Nearly 11 years ago, this happened...
I was one of the many people that made it happen.
This video makes my heart race, gives me chills and puts tears in my eyes. The amount of work it took to get to this day... well, I don't think I can quantify it.
Even though we did everything, checked everything and knew the baby was ready to fly, there was still just that tiny bit of unknown. It was literally THE First Flight.
While reflecting on this day, the amount of trust we had in each other was awe inspiring... the amount of trust that we had in Bill Bubb to let him take the controls and the amount of trust he had in the rest of us to agree to take the controls... really, just awe inspiring.
This day was my first First Flight experience. I was one of the many people on the ground... cheering, hoping, praying, waiting and cheering again. We experienced a couple-hundred First Flights after that, but this was a brand-new aircraft, partially made with brand-new manufacturing technology and lots of other brand-new things.
Not much work happened after those speeches that day. Hubba had to fetch me from the office and, as I recall, I was home "sleeping it off" by about 2pm.
May you be as blessed as I was to work with such an amazing team on such an amazing project. These, most definitely, were the "the good ol' days."
Showing posts with label aircraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aircraft. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Studio Spotlight: Criffin Designs
A few years ago I worked in an airplane factory.
It has become known as the good ole days around my house. We were working on a cool product, with a young, well-funded, entrepreneurial company and the people were the best. Seriously top-notch... as in these people are the yard-stick I use to compare all others I have worked with since.
Things didn't turn out quite as we had hoped, but the plane still lives. A lot of us moved on, and some of us moved on to very interesting things...
Jerry and I used to work at the airplane factory together. He was a quiet guy... at least when I was around. He worked really hard and I could always depend on him.
I knew he was a Colorado guy, so of course his cool factor started a few notches higher than the others. Then after we both left the airplane factory, I found out that he and his wife used to have llamas for trekking. So the cool factor went up a few more notches.
We were chatting on Facebook recently when he shared his website with me. All I can say is WOW! Beautiful, incredible, modern jewelry designs made from aircraft aluminum.
The benefit of using aircraft aluminum is that he can make something large and structural that weighs only a few ounces.
So I suggested that it might be fun to do a little Q&A here on Kathryn's Brain. :-)
How did the idea for
Criffin Designs come to fruition?
I had a coworker who had a pair of earrings made from Phillips Head screws bonded to earring posts, and my immediate thought was, “Hell, I can do that!” so I started taking screws and bolts and Hi-Locs and rivets and anything else I could think of, and cutting the heads off then bonding earring posts to them, giving them to Mary, my wife. Some worked, most didn’t. True aircraft hardware is typically just too big to use as earrings.
However, it was after a visit to the Tucson Arizona Aircraft Graveyard that I took the leap from “nuts and bolts” into aluminum.
I have always been creative and my current position disallows that. So Criffin Designs has been an outlet for my creative side.
I’ve always been able to manipulate aircraft aluminum to whatever specifications I needed. Could I then, instead of creating stringers, doublers and frames, create something much more finite? Take something that no longer had purpose and give it a new history?
From that Tucson visit Criffin Designs was born, and old aircraft aluminum is now turned into jewelry that is structurally architectural and modern in design. And since every piece would need an item number, why not name each design style after WWII and Korean War aircraft nose art, an art form created by the pilots and crews who flew America’s amazing warbirds? So instead of item number XX001, we have the Miss Behavin’ Bracelet.
Hematite has become CD’s flagship stone. Not only is the black stone a great contrast to the polished aluminum, it’s considered the stone representing peace. Which is a nice balance to the reclaimed military aluminum. Yin and Yang. War and Peace.
What is a Criffin?
Where can people find your designs?
Bright Rain Gallery
Old Town, Albuquerque, NM
Twitter: @CriffinDesigns
email: CriffinDesigns@gmail.com
Prices range from $40 to $300.
