Posted on Feb 6, 2022
'Walking encyclopedia': West Milford Air Force vet to be awarded Master Mechanic Award
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https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/west-milford/2022/02/04/master-mechanic-award-west-milford-nj-air-force/ [login to see] /
It's been cold in Robert Menier's Newfoundland garage. After-dinner airplane fabrication has occasionally been out of the question.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Menier's retirement hobby is slightly more complex and expensive than most. Fabricating a light recreational airplane similar to a Piper Cub from plans is also risky, he admits.
"Sometimes it's a little chilly down there," said Menier. "I have a heater in there now, so that may help it out."
Menier is not a pilot. Still, he is especially qualified, said Don Provost, the treasurer and newsletter editor for Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 501.
"Bob Menier is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of the parts that go into the airframe of a corporate jet," he said. "[He knows] what can and must be done safely to keep them in good repair."
It's been cold in Robert Menier's Newfoundland garage. After-dinner airplane fabrication has occasionally been out of the question.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Menier's retirement hobby is slightly more complex and expensive than most. Fabricating a light recreational airplane similar to a Piper Cub from plans is also risky, he admits.
"Sometimes it's a little chilly down there," said Menier. "I have a heater in there now, so that may help it out."
Menier is not a pilot. Still, he is especially qualified, said Don Provost, the treasurer and newsletter editor for Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 501.
"Bob Menier is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of the parts that go into the airframe of a corporate jet," he said. "[He knows] what can and must be done safely to keep them in good repair."
'Walking encyclopedia': West Milford Air Force vet to be awarded Master Mechanic Award
Posted from northjersey.com
Hobbies
Flying
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel The rest of the story...
..."Once he joined the U.S. Air Force, Menier dove into hands-on, in-flight and classroom education into aviation mechanics. He left active duty in 1972 and within two years had earned airframe and powerplant ratings on his federal aviation mechanic certificate. His career took him to various North Jersey aviation firms. He spent time at Saturn Airways, Chatham Aviation, Aviation Metals and JET Aviation before retiring from Dassault Falcon Jet at Teterboro Airport in 2017. His gamut went from light experimental aircraft to military airliners and spanned from mechanical to digital. For his garage-built plane, however, Menier is going back to the basics. No modern satellite-linked navigation screens will grace his cockpit.
Menier is more concerned with the essentials.
He started his build by fabricating the plane's wooden ribs. He plans to later wrap them with a synthetic fabric more durable than traditional organic weaves. The plane's tubular steel alloy fuselage frame is next up. Rather than pay oversized shipping fees, Menier drove to Connecticut to self-deliver the tubes on the roof of his car. Welding will nonetheless have to wait. Menier is now getting accustomed to his new suitcase-sized welding unit. It has yet to touch any of the tubing meant for the plane. Menier knows his task is complicated, and he plans to be appropriately meticulous. For that reason, he has not set a timetable for its construction.
"It's just a hobby," he explained. "But it has to be done correctly."
Apart from tinkering in his garage, Menier spends time in his backyard garden and with his grandchildren. Though retired, Menier said he has no plans to leave West Milford with three children and nine grandchildren in the area. Menier and his wife Mary Ann have been married for 48 years. He is active in his local parish community and with Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 501. There, he lends his expertise to the Young Eagles programs designed to spur children with an interest in aviation.
"I've been blessed to learn from some truly great craftsman, not just technicians," Menier said. "There's a shortage of people going into the aviation field, and I'd like to do what I can to change that."
..."Once he joined the U.S. Air Force, Menier dove into hands-on, in-flight and classroom education into aviation mechanics. He left active duty in 1972 and within two years had earned airframe and powerplant ratings on his federal aviation mechanic certificate. His career took him to various North Jersey aviation firms. He spent time at Saturn Airways, Chatham Aviation, Aviation Metals and JET Aviation before retiring from Dassault Falcon Jet at Teterboro Airport in 2017. His gamut went from light experimental aircraft to military airliners and spanned from mechanical to digital. For his garage-built plane, however, Menier is going back to the basics. No modern satellite-linked navigation screens will grace his cockpit.
Menier is more concerned with the essentials.
He started his build by fabricating the plane's wooden ribs. He plans to later wrap them with a synthetic fabric more durable than traditional organic weaves. The plane's tubular steel alloy fuselage frame is next up. Rather than pay oversized shipping fees, Menier drove to Connecticut to self-deliver the tubes on the roof of his car. Welding will nonetheless have to wait. Menier is now getting accustomed to his new suitcase-sized welding unit. It has yet to touch any of the tubing meant for the plane. Menier knows his task is complicated, and he plans to be appropriately meticulous. For that reason, he has not set a timetable for its construction.
"It's just a hobby," he explained. "But it has to be done correctly."
Apart from tinkering in his garage, Menier spends time in his backyard garden and with his grandchildren. Though retired, Menier said he has no plans to leave West Milford with three children and nine grandchildren in the area. Menier and his wife Mary Ann have been married for 48 years. He is active in his local parish community and with Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 501. There, he lends his expertise to the Young Eagles programs designed to spur children with an interest in aviation.
"I've been blessed to learn from some truly great craftsman, not just technicians," Menier said. "There's a shortage of people going into the aviation field, and I'd like to do what I can to change that."
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