Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net> (Marvin Kaye)
To: lml
Date: Mon, 03 Feb 2003 19:16:40 -0500
Message-ID: <redirect-2008249@logan.com>
From: Dan O'Brien <danobrien@cox.net>
Subject: Yes, an Online Manual!
In-Reply-To: <list-2007562@logan.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

To Joseph Bartels:

Welcome!  Here's two cents from a slow builder of a fast-build kit.

I love the people at Lancair.  They've been extremely helpful every time 
I've spoken with any of them.   Lifetime customer support (takes some of us 
that long) for FREE.  Where else can you find that in this day and 
age?  The individual support has been just super.  Please try to keep your 
people.

However, the manual for the ES (and I assume other models from what I read 
on this list) is FAR TOO STATIC.  In fact, mine has been completely static 
--- no changes or updates --- over 4 years.  I know that building 
techniques and ideas develop and improve from reading this list, but it 
does not appear that the company has made any systematic effort to 
incorporate this information into the manual.  I think this is very 
unfortunate.  Builders spend more time than necessary hunting for solutions 
and wondering whether solutions suggested by others would be blessed by the 
company.  Company engineers spend more time than necessary on the phone 
repeating the same solutions over and over again.  They do so with a 
"smile,"  but it's not very efficient.  Wouldn't it be better if they could 
say "why don't you have a look at drawing xyz or update abc on the website 
and call me if you feel you need to discuss it further."

In my opinion, Brent Regan's idea to offer manuals on a secure website with 
ongoing updates is a complete no brainer.  I think this is the number one 
step the company could take to improve customer satisfaction.  There seem 
to be a lot of smart techy types on this list (not me!) that could offer 
good suggestions on how to make such a site workable.  Obviously, this is 
not an improvement that can happen overnight.  But after a year or two of 
builder-experience-driven updates, my guess is the manual for each plane 
would look much, much better.

The ES manual is also woefully deficient in discussing certain systems, 
including the electrical system, the panel, and the interior.  I realize 
that a lot of builders farm out the panel and interior.  But some of us 
don't want to do that either because we want to save money or because we 
just want to say we built the whole thing.  If you're in one of these 
categories, like I am, then there is almost no guidance on how to 
proceed.  I've gotten most of what I need about the electrical system from 
Bob Nuckoll's Aeroelectric Connection, but this involved more work than 
necessary to track down design information and answers to questions.  I got 
information about panel construction off of various websites and talking to 
various people.  Slow process.  I'm still hunting for information on how to 
install a serviceable if not quite professional-looking interior.

Good luck in your new endeavor!