Jerry has generously agreed to offer a Blog Special of 50% off retail for the next three months. Just let him know when you place your order that you learned about him on Kathryn's Brain. :-)
So Jerry is a Colorado guy, who used to have llamas, with roots in the Emerald Isle and designs some amazing jewelry and has an amazing partner in his wife, Mary. I think his cool factor just went up a few more notches. :-)
Please take a moment to visit Criffin Designs and if you are so moved, please support this terrific artist. A portion of all profits are donated to the Freedom is Not Free organization that helps wounded US Veterans and their families.
It has become known as the good ole days around my house. We were working on a cool product, with a young, well-funded, entrepreneurial company and the people were the best. Seriously top-notch... as in these people are the yard-stick I use to compare all others I have worked with since.
Things didn't turn out quite as we had hoped, but the plane still lives. A lot of us moved on, and some of us moved on to very interesting things...
Jerry and I used to work at the airplane factory together. He was a quiet guy... at least when I was around. He worked really hard and I could always depend on him.
I knew he was a Colorado guy, so of course his cool factor started a few notches higher than the others. Then after we both left the airplane factory, I found out that he and his wife used to have llamas for trekking. So the cool factor went up a few more notches.
The benefit of using aircraft aluminum is that he can make something large and structural that weighs only a few ounces.
So I suggested that it might be fun to do a little Q&A here on Kathryn's Brain. :-)
 |
| Anticipation Necklace |
I had a coworker who had a pair of earrings made from Phillips Head screws bonded to earring posts, and my immediate thought was, “Hell, I can do that!” so I started taking screws and bolts and Hi-Locs and rivets and anything else I could think of, and cutting the heads off then bonding earring posts to them, giving them to Mary, my wife. Some worked, most didn’t. True aircraft hardware is typically just too big to use as earrings.
However, it was after a visit to the Tucson Arizona Aircraft Graveyard that I took the leap from “nuts and bolts” into aluminum.
I have always been creative and my current position disallows that. So Criffin Designs has been an outlet for my creative side.
I’ve always been able to manipulate aircraft aluminum to whatever specifications I needed. Could I then, instead of creating stringers, doublers and frames, create something much more finite? Take something that no longer had purpose and give it a new history?
From that Tucson visit Criffin Designs was born, and old aircraft aluminum is now turned into jewelry that is structurally architectural and modern in design. And since every piece would need an item number, why not name each design style after WWII and Korean War aircraft nose art, an art form created by the pilots and crews who flew America’s amazing warbirds? So instead of item number XX001, we have the Miss Behavin’ Bracelet.
 |
| Miss Behavin' Bracelet |
Something our customers seem to get
a kick out of is the card we provide, which shows the nose art their particular
piece is named after along with the “care and feeding” instructions.
Hematite has become CD’s flagship stone. Not only is the black stone a great contrast to the polished aluminum, it’s considered the stone representing peace. Which is a nice balance to the reclaimed military aluminum. Yin and Yang. War and Peace.
 |
| Glamouras B24 Necklace |
What is a Criffin?
Criffin is actually the area in southwest Ireland where my
family originated from, the Land of Criffin.
How long have you been
designing jewelry?
I started playing with this stuff before the demise of that airplane factory back in 2008 but it really wasn’t until late 2010 when I got
my first “gig” with a gallery in Omaha of all places. You have to start
somewhere, and if it wasn’t for that gallery, it may not have gone anywhere.
.jpg) |
| Raz'ng Hell Necklace |
Did your wife think
you were crazy when you proposed the idea to her?
No she didn’t! It was not something I or we set out to do,
it just happened. One thing led to another and the next thing we knew, we have
a national boutique jewelry gallery carrying Criffin Designs Jewelry.
