An EAA Technical Counselor visit is a free, second set of expert eyes on your homebuilt project. Done right, it catches problems while they are still cheap to fix. Done poorly, it becomes a friendly coffee chat that misses the flaws that matter. This article shows you how to prepare, what to expect, and how to turn each visit into documented safety progress.
What a Technical Counselor Actually Does
EAA’s Technical Counselor program pairs builders with experienced volunteers who have built or restored aircraft and been vetted by EAA. They inspect your workmanship, point out structural or systems concerns, and share hard-won methods. They are advisors, not inspectors with legal authority. They cannot sign off your airworthiness, and they should not do your work for you.
The value is in judgment. A counselor who has closed hundreds of pulled rivets or torqued thousands of fittings sees patterns you cannot see yet: a fuel line routed too close to an exhaust, a control cable with the wrong bend radius, a nutplate installed backward.
Why Timing Matters
The single biggest mistake builders make is waiting until the project looks finished. By then wings are closed, wiring is buried, and fuel tanks are sealed. A good rhythm is at least three visits: after major sub-assemblies are framed but open, before you close any structure, and before first engine start. Each stage exposes different risks.
How to Prepare for the Visit
Preparation determines the quality of the feedback. Give the counselor something concrete to react to.
- Send your plans or kit stage in advance so they know what they are looking at.
- Have the relevant sections of the build manual open at the workbench.
- List your own concerns first. The parts that worry you usually deserve worry.
- Clean and light the shop. People find more when they can see.
- Keep your builder log ready so the visit can be recorded.
A Real Scenario
Consider a builder assembling a metal RV-style wing. He asked for a visit after riveting the main spar but before installing the skins. The counselor found several rivets set slightly below flush and one with a cracked head near a fuel tank rib. On a closed wing that crack would have been invisible and, near a tank, potentially dangerous. Because the structure was open, the fix took twenty minutes: drill out, replace, re-inspect. Had the skins been on, the same fix could have meant hours of removal and re-sealing. That is the whole point of early visits.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Treating it as a social call. Friendship is nice, but ask direct questions: “Would you fly this?” and “What would you change?” Push past polite reassurance.
Not logging the visit. EAA offers builder-cost insurance benefits tied to documented Technical Counselor visits, and a signed log entry strengthens your build record. Record the date, counselor name, EAA number, and what was reviewed.
Only calling once, at the end. Fix this by scheduling around your build’s closure points, not your calendar.
Arguing instead of listening. You do not have to accept every suggestion, but write each one down and research it before dismissing it.
Action Checklist
- Find your counselor early through your local EAA chapter or EAA’s Technical Counselor directory.
- Book the first visit before you close any structure.
- Prepare a written list of your own concerns.
- Have plans, tools, and builder log at hand.
- Ask the two blunt questions: would you fly it, and what would you change.
- Log the visit with date, name, and findings.
- Create a punch list of fixes and complete it before the next stage.
Conclusion and Next Step
A Technical Counselor visit is one of the highest-value free resources in homebuilding, but only if you invite it early and act on it. Your next step: contact your local EAA chapter this week and schedule a visit timed to your next structural closure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any cost for a Technical Counselor visit?
No. EAA Technical Counselors are volunteers and the visits are free. You are expected to be an EAA member, and common courtesy is to cover any travel or offer a meal.
Can a Technical Counselor sign off my aircraft as airworthy?
No. Final airworthiness certification is done by an FAA inspector or a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR). A counselor advises but has no certification authority.
How do I find a counselor near me?
Start with your local EAA chapter, which usually knows every counselor in the area. EAA also maintains a searchable directory of Technical Counselors by region.
What if my counselor and my kit manufacturer disagree?
Follow the manufacturer’s published instructions for structural and systems requirements, since deviations can affect airworthiness. Treat counselor advice on method and craftsmanship as valuable input, and ask the manufacturer directly when the two conflict.
References
- Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) — Technical Counselor program.
- U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — amateur-built aircraft certification guidance.