Well, I hope I won't be banned for starting this thread, but quite candidly I am getting very annoyed with the flagrant rules violations occuring in 2 specific areas of our piece of the aviation world: obvious building for hire and multiple people in the aircraft during Phase I fly-off period. Most recently we have had another accident with people seriously hurt during Phase I. This stuff is impacting all of us, and unless we start policing ourselves, we are going to get help that we don't want or need.
As a DAR I specifically go over the Limitations with every builder/owner. I can't tell you the number of times I left knowing nobody cared, and know for a fact of at least 3 aircraft that I licensed and they immediately put 2 people in the aircraft for the first and subsequent flights.
I won't get involved in licensing the aircraft I know are built from the ground up under contract. Sorry. There's this little ethics thing we sign when we get appointed as a DAR.
And whether we think so or not, it is affecting all of us, from insurance premiums to the continued perception that Experimental aviation is dangerous. Many companies I have worked for allow flying in Standard certificated aircraft, but not Experimentals. Quite honestly, I feel safer in my RV-10 than some certified aircraft because of the fact that I built it, am familiar with it, and can afford it. And I am getting tired of hearing from friends and family about another RV-10 that crashed or door that came off, when almost every single one could have been prevented. Just go down the list and there are some common themes: rushing to get completed, rushing to take-off, owner unfamiliarity, etc.
I believe we have an obligation, and I know in our politically-correct world anymore it is getting more difficult to call out the violators. But some things are certainly obvious to a fifth grader. Why aren't they obvious to all of us?
I am not going to start calling out "violators." You know who you are, and the rest of us know who you are. During my 35 years of flying I have called out a number of risky aviators, and it wasn't fun. Most of them aren't with us anymore because they chose to continue with their antics. It's been hard to watch.
I am writing this because this segment of the aviation world which I dearly love is getting hard to watch any more.
So I ask all of us: When does it stop?
Vic
As a DAR I specifically go over the Limitations with every builder/owner. I can't tell you the number of times I left knowing nobody cared, and know for a fact of at least 3 aircraft that I licensed and they immediately put 2 people in the aircraft for the first and subsequent flights.
I won't get involved in licensing the aircraft I know are built from the ground up under contract. Sorry. There's this little ethics thing we sign when we get appointed as a DAR.
And whether we think so or not, it is affecting all of us, from insurance premiums to the continued perception that Experimental aviation is dangerous. Many companies I have worked for allow flying in Standard certificated aircraft, but not Experimentals. Quite honestly, I feel safer in my RV-10 than some certified aircraft because of the fact that I built it, am familiar with it, and can afford it. And I am getting tired of hearing from friends and family about another RV-10 that crashed or door that came off, when almost every single one could have been prevented. Just go down the list and there are some common themes: rushing to get completed, rushing to take-off, owner unfamiliarity, etc.
I believe we have an obligation, and I know in our politically-correct world anymore it is getting more difficult to call out the violators. But some things are certainly obvious to a fifth grader. Why aren't they obvious to all of us?
I am not going to start calling out "violators." You know who you are, and the rest of us know who you are. During my 35 years of flying I have called out a number of risky aviators, and it wasn't fun. Most of them aren't with us anymore because they chose to continue with their antics. It's been hard to watch.
I am writing this because this segment of the aviation world which I dearly love is getting hard to watch any more.
So I ask all of us: When does it stop?
Vic