Additional Event Information & Acknowledgement of Industry Sponsor(s):
Have you ever thought about building your own aircraft? Then this event is for you. The 2026 Experimental Fly-In will not only have displays of amateur-built aircraft and other seminars in the morning (see EA61146000), First Flights and (EA61145999), What’s Involved with Kit Building), these two afternoon workshops will allow you to learn some of the basics of building your own metal or composite aircraft. Both workshops start at 1 PM in adjacent hangars.
1:00 PM: Basic Metal Aircraft Construction workshop
This workshop is designed to familiarize the attendee with basic metal aircraft construction and the tools used. Various specialized tools will be shown and discussed. There will be an opportunity for hands on fabrication such as locating, drilling and setting rivets in aluminum structures. Pull rivets will also be discussed.
1:00 PM: Composite Aircraft Construction and Repair workshop
The Composite Aircraft Construction and Repair workshop will introduce the attendee to basic composite building techniques relevant for Aircraft Construction pioneered by Rutan and Melvill with the introduction of the home-built composite aircraft. This course will provide a special focus on considerations related to maintenance and ongoing support for canard aircraft as well as a general discussion with regards to systems development and implementation.
About the SPEAKERS:
Basic/Metal workshop: Robert Di Meo - Flying since 1979. 6000 hours, ATP, MEI, CFI, CFII, EAA Tech Counselor. Currently flying for Kollsman Inc. as a test pilot for HUD, EVS and Joint Strike Fighter product lines. Have owned a Piper Arrow, C-172, Piper Aerostar and Piper Comanche. Built and currently flying a Vans RV-8.
Composites workshop: Izzy Briggs - Flying since 1986, Izzy Briggs, also known by his callsign "Atlantic," is an accomplished aviator, A&P, aircraft restorer, L2 rocket designer and entrepreneur specializing in unique canard aircraft. Best known for his transatlantic crossing and deep expertise in Burt Rutan-designed airplanes, Izzy operates BlackSky Composites, LLC at Sanford Seacoast Municipal Airport, LSFK in Sanford Maine. Over a career spanning almost 2 decades, he has mastered the complex engineering required to build, modify, and maintain specialized composite aircraft. Izzy earned a legendary reputation within the experimental aviation community through his long-distance flight achievements. Izzy is globally recognized as the pilot of the only Rutan Defiant twin-engine aircraft to ever successfully fly across the North Atlantic Ocean. In August 2022, while flying a newly purchased aircraft from Tønsberg, Norway back to Maine, Briggs suffered a severe oil leak that threatened complete failure of one of his engines. Forced to divert due to harsh weather in the Faroe Islands, he executed a high-stakes, 250-mile single-engine emergency landing in Stornoway, Scotland, safely bringing the plane down and earning local media praise for his poise under pressure. Outside the cockpit, Briggs is highly regarded as an elite craftsman in the custom aviation industry. Izzy serves as the principal and A&P of BlackSky Composites, LLC. The company provides specialized composite repairs, structural refurbishment, pre-buy inspections, and test-flight services for experimental aircraft owners. Izzy has personally restored, repaired, or modified more than 10 distinct aircraft. Notably, he meticulously restored a historic Rutan VariEze originally built by Steve Wright (which won the Rutan Designers Award in 1986). At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019, Briggs generously donated this beautifully restored piece of history to the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience (RAFE) to help preserve Rutan’s homebuilt legacy. He is currently returning the unique Scaled Composites Model 144 (CM-44) ISR OPV to flight.. 500 hours, SEL, MEL. Currently owns and operates a Rutan VariEze and is building a Cozy Mark IV.
Event website: https://chapters.eaa.org/EAA106/northeast-experimental-fly-in
About the EVENT, DIRECTIONS, SPONSOR:
This seminar is being held at the 2026 NorthEast Experimental Fly-In (FREE Admission, Seminars, & Parking) where many homebuilt aircraft are expected to be on display, including several Van’s RV and Rutan canard aircraft, as well as Zenith, Sonex, Kitfox, and more. Stay after this seminar for lunch and then a choice of two afternoon workshops where you will learn some of the basics of building your own metal or composite aircraft. Both of these workshops start at 1 PM in adjacent hangars.
IF FLYING IN:
HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT: Please taxi along ECHO to the northwest at LWM to the junction ramp between the red and the white hangars; Ground team will identify parking for homebuilts. Pre-registered your E-AB to be displayed to receive one free all-u-want breakfast and lunch combo ticket.
PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT: Please park on the North Ramp (large parking area next to Echo) where available spaces will be identified with a chalk circle around the space number, then walk past the red hangars to the event.
IF DRIVING IN:
Turn onto Holt Rd off Rt-125 in No. Andover (about 1 mile north of where Rt-133 turns East). At end of Holt Rd, turn right (Clark St). GATE 4 will be on the left.
Gate 4 will be manned 9:00am-10:30am so that our volunteers can also attend the seminars which start at 10:30am. We will have a cell phone # sheet on the yellow post to call at other times for someone to drive down and escort you in.
DIRECTIONS with MAPS – Go to About Us at the below link:
SPONSOR: EAA Chapter 106 https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa106 is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) educational public charity. EAA106 organizes and hosts this annual event which showcases amateur-built aircraft and offers several seminars throughout the day (similar to Oshkosh ‘forums’). EAA106 schedules educational seminars and programs for those building their own aircraft as well as active pilots throughout the year. EAA106 also flies Young Eagles and hosts museum aircraft.
The educational benefit is the reason EAA106 offers this FREE event, but come hungry – the chapter will have breakfast (9:00-11:00am) & lunch (11:00am-1:30pm) available to help offset their speaker and other expenses.
