Just once in a while, KZfaq throws up an absolute gem. This was one such jewel. What a wonderful lady, so skilled.

"…a little bit less than sandpaper and a little more than a sticky note." That’s precision taken into the real world. Is there anything better than a young person with a real passion and aptitude for a craft? And they are willing to work hard to be a success at that craft? Well maybe having a wonderful supportive family to help and encourage them. There were a couple of people in that room that have every right to be very proud of each other. An absolutely brilliant video, thank you for posting it.

Late this afternoon my little 3 1/2 year old shadow watched this video. Even I was surprised. She watched the entire thing and wanted to watch another one like it when it was finished. Alaina, without knowing it maybe you have already helped inspire the next generation. In over 3 years I've never seen this little one pay that much attention to a Disney movie!!!!

I have a Culver prop for my home built. It’s a work of art and Alaina was such a sweetheart to deal with and she knows more about wooden propellers than just about anyone else on earth. She even sent me photos of my prop as it was being made. She’s skilled at her craft and dedicated to quality and service. Thank you, Alaina!

Alaina deserves a full-on docu about her background and work! What an inspiration to young women she is! Bravo, Alaina!!

I enjoyed the information and hearing her laugh at the stories, also I liked that gramma is doing whatever is necessary to help out. It is so nice to seen a real person doing real craftsmanship and not a robot cnc.

Awesome I want to buy a propeller now, And I don't even have a plane lol Great work

Great to see something still being hand-worked in this day and age of everything being 'printed' or machine-cut etc. Big respect to Alaina.

Alaina, you are excellent at your prop making. I never noticed anything wrong with the camera work. I was concentrating on all the knowledge you were sharing. Keep up the great work.

I bought a Culver prop for my Spad, 81 inch diameter , 58 in pitch...!!! Finally ran it the other day and that Prop throw some mean air...!!! Beautiful... just like the little lady that made it...!!!

WOW! This is an incredible story! Another great story from the EAC !!! This young woman is very savvy! Can you imagine if she had a formal education in engineering? This is the classic story that "college is not for everyone!" No doubt grandma and grandpa are proud of her!

Hello from Sweden... I know nothing about props and planes... But i love to see Alaina's skills with pure love for what she do. And grandmother with her dog hammering the glue is the coolest 👍

Not only does she have huge enthusiasm and skill she also knows a tremendous amount about physics and it’s application to propellers.

Very pretty young lady . She's very intelligent and skilled. Running an American company making finely made American products by hand. Very proud of her and her family for continuing a dying industry. I hope she's the grandmother someday with grandchildren continuing with their work.

Just when I thought there was nothing cool left on KZfaq. This is the coolest family business out there. Amazing work 😊

I feared this kind of work ethics and talent were victims of the technology age so it is refreshing and uplifting to watch someone do the magic that only comes with loving what you do. You need only watch this young woman's hands and eyes to see what I'm talking about. The quality of her props are evident and how they are built a tribute to skills that made our country great. Thank you, Alaina.

Wow! What an incredibly skilled and inspirational young lady! Immeasurable admiration and respect!!

I've always loved airplanes and flying. I knew about how wood props are made but never imagined someone would have 300+ types and sizes. A true mom and pop shop and apparently successful (28 years), or more (with several owners). I'm impressed when I see a female doing work normally done by men, just because it would not be a typical line of work. I wish them continued success!

My Dad was machinist, I am machinist. My Grandpa and Grandma had crop dusting business, McNabb and Alford. My uncle and his son also crop dusters. Grandpa was 50 and uncle 55 and his son somewhere in his 50's when they left earth for good. Old cropdusters live fast and furious 20 feet off the ground. This video hurt because of history. SO GLAD FOR THE TIME AND EFFORT for this video. God bless Alaina Lewis and her Family with health for a long time ! Culver Props Rock !!!!!!!!!!

This video made my day. I love watching a pro at work and Alaina is obviously very good at her craft. Grandma is adorable. A good honest video. Thanks for posting.

She is not only skilled, but an amazing sense of humor as well, great video.