What a
big help Mary, my wife, has been with this whole thing! I must admit I came up
with some far fetched ideas in the beginning, in true airplane fashion, but with
her help and my own keen sense of style *wink*, we have taken monumental
strides in the right direction, remaining true to our aircraft heritage but
retaining the glamorous aspects of what the public wants for jewelry. I try to
keep the designs simple, ordered and structured, which has to do with my nineteen
years in aviation. So the designs tend to be very architectural and they have
to be something I can build since you don’t solder aluminum together like gold
or silver.
Mary is my supply chain expert and list-maker. So when I get orders
of over 670 pieces, she helps ensure we have all the piece parts needed for the
build, essentially eliminating surprises.
What did you think of
me when we worked together? No! Don't answer that. ;-)
 |
| Carolina Moon Necklace |
Where can people find your designs?
Primarily
the website is imagery, versus an actual storefront. Our catalog, which does
include pricing, can be downloaded in .pdf form from the site. Of course you
can also send me an email at criffindesigns@gmail.com.
· 2400
West Main Street, Littleton, Colorado 80120
· * Park Meadows Mall,
Lone Tree, CO
· * Boston Logan International
Airport, 2 Faneuil Hall Market Place, Boston, MA
· * Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave, Ste 6000, Chicago,
IL
· * At Block 37 108 N. State
Street, Suite 130 Chicago IL
· * Mall of Louisiana Baton
Rouge, 125
North Theard Street Covington, LA
· * 1
Poydras Street Riverwalk, New Orleans, LA
· * Mall
of America, 150 S Avenue, Bloomington, MN
Bright Rain Gallery
Old Town, Albuquerque, NM
Twitter: @CriffinDesigns
email: CriffinDesigns@gmail.com
Prices range from $40 to $300.
Jerry has generously agreed to offer a Blog Special of 50% off retail for the next three months. Just let him know when you place your order that you learned about him on Kathryn's Brain. :-)
So Jerry is a Colorado guy, who used to have llamas, with roots in the Emerald Isle and designs some amazing jewelry and has an amazing partner in his wife, Mary. I think his cool factor just went up a few more notches. :-)
Please take a moment to visit Criffin Designs and if you are so moved, please support this terrific artist. A portion of all profits are donated to the Freedom is Not Free organization that helps wounded US Veterans and their families.
Monday, March 29, 2010
A Wheelchair, a cup of Coffee and an Airport
While waiting in line for coffee at the airport today, a woman pushing a wheelchair insisted on cutting in front of me because "she had a wheelchair."
Had she said, we are running late and my client desperately needs a cup of coffee, I might have been more sympathetic. Surely I could understand a situation like that... there I was, in line with a whole lot of other people, waiting patiently to order a cup of coffee.
The mere fact that a person was being pushed around in an airport wheelchair is not a reason to jump the coffee line and frankly, I think it is rude to expect it.
I feel some people must think I'm a jerk. So before you start going crazy about disability rights and awareness, please continue reading.
Yes, having a wheelchair provides certain line jumping privileges. Privileges like access to the crew line for airport security and boarding the aircraft first. But with these line jumping privileges comes getting off the plane last. There is no altruism here. People who use wheelchairs don't prefer to be patted down by TSA agents in full view or enjoy sitting on planes more than people who don't use wheelchairs. It is done this way because it is easier for the staff.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that my husband uses a wheelchair. You could probably even surmise that he would never expect to be moved ahead of someone because he has a wheelchair.
Even with a present need for coffee, he would wait his turn.
Which makes me wonder, did the people in line behind me actually think that having a wheelchair was a valid reason to jump the line?
The woman pushing the chair looked at me like I was rude for not letting her cut the line. So I can only assume that the people behind me might have had the same thoughts.
Her reaction angered me. I don't like being angry, which angered me more. Honestly, there are so many ways to make everyday life easier for people who use wheelchairs. Acting like a victim so you can get coffee a few minutes earlier is not worth the ill will it causes.
If you really want to make life better for someone who uses a wheelchair, consider installing things like curb cutouts and wider sidewalks and aisles. Consider installing ramps, elevators and automatic doors. Consider removing all carpet and stairs.
