MONROE - He's built airplanes before. You know, the radio-model kind.
But now, Dave Waller of Monroe is building a real one. You know, the kind a real human can actually sit in. And actually fly.
At least that's the goal.
"Why am I doing this? Because I've always wanted to," said Waller, who is building a 1934 version of a two-seat Pietenpol Air Camper, which features wings above the open cockpit. "It's that simple. I just take on projects."
It's not a mid-life crisis, but a passion for the unknown for which he's always wanted to explore.
"Earlier I had things that got in the way, like work, my kids and their activities, and just life in the general," Waller said.
Now, it's his time, and his garage is his man cave. But instead of a keg and a big-screen TV, it's filled with three years' worth of assembly work on a wooden airplane frame. He figures he has about another year left before it's complete.
Actually, only part of the garage is all his, since it's cold out.
"The plane is tipped on an angle so I can get my car in," said his wife, Beth Shebesta. "That's the rule during winter."
Can she last another year with this?
"I have a lot of patience," she said. "Besides, when he's done with this, there'll be a different project."
But this one is Waller's most ambitious to date.
"It will be the real deal," said Waller, who has no training or education in areas such as engineering, mechanics or design. All he has is robust curiosity and a drive for accomplishment.
There are manuals to read and countless mechanical instruments to buy - he makes everything else by hand - but most daunting to Waller is the concept of knowing when to wrap it up.
"The most challenging part about this will be to know how good good-enough is," he said. "Maybe 95 percent is good enough. One-hundred percent may not be attainable.
"Perfection is a terrible goal."
But not a bad one when you consider someone has to fly the plane and survive. It won't be Waller, at least at first, as he does not have a pilot license.
But who will be his Guinea pig? Oops, we mean test pilot?
"Thankfully, I know a lot of dumb guys," he said, only to note he'll go through all of the proper aviation requirements before liftoff. "I'm not as cavalier as you might think."
In fact, he said the plane will need a lot of test runs by an expert for a while, and they may be as limited as taxiing down the runway.
The plane is likely to have a flight capacity of about 150 miles, he said, with a fuel tank to handle a couple of hours in the air.
That said, there will be no Amelia Earhart efforts to cross the world; rather he'll have just a cool novelty item to take for a spin above Cheese Days.
If and when he gets his pilot license, who will go up with him?
"Again, thankfully, I know a lot of dumb guys," Waller said.
Shebesta actually believes in his projects and said she may likely join him in flight - just not on the maiden voyage.
"We can't put all our eggs in one basket," she said.
But don't think Waller isn't attached to his work in progress, as he has already named it Althea.
He couldn't answer why he chose that name, but then again he couldn't explain other interesting projects into which he's delved.
There's the Russian motorcycle, complete with side car, where through some miracle, no one got hurt, he said.
There's the upside-down periscope, which now sits in the bottom of a pond.
He also built a tree house - inside his house.
"Now that was actually a good idea," Waller said.
As for the airplane, he calls it "my dumbest good idea yet."
Better yet, he's got an outlet.
"The kids are glad I'm out of the house, even if it's just the garage," he said. "But they do check on me once in a while."
Shebesta is confident the project will not only someday end, but will be a success.
"He jumps in with both feet until he figures it out," she said. "It's quite remarkable."
But now, Dave Waller of Monroe is building a real one. You know, the kind a real human can actually sit in. And actually fly.
At least that's the goal.
"Why am I doing this? Because I've always wanted to," said Waller, who is building a 1934 version of a two-seat Pietenpol Air Camper, which features wings above the open cockpit. "It's that simple. I just take on projects."
It's not a mid-life crisis, but a passion for the unknown for which he's always wanted to explore.
"Earlier I had things that got in the way, like work, my kids and their activities, and just life in the general," Waller said.
Now, it's his time, and his garage is his man cave. But instead of a keg and a big-screen TV, it's filled with three years' worth of assembly work on a wooden airplane frame. He figures he has about another year left before it's complete.
Actually, only part of the garage is all his, since it's cold out.
"The plane is tipped on an angle so I can get my car in," said his wife, Beth Shebesta. "That's the rule during winter."
Can she last another year with this?
"I have a lot of patience," she said. "Besides, when he's done with this, there'll be a different project."
But this one is Waller's most ambitious to date.
"It will be the real deal," said Waller, who has no training or education in areas such as engineering, mechanics or design. All he has is robust curiosity and a drive for accomplishment.
There are manuals to read and countless mechanical instruments to buy - he makes everything else by hand - but most daunting to Waller is the concept of knowing when to wrap it up.
"The most challenging part about this will be to know how good good-enough is," he said. "Maybe 95 percent is good enough. One-hundred percent may not be attainable.
"Perfection is a terrible goal."
But not a bad one when you consider someone has to fly the plane and survive. It won't be Waller, at least at first, as he does not have a pilot license.
But who will be his Guinea pig? Oops, we mean test pilot?
"Thankfully, I know a lot of dumb guys," he said, only to note he'll go through all of the proper aviation requirements before liftoff. "I'm not as cavalier as you might think."
In fact, he said the plane will need a lot of test runs by an expert for a while, and they may be as limited as taxiing down the runway.
The plane is likely to have a flight capacity of about 150 miles, he said, with a fuel tank to handle a couple of hours in the air.
That said, there will be no Amelia Earhart efforts to cross the world; rather he'll have just a cool novelty item to take for a spin above Cheese Days.
If and when he gets his pilot license, who will go up with him?
"Again, thankfully, I know a lot of dumb guys," Waller said.
Shebesta actually believes in his projects and said she may likely join him in flight - just not on the maiden voyage.
"We can't put all our eggs in one basket," she said.
But don't think Waller isn't attached to his work in progress, as he has already named it Althea.
He couldn't answer why he chose that name, but then again he couldn't explain other interesting projects into which he's delved.
There's the Russian motorcycle, complete with side car, where through some miracle, no one got hurt, he said.
There's the upside-down periscope, which now sits in the bottom of a pond.
He also built a tree house - inside his house.
"Now that was actually a good idea," Waller said.
As for the airplane, he calls it "my dumbest good idea yet."
Better yet, he's got an outlet.
"The kids are glad I'm out of the house, even if it's just the garage," he said. "But they do check on me once in a while."
Shebesta is confident the project will not only someday end, but will be a success.
"He jumps in with both feet until he figures it out," she said. "It's quite remarkable."