I remember when they took over Culver. I was in the middle of a Pietenpol project at the time. Their props come with a reliable reputation. Big thumbs up for Alaina.

It’s love at first sight!!! Wow...what an awesome crafts women! Way to rock that beast of a belt sander! Isn’t shaping with a sander just the bees knees!!! 😁👍

Just stumbled onto this vid,,,, made my day,,,, great job to the young lady,,, she does amazing work,,, having made props before by hand and to see how she does it and puts her heart into it is heart warming to this wood worker.... Godspeed Alaina

This video was a fine example of what made KZfaq what it is today. Nice work!

I mean this with all do respect, that is the sexiest woman I have seen in a very long time. I truly am envious of her knowledge and skills. There are allot of people that say that they have "business skills" to the point that its is becoming very common place. But a person (a woman) that is all hands on, not afraid to get dirty, knows her craft well, and runs the business in what is mostly a male dominated field... WOW!! That is truly inspirational. I think I'm in love. You are one in a million. Keep up the great job!!!

She is a true Artisan keeping an almost lost manufacturing process alive. GrandMa still working is awesome & family working together is awesome.

OUTSTANDING !!! My hat is off to you Alaina Lewis. Well done !!!

Obviously intelligent, multi-skilled, beautiful and at ease doing a pretty physical job with an engaging personality to boot. Admiration all round. I'd say your grandmother is a real hoot. Hope your business goes from strength to strength.

I tear up imagining the pride your grandfather must have felt. Bravo I will make sure I watch this with my daughter.

As a pilot for over 30 years this has got to be one of the best videos i've seen in a long time thanks

I'm a 73 year old Vietnam Veteran I worked on fighter bombers . This whole process is absolutely fascinating and this young lady and her family are fascinating. True craftsmanship.

But there is a crucial bit of info here: the grandmother had a tough life loading the aircraft 3 in the morning, showeling snow and such. So the mother also helped and so did all of the family. It is no wonder that the granddoughter grew up to be a productiv hard working woman.It is completly baffling to me that today parents strive to make the children comfortable and almost numbingly safe, and then later complain how lazy and complacent they grew up.Hard work and "tough" life is not a curse, it is a blessing that makes you a usefull skilled person one day.

Mad props to this lady.

Hey EVERYONE! May I invite you to SUBSCRIBE Right Now?! WHY? It helps me get SPONSORS to be able to TRAVEL out to get more content to share with YOU. And better equipment that stays IN FOCUS! :-) It is 100% FREE to SUBSCRIBE. More videos can be found here: kzfaq.info

This, is the kind of content I hope for when I visit here. Thank all of you, Alaina maam, and especially Grandma!

One of the most informative videos I've seen in awhile. Ms Culver seems to be very skilled and competent. I'm not a pilot I'm a carpenter and custom woodworker. And until I saw this if have zero clue where to even start to build a prop. Now, I only have half a clue.. good stuff And great work.

It's amazing to see this kind of craftsmanship still going. Awesome!

I have been a A&P for over 50 years, great video of how a wood propeller is made by a crafts lady she loves her work, its shows, very nice

A real propeller expert,that charming young lady is an artist in what she does,those propellers are something else,what a top notch video,thank you.

Alaina made the most beautiful Cherry and Maple prop for my WW1 replica Albatros DVa. I would love another just to hang on the wall. She is an artist. Thankyou. Best wishes. Dave

Wow, what a smart nice lady! What a great role-model.

This is an *awesome* video! She's incredible--what a neat lady to do this. I hope her children get into the business as well eventually. Aviation, and the country in general, needs more businesses like this woman has. Incredible that she has the confidence to run this operation, and it's great to see women-led businesses in aviation...especially those that involve manufacturing.

I dig all the high quality equipment she gets to work with every day. My god woman, you are incredible.

I cut out a lot of stock blanks on a band saw before putting them on a duplicator. As soon as I saw her running that board through her's I knew she had done it a time or too. Couldn't help but smile. Nice to see someone doing quality work. A lot of the time I feel so much is becoming a lost art. Thanks for putting this up. I genuinely enjoyed watching and it left me feeling encouraged. Again, Many Thanks!