If buildings and public spaces were designed with wheelchairs in mind, they would be easier for everyone to access. Have you ever noticed how places that are easy to take baby strollers are also easy for wheelchairs to navigate?
I think we should all consider these things. None of us are getting any younger. May we all be lucky enough to become old enough, to have the opportunity to use a wheelchair to get around.
As for the woman pushing the airport wheelchair this morning and the many people in line behind me... offering someone a position ahead of you in line is polite. Expecting to be given an earlier position is rude, regardless of your ambulatory abilities.
Had she said, we are running late and my client desperately needs a cup of coffee, I might have been more sympathetic. Surely I could understand a situation like that... there I was, in line with a whole lot of other people, waiting patiently to order a cup of coffee.
The mere fact that a person was being pushed around in an airport wheelchair is not a reason to jump the coffee line and frankly, I think it is rude to expect it.
I feel some people must think I'm a jerk. So before you start going crazy about disability rights and awareness, please continue reading.
Yes, having a wheelchair provides certain line jumping privileges. Privileges like access to the crew line for airport security and boarding the aircraft first. But with these line jumping privileges comes getting off the plane last. There is no altruism here. People who use wheelchairs don't prefer to be patted down by TSA agents in full view or enjoy sitting on planes more than people who don't use wheelchairs. It is done this way because it is easier for the staff.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that my husband uses a wheelchair. You could probably even surmise that he would never expect to be moved ahead of someone because he has a wheelchair.
Even with a present need for coffee, he would wait his turn.
Which makes me wonder, did the people in line behind me actually think that having a wheelchair was a valid reason to jump the line?
The woman pushing the chair looked at me like I was rude for not letting her cut the line. So I can only assume that the people behind me might have had the same thoughts.
Her reaction angered me. I don't like being angry, which angered me more. Honestly, there are so many ways to make everyday life easier for people who use wheelchairs. Acting like a victim so you can get coffee a few minutes earlier is not worth the ill will it causes.
If you really want to make life better for someone who uses a wheelchair, consider installing things like curb cutouts and wider sidewalks and aisles. Consider installing ramps, elevators and automatic doors. Consider removing all carpet and stairs.
If buildings and public spaces were designed with wheelchairs in mind, they would be easier for everyone to access. Have you ever noticed how places that are easy to take baby strollers are also easy for wheelchairs to navigate?
I think we should all consider these things. None of us are getting any younger. May we all be lucky enough to become old enough, to have the opportunity to use a wheelchair to get around.
As for the woman pushing the airport wheelchair this morning and the many people in line behind me... offering someone a position ahead of you in line is polite. Expecting to be given an earlier position is rude, regardless of your ambulatory abilities.
Friday, November 20, 2009
I saw an Eclipse
I spent close to eight years working on a dream. It was Vern Raburn's dream and I bought it hook, line and sinker.
Our mission was to change the way people travel. Many said it couldn't be done. However, a lot of us spent most of our waking hours making it happen.
Eclipse Aviation's Type Certificate and Production Certificate were history making. The 500 is the quietest and most fuel-efficient jet ever produced. Even with the final price being more than twice the original, at $2.7M it is still the least expensive new jet on the market.
In the end, Eclipse Aviation filed for CH7 Bankruptcy and was sold to a group of customers for a small fortune. The new company is called Eclipse Aerospace. They are servicing the existing 500 fleet and have plans to restart production in the future.
I write this post because I saw an Eclipse 500 as I was leaving the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport yesterday.
It was the first time I had seen one since I left Eclipse and Albuquerque earlier this year. I couldn't help but smile. I loved the plane and the company, I learned much while there and I greatly admire the drive and belief of my fellow Eclipsers.
The pictures below are of production #13. It was my first and only ride on the aircraft I dedicated 8 years to. It was an honor to work on this product and it will always have a special place in my heart.
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