which often leads to unsustainable debt burdens.
High Fixed Costs:
Buffett points to the significant fixed costs associated with airlines, including aircraft maintenance, labor, and fuel, which can be difficult to control.
Commodity Pricing:
He also notes that airlines are susceptible to commodity pricing fluctuations, which can further impact profitability.
USAir Investment:
Buffett's first foray into airlines involved investing in USAir preferred stock in 1989, which he later regretted, citing the industry's low-profit, expensive nature.
Buffett's business partner, Charlie Munger, also has a strong opinion on the airline industry, considering it a frivolous industry

[Slick Goodlin]

a guy who really thought everyone but him was an idiot

He might be right, you never know.

I seldom reference Dunning and Kruger but wild claims were made with comically lacklustre results. The statement was that everyone who had ever designed or built an airplane was a lazy idiot and he was going to show how he could design and build a revolutionary fast, cheap, long distance cruiser in thirty days from zero to first flight.

he finds humility and succeeds

Really? Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos and Musk all found humility and then succeeded?

In a lot of cases the cart and horse have to be in the right order, or at the very least you better actually be that good if you’re going to say you are before becoming known. Doesn’t really matter though in a thread on ultralights made out of popsicle sticks. I haven’t watched in a while but IIRC the host eventually goes to see the Fisher kit factory and with a team working on it he builds a Youngster in under a month.

[Colonel]

Sometimes, what “everybody knows” turns out to be completely wrong. Feel free to shit on people who tell the truth.

For example, everyone knew that an object twice as heavy fell twice as fast. Sir Isaac Newton showed that was bullshit.

You’re probably too young to remember but “everyone knew” that stress caused stomach ulcers and they were untreatable. In the 1990’s a couple Aussie doctors said hey that’s wrong - you can treat them with antibiotics. The response from the medical community was violent.

I won’t talk about COVID, because "everyone knows" it came from a bat cave, and that social distancing saved lives, and masks work, and lockdowns are a good thing, and COVID jabs had absolutely no bad side effects, and natural/herd immunity is no longer a thing. Enjoy the spike proteins floating around in your body, which the "experts" here actually told me could not happen because "everybody knew that". Oops.

Yeah, it’s important not to question. Dissent must be crushed because it’s not what everybody is saying.

Hey, can I talk about the Salem Witch Trials yet? Too soon? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

In 2022, the last convicted Salem witch, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., was officially exonerated, 329 years after she had been found guilty.

[Slick Goodlin]

I base my reality on reality, not on someone else saying ‘because I said so.’

In the case of the video above, the only case I was considering at the time because I understand different situations are different, I stand by the guy being out of his mind in what he set out to do. Nearly anyone could have written out a schedule, compared it to centuries of data, and seen that his plan was going to miss the mark on timing by at least an order of magnitude. This isn’t me being high and mighty out of my own ass, this is me who often saves time and money by spending an hour jotting down numbers to find the best way forward.

Good news, I can stay on topic and relate this to building an airplane! When you’re buying supplies and have more than one supplier available, consider making an Excel spreadsheet of what you need and prices from the various suppliers. Yes it’s work but a focused hour spent on that can save you thousands of dollars.

[Slick Goodlin]

Aaaaanyways, wood planes are fun. Not a Fisher but today I’m working on a Fly Baby wing. This thing has had a zillion owners since the original builder passed away without finishing it and has been knocked around quite a bit with every move since. Last thing to do is a leading edge repair at the root then she’s basically done and ready for cover, or at the very least the commitment I made will have been fulfilled.