.....The seminar began at 11:00 with a flight demonstration, followed by lunch, and then a four hour seminar on the construction techniques involved in building and inspecting the sandwich—composite structure used on the Quickie.
.....Subjects covered included shop preparation, foam types and properties, working with epoxy, joining foam cores, forming cores by the hot—wire technique, and quality control and inspection procedures.
.....Many builders commented to Gene and Tom afterward that they felt the seminar really helped to solidify the information detailed in the construction plans.
.....We continue to be pleased with the reception to these seminars. More important, we are very pleased with the improvement in workmanship demonstrated by builders who have attended one or more Qoickie Construction Seminars.

SALES AND DELIVERIES

.....By 10 January, 1980, we expect to have our kit backlog reduced to 2 weeks. In addition, we expect all back—orders for kit serial numbers less than 300 to be completed.
.....Over the next few months, we will be integrating the optines discussed elsewhere in this newsletter into the kit production. We also plan to tighten up our procedures and quality control further to reduce errors in packing and confusion in the box contents.
.....Current prices for the Quickie Kit are as follows:

$3100.00	QUICKIE AIRCRAFT KIT
$550.00	QUICKIE ENGINE INSTALLATION PACKAGE
$850.00	QUICKIE ENGINE
$125.00	QUICKIE CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY KIT

.....Some price increases can be anticipated during the first quarter of 1980, as we integrate available options into the basic kit.

F.A.A. REGISTRATION OF YOUR QUICKIE

.....Several of our builders have experienced some delay in registering their Quickies.
.....The following hint is offered by QAC is based on several conversations with Oklahoma City:

INVENTORYING YOUR KIT

.....Please inventory your kit immediately after receiving it! The builder has 30 days to report to QAC all shortages and discrepancies. In the past we have been lenient on this matter, but we simply cannot honor claims that are made 1 year after receipt of the kit!
.....All shipments contain a packing list that indicates every item that should be in the shipment. This list will also indicate any backorders. Once you have completed the inventory, send a letter listing the shortages and discrepancies to QAC so that we can resolve the matter promptly.
.....In addition, when you receive the goods from the freight company, be sure that you do not sign the receipt until you are certain that there is no damage to the contents of the boxes. If there is damage, note it on the shipping receipt. You could also note on the receipt that your signature is “subject to inspection”. Remember, if there is damage to the boxes and you don’t note it, the freight company may not honor claims. On the bright side, however, we have only seen claims on about 3 percent of the shipments, so your chances of having a problem are small.
.....In the past, in many cases, because the builder did not send us a list of all shortages, some items have strung out for many months, instead of being resolved promptly. Please inform QAC of all shortages within 30 days of receipt of the kit shipment.

THE HIGH PRICE OF GAS

.....AbOut this time last year we were commenting on the cost of aviation gas being one dollar per gallon and how Europeans were paying over $2.40 per gallon.
.....Well, here it is a year later and the price of aviation gas is about $1.20 per gallon and most aviation publications predict prices of $2.00 per gallon by the end of 1980.
.....We think that estimate is conservative. There are indications that the goverment would like to increase the auto fuel taxes by 0.50 per gallon and some Arab countries have increased oil prices by 30%.
.....Do you realize that $2.00 per gallon aviation gas will probably cause aircraft rental rates on the trainers and small four place aircraft to increase over 25 percent?
.....Of course the price increase will affect the Quickie too; instead of $3.50 per hour to operate, it will cost about $4.50 per hour total! Just think, when gas gets to $4.00 per gallon, it will cost you $7.50 per hour to operate your Quickie, and about $43.00 per hour to rent that shiny new Cessna 152. Let’s see that means we can carry nine people in nine Quickies cheaper than two people in one Cessna 152!

THE DO IT YOURSELF NONE8UILT KIT SHOW

.....We attended this display show during the week following Thanksgiving. Robert McFarland was nice enough to bring his completed and flying Quickie down to Baltimore for display in the show. The promotions of the show treated us like royalty with T.V. spots, the prime display location, etc.
.....We were amazed at the number of inactive pilots that visited our booth during the four day show. Most were inactive because of the high prices to rent and own aircraft; many had heard about the Quickie, but expected it to be just another powered hang—glider. Once they found out it wasn’t, it usually took an hour for the wife to get her husband to leave the exhibit. The low cost of owning and operating a Quickie was really brought home because the exhibit next to us was a replica car kit that cost $4995.00 without the VW chassis and engine! The general public reacted very favorably to the idea of owning and operating an aircraft for much less than a car. We think that us aviation enthusiasts should help educate the public that flying need not be unreachable for most families.
.....By the way, another exhibit was a powered hang glider that cost over $3000.00 in kit form. We talked to the gentleman about his product and he indicated that engine failures with the two—stroke chain saw engine were very frequent. But more impurtant, we may end up selling him a Quickie!