Cool to see a person who genuinely does not recognise her skill, a true artisan, she just punches out a propellor like its a Tuesday - WoW - you go girl !!!!

I had the pleasure of meeting the whole family, including grandpa. Alaina has made a prop for me and it worked great. I'd highly reccommend Culver props! That's where I'll go back if I ever need another one.

Lovely film. What a charming and skilful lady, great to hear from grandma too!

Well done. You had me hooked from the start, and I couldn't stop watching! I'm not a pilot, a wood-craftsman, or a professional vidiographer. I'm someone who appreciates working with your hands, families working together, and hard-working people who don't pretend to be perfect.

That lathe is an amazing piece of engineering!!! Reminds me of the lathe they used to turn M1 Garand stocks at Springfield Armory years ago... And they probably still use that same machine today :-) Thank you both for the tour!!!

First and foremost, this young woman is so natural and so beautiful. Her insight depth can see the natural beauty of a propeller right from the basic principles of the prop design to its implementation in what the woods require and the preparation to make a stable propeller, including the aerofoil sectons, balancing and how to "tune and adjust" that brilliant copying machine. Congratulations young woman, and wish you all the best throughout your life. Do remain so naturally beautiful and wise.

Alaina you rock. Awesome skills. On that band saw holding a massive piece of wood and able to work it with such ease. Doesn't hurt she has the sweetest disposition. The sky is the limit for you young lady !!!

This is very cool. My grandfather's brother, so my granduncle I guess, was a pilot in WWII. He was among the first US pilots to go to Britain. He flew in some capacity through the entire war and managed to survive. I am not sure when he started crop dusting but when I was a kid in the 70's, he was a crop duster. I used to spend summers at my uncle's ranch and that's where he took off and landed. Every time I heard him coming I would run out to watch him land. He passed when I was 15 or 16 and quit flying several years before that so I was 7,8, maybe 9 yo when he was flying and the big thing I remember is how low he flew. I was totally fascinated watching him buzz over the fields. Those guys can handle an aircraft like nobodies business.

THIS is a tiny example of how "skilled-trades" have become an "endangered species", at high risk of being LOST forever across the nation and around the world. Yes, she is "insanely skilled" and one more thing.. she exhibits an extreme pride and satisfaction in a "job well done" with each one of her creations. This is a rare commodity nowadays in just about anything we purchase - thanks to "cheap imports and impersonal mass production robotics". It's more than a "factory" of sorts - producing airplane propellers - it's a true art-form demanding an immense investment in time and a personal devotion to detail - not to mention the funds. It's obvious that here is an opportunity for expansion, not only to increase product-flow, but passing this skill-set along to future generations. The ultralight community and the number of restorations of vintage aircraft is ever-increasing as time marches on. I think Alaina should be considering taking-on apprenticeships and elevating her role in management and locking-down her extensive library of existing published designs through copyright and patent protection. Along with that, I think she deserves a great big virtual hug of appreciation from each and every member of the A.O.P.A. out there "flying her Culver-Props"! How did MPT miss the incredible opportunity here for a great documentary?

Craftsmanship and workmanship and made in the USA is still thriving and this lady proves it every day with each prop she makes. I have been in the aerospace "biz" as a machinist and assembly person for 34 years with some of the largest aircraft manufacturers ( Boeing, McDonnel Douglas. Lockheed ) out there. Some of the best machinists I have worked with were women. They have a very good attention to detail. I don't own an aircraft but would buy one of her props just to hang in my shop. I hope the best of luck to her, her family, and her business for years to come..........

Thank you for posting this video. So wonderful to see American craftsmanship still at work. Hard work, lots of fun (really) and pride in the final product. Makes me want to take a week of vacation to go and work there for fun. God bless America and her family business!

