Daryl Lenz of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Daryl Lenz
Preserving the Traditions Of Flight

As a student at Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wisconsin, Darryl Lenz began a lifelong respect for the history of flight. Lenz joined the flying club and later enrolled in a work study program with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). He found a pile of wood and some plans in the corner of a room there, and later learned that it was the intent of the school staff to build a replica Wright Flyer for the EAA Museum in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.

At that time the project was sitting dormant. When the work-study program ended, he began working on the project and soon had quite a few of the other students working on it as well. Eventually the project was completed. Lenz then went to work for EAA.

Today Lenz is the director of aircraft maintenance for the EAA. It was founded in 1953 by a group of individuals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who were interested in building their own airplanes. Through the decades, the organization expanded its mission to include antiques, classics, war birds, aerobatic aircraft, ultra lights, helicopters and contemporary manufactured aircraft.

Born and raised in Marshfield, Wisconsin, Lenz was ensconced with airplanes as a child. "I always enjoyed watching airplanes fly over our house on takeoff or approach to landing" he said. When I was about 16, I decided to become an aircraft mechanic because I enjoyed maintenance and figured it would make flying more accessible to me."

His path to his current position with EAA was not continuous. He had left EAA to work for KC Aviation in Appleton, Wisconsin, working on corporate aircraft. At that time, he volunteered at the EAA hangar, working on the restoration of vintage aircraft. In 1987, he left his post at KC Aviation to accept the position of director of aircraft maintenance with EAA.

His love of flying has paralleled his career. "I also received my commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings and was privileged to fly several EAA airplanes including a Cessna 340, Cessna 182, and right seat in the B-17 and B-25," he said.

But, his interest in flying is secondary to his main interest: maintenance and restoration. "Many of the aircraft that we work on are relatively rare and can be challenging to maintain and locate parts for," he said. The scarcity of parts further accents the importance of careful, planned, and preventive maintenance. The aircraft he maintains are vintage, but are operated and provide demo flights to the public.

"We offer rides in aircraft such as the Ford Trimotor, Travelair biplane, a Spirit of St. Louis replica, and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress" he said. "The increase in hours flown each season while keeping our staff size the same, has required us to modify our maintenance philosophy. We rely very heavily on preventative maintenance during the winter months to ensure that we can keep up with inspections and discrepancies during the flying season. Because of this philosophy, many of our aircraft operate with very little or no downtime during the flying season."

As a maintenance manager Lenz rates parts as his biggest challenge. "Parts for many of the older aircraft are scarce, which means that you either have to find a way to rework existing parts or fabricate new ones," he explained. "Many of these parts are not hard to make but getting them approved can be. We have been fortunate to have some very good FAA inspectors to work with and have had a lot of success with getting field approvals. There is, however, a push within the FAA to change the field approval process that could make it harder to obtain these approvals."

Lenz doesn't feel that the loathsome approval process makes the EAA aircraft in danger of falling out of the sky. He only feels that the stringency of the process could tempt some to circumvent the process.

"This increases the mechanic's liability when they take responsibility for the aircraft each time they sign off the annual inspection," he said. "The good news is that the FAA Small Airplane Directorate in Kansas City has taken some steps that could help maintain aging aircraft such as an inspection guide and approvals for some part and material substitutions."

In addition to the scarcity of parts, Lenz also believes that the work processes used in his maintenance pose challenges. "Use maintenance manuals and reference material if they are available" he emphasized. "Many of the problems that I have seen have been caused by a lack of knowledge of the work performed."

For career-minded professionals in the aviation maintenance field, Lenz has some pointed advice: take advantage of every educational opportunity available.

"Whether it's formal training or informal—like working with someone on the weekends covering an aircraft—get as much experience as you can." — By Jim Romeo