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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home 10 things to know for Thursday What does Uncle Foods weekly dinner mean to you? Education Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Grizzlies claim speech championship Levy backers eye final push Neal Simon: This is a test Grade-school philanthropist Environment Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Business Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Ride & Drive: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Silvio Calabi: Taxis and traffic in the olde worlde Politics and elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election State News Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries R. Charles "Charlie" Snyder Death Notices Harry D. Detwiler Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Chris Singleton: No need for a rematch Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August High school Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Southern Oregon University SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Same old Raiders Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Who's got next? Voices Latest Stories James Jackson: Who’s driving your fear? Landgren cartoon: What the frack? Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Granlund cartoon: Texas conspiracy Landgren cartoon: Deflategate intensifies Editorial Our View: Forest work is a bargain Our View: What price history? Our View: Waging peace after war Our View: Rail car roulette Our View: Reading the tea leaves Letters Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Columns Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Matthew T. Mangino: Aging prisoners: An American crisis Jeffrey Gillespie: Is there a right to offend? Editor's Notes: This, that and the other Mochas, Midrash and Mysteries: Balancing the gift and the task Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Movie listings: May 8-14 Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' 5 picks for live entertainment Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'Arsenic and Old Lace' has killer charm Some OSF crew members seek to unionize Music The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Movie listings: May 8-14 Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: Once in a while a star blows up Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home Antionette Kerr: Mother’s Day founder challenged commercialism Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... PIPER CUB RESTORATION Working on airplanes lifts his spirits up, up and away David Wolske found a way to make a living doing what he loves By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 3, 2015 @ 12:42 pm Updated May 4, 2015 at 10:40 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 3, 2015 @ 12:42 pm Updated May 4, 2015 at 10:40 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Airport Day returns May 16 » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> For David Wolske, heaven is being in his hanger at Ashland airport, whiling away the hours, meticulously restoring fabric-covered antique airplanes, such as his current project, a 1940 Piper Cub. Having opened up the skin of the 75-year old Cub J-3, recently damaged in a windstorm, Wolske replaces wing ribs, pulleys, cables and wiring, then recovers the body in dacron, cuts fabric tape with pinking scissors, then applies “dope” (a lacquer-like liquid) to taped joints. It’s a century-old art and Wolske is one of the few in the country who know how to do it. He jokes about following the standard life route — going to college, getting a degree and becoming a career counselor, but then the wild blue called.  “I realized I wasn’t having any fun or doing what really appealed to me,” says Wolske. “Then one day, I happened to be in a shop and watched all these mechanics so focused and working with their hands on airplanes and I saw myself doing it and loving it.”  He was in his mid-30s, but dropped his old career, jumped into Airframe and Powerplant school in Colorado, bought an old Stinson for $2,500 and — quite a rarity — soloed in his own plane. He worked six years for Piper corporate, keeping on a fleet of 150 planes in good repair. Then he wanted to go off on his own, building ultralight and experimental planes and “working with the little guys in the grass roots of aviation.”  Strolling around Ashland airport, Wolske shows off a 1970s Super Cub he refurbished (he calls it “repair and recovery”) for a customer, and a 1972 Citabria he bought on eBay and “brought back from death” after it was crashed in near-new condition. Restoration took a year and he sold that one too. It’s pure white, aerobatic-capable and looks in showroom condition.  Most planes are monococque, meaning they’re supported by the metal external shell. However, the old fabric planes, he explains, need an internal skeleton of metal spars, ribs and forms — and that’s what Wolske is a master of repairing. He’s also an authorized inspector. Wolske stresses repeatedly the need for near-perfection in his work, with the goal of eliminating the machine as the source of any misfortune in the air. To this end, he (and all good mechanics) do procedures by checklist, then have another mechanic go over it, step-by-step.  “There are no bad days in this work,” he warns. “You don’t have bad days.”  The Cub he’s working on now will be his personal machine and his love for it is obvious. It appears about half done and his focused and methodical tinkering seems filled with happiness and laced with adoration for the plane.  Famous for their simplicity and affordability, Piper Cubs began manufacture in 1937, going for a decade, with 20,000 put in the air. They cost $1,000 at the time and more than 80 percent of World War II pilots learned in Cubs.  “They’re fun, easy to fly and are the best kind of flying. They go 100 miles an hour. You can fly with the door open and it could land and take off on a football field if it had to. They definitely have a lot of old school nostalgia ... but how lucky can you be to work with model airplanes all your life and have them get bigger and bigger.” Wolske is Airport Commission Chairman, overseeing Ashland Airport Day, set for 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 16. It features visual displays, helicopter and biplane rides, food and family fun. Volunteers may contact [email protected]. “People come here for Airport Day,” he says, “to support general aviation and seat-of-the-pants flying. It’s lots of fun.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].   By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted May. 3, 2015 @ 12:42 pm Updated May 4, 2015 at 10:40 AM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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