I can't even wrap my head around how someone could have come up with that machine! Truly brilliant minds out there. What a craftsman Alaina is, too! Grandpa must've been proud. Amazing to watch! 👍👍 Working with wood is super frustrating for me, but it was nice watching someone else (with BIG TIME skill I might add) do it. My skills are in the nuts and bolts side of things - carburetors, engines, ignition ... I'm gonna stay there for everyone's sake, LOL. 😁

Nice job Alaina

Wonderfully crafted as only the finesse of a woman could bring to such workmanship. Awesome to watch.

WOW!! What a family and heritage. Alaina is awesome!

Man, my only complaint is the video wasn't LONGER! I never even noticed anything amiss with the cinematography the content was so riveting! Seriously amazing skills!

What an amazing skilled young lady Perfect example of how important out elders are and how apprenticeships are done in small family business Great vid

An intelligent,skilled,slender ,pretty,young woman with painted fingernails building old school propellers,I love it. Bravo Alaina.

she is a very talented and very smart lady that is a very hard worker that can definitely be proud of herself!

Went through their shop a few years back -- they built my prop and I don't thi nk they really know how skilled they are -- good folks !!

You go girl. You have your act together, and so does grandma Your skill levels are outstanding Grandpa did you right You are a craftswoman Thanks for sharing

An impressive and talented young lady. Alaina, it is clear you really know your business, you are the real thing. Well done!! Thanks to Experimental Aircraft Channel for this outstanding look into one of the many small manufacturers that support this field.

Awesome video of Culver Prop Shop. Would like to thank Alaina for putting up with us lookie loos and I hope great things for her Business. Tell Grandmaw and Grandpaw high.

Alaina is Adorable, Beautiful, AND a well trained, Very Skilled Craftsman at the top of her trade!! She's doing an exceptional Service, doing what is one of the lost arts. I truly HOPE she keeps this great tradition going for many more Generations!!

She is very talented and the props on their website look amazing! I have a friend who owns a ton of 2 and 3 seater planes (like 23 planes. And no, he doesn't run a business) but they are always getting dinged up due to really bumpy gravel waiting lanes with lots of potholes. The airport (mind you it is a very rural airport) just got the lanes paved and he is in the market for new props! And you you have some proud folks there at 7:06!

Amazing artisan ... stunning confidence. Thank you EAC for showing the steps involved in making a prop... it looked deceptively simple, almost DIY except for the decade of experience... wish the gluing and painting steps were also included. Wish Culver Props and the proprietor prosperity.

A great American business with a solid, no-nonsense family running it

Alaina, you, m'dear are the true definition of the American Dream. You seem so full of life and an amazing person. Hopefully you surround yourself with more amazing people so you can take a break and enjoy life. All work and no play makes a lot of propellers but not a lot of sanity.

Incredibly talented and humble person. As a woodworker myself, huge praise to Alaina. Thanks for posting

I just finished watching the entire video. And as a craftsman myself, I think this is the best video I've ever seen on youtube. Thank you!

This is one of the most interesting videos I have watched. Thank you, Alaina, for showing us your shop and processes. Power-saw blades, drill bits, and sanding cylinders / belts can break without warning at any time, ejecting material at high speeds with sufficient kinetic energy to severely injure or destroy eyeballs. Replacement eyeballs are not available. Everyone should wear safety glasses at all times when in the vicinity of operating power tools.

I hope you are going to install a fire suppression system in your template storage area. A fire there could be devastating. Great work, loved watching this.

I hope she is very proud of herself because she absolutely should be. There's no debating that. Keep it up, we need people like you to keep GA and building alive. Thanks very much.

I would absolutely love to have a business like this. It combines my love of woodworking and aviation.

It's really great to see a young lady with skills like this running a multi generation family business. We have been taking care of a little girl since she was 3 months old, (she is now 3 1/2 years old) and I will show her this video. Before she was two years old she began calling tools "girl toys" because that is what I told her they were. She and I are always building stuff and she loves airplanes. One thing Alaina may want to look into is installing a fire suppression system, especially in the pattern storage area. The machines and building can be replaced; the patterns can't. These patterns represent the work and "intellectual property" of several generations and are a significant portion of the total net worth of the company. I want to see her and her family doing this until SHE decides she no longer wants to do it.

A very talented lady, its so nice to see such expertise, dedication and pride, wow, total respect.

What a doll and an amazing woman ! What an amazing shop! This was a very interesting… had no idea how props were made ! Thanks for the lesson! 👍🖖🏻

I don't own a plane nor am I a pilot, but after watching this video I may have to call Culver Props and buy one just to hang as art in my game room. Alaina is not only a skilled craftsman but she's an artist as well. Thanks for making my day!

What an amazing young woman she makes what I’m sure is hard look simple She is very talented

DUDE! less you, more her, I like her talent, skill, knowledge, nice personality, nice family, and adorable giggle. If I'm ever in the market for a prop I'll definitely shop here

Absolutely THRILLING my hat off to you dear lady I hope this propels you into total fame and fortune! I am a 60+ Fashion and Interior Designer amateur carpenter from Canada. BRAVO I can't imagine all the handsome pilots you get to see and meet in your life and know they are flying high because of your expertise!

Smart young lady, a perfect example of drive to succeed and ability that should be an example for all young Americans. BRAVO!!

First time I watched this video was only for the technology. l sure do deal with way more technologically complex at least five days a week, but I enjoy seeing and the knowing the foundation (especially in work)... the old school. However, for the KZfaq recommendation, I watched this video a second time, and somewhere within the watching I said to myself, "Now there is a female that is actually a woman that is making me wish I was 30 years younger than I am now." Alaina Lewis' work ethic (and looks) could make me wish I was just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Rolla, MO. Be that as that is, I am happy for her, and for the opportunity to display her skills and enterprise. Good for her a whole buncha lotta:)

My respects to this family and thank you for the post.

How nice is that .. ? I've been an rc airplane hobbyist /boat/car since I was about 6 years old , wen I was around 18 I became a cabinet maker .. that lathe is simply awesome .. it's so nice to see a traditional prop maker doing her final finish by touch and feel ..by eyeball ..im really impressed thank you both for the very informative video ..I really enjoyed it ..of course it goes without saying she simply beautiful , and makes for an awesome reality show host ..I could see this being a show on the discovery channel . Beats watching..ice road truckers that's for sure ..any way it's nice to see a small American success story as well ..you go girl and thanks for sharing ..👍👍👍👍

Such a nice young lady, and what a superb job she has done with the organising. Who wouldn't want to purchase a wooden prop from her company.

Awesome... great behind the seen look into how hand made wood props are created (by a very genuine and down to earth fabricator I might add!). Was under the impression this was more of an exact/unforgiving process/science but it's not as painstakingly complicated as I thought and along with the level of work and skill that clearly goes into these props... there is also a fair amount of art form involved.

Beautiful, intelligent, skilled and interesting, came for the props stayed for the presentation. Camera operation was without thought.

What a great video, to all those complaining about focus, composition, etc. - get a grip, learn to enjoy the product given to you. If you want it done better, YOU do it better. Fantastic subject, down to earth people with mad skills & work ethics, really shows the pride & craftmanship when she talks about balancing w/o using lead - Alaina & Grandma, you rock!

Wow. Comments below say it all. Amazing skills shown using an old-school pantograph-type apparatus that works exceedingly well in your hands Alaina. I'm simply in awe of you and your shop. :)

Great video, Great people!,Love the skill level, and the Old school methods, Wow what a Woman...

I like how Grandma lets you that she's the one who cleans up the mess. She has to be very proud of Alaina.

Very impressive Alaina, seriously not many ppl impressed me. Well done.

Absolutely terrific video. Alaina is an artist. My 7 year old daughter watched it with me until it was bed time. She will pick up where she had to leave off tomorrow I am certain. My grandfather ran one of the prop shops at Drew Field (now MacDill AFB) in Florida during WW2. More than half of his mechanics were women. He always told me that they made great mechanics and a lot of the other foremen in the other shops didn't want them. Their loss.

Props to you young lady! I never would have believed that you were a one"lady" show. Amazing.