Jimmbbo
Posts: 1179
Joined: 10/1/2003
From: Fresno, CA, USA
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: 2fast
Why would you want to fly in a home designed, home built, home maintained aircraft? This is YOUR LIFE and your wife's LIFE we are talking about. There are plenty of proven safe certificated GA aircraft out there to choose from, many are used and affordable.
Don't know about you, but if it's my wife and family in the plane I want something at least as safe as the airlines. To me that means a production certificated aircraft, professionally maintained and solid regular training for myself, both VFR and IFR. If I can't afford to do it this way then I'll just ride the "big iron".
Do you really want the last thing you hear on this earth to be the screams of your family after your homebuilt beauty comes apart or it flat gets away from you?
Anyone remember John Denver?
Please allow me to comment with 20+ years as an FAR 121 airline pilot/simulator instructor/check airman, a CFI under both FAR 61 and 141 and an A&P mechanic.
The point you conclude with contradicts your assertion... If you read the NTSB report on the Denver crash, it was ascribed to pilot error... Mr. Denver crashed after taking off with minimum fuel, indequate knowledge and training on the airplane, running out of fuel and losing control of the airplane while trying to get another tank to feed. The airplane didn't disintegrate or fall out of the sky. Sadly, Mr. Denver fell victim to his lack of training and experience with the airplane.
It is a matter of NTSB record that the vast majority of GA accidents are pilot-related, and IMO that is directly related to training and recency of experience... One of the major reasons the airlines are as safe as they are is the training required of airline pilots... To be qualified as a First Officer at a jet airline, you will complete initial grouind training of some 6 weeks, 25-30 hours in a full motion simulator practicing normal and emergency procedures, an FAA checkride on those maneuvers, and at least 25 hours of line operations with a check airman. Total calendar time in training - 2-3 months, full time. Upgrade to captain? Back to ground school, additional simulator training, FAA checkride, another 25+ hours of line operations training followed by a FAA line check. Once on line, you fly 70-90 hours per month, 12 months a year in all weather. This tends to keep airline pilots pretty sharp.
Contrast that with GA flying - Private pilot training - 35 - 40 hours hours of flight training over any length of time. Ground school for the FAA written exam can be done self-study with a CFI signoff. Take an FAA designee checkride and you're good to carry the wife and kids anywhere you want in good weather. Unfortunately, GA airplanes continue to meet tragic ends at a distressing rate. The NTSB rules out mechanical failure in over 90% of these events, assigning the responsibiltiy to the Pilot in Command. Your point is well taken that a competent GA who flies an excellent, professional airplane is safer, but it is their natural ability and curiosity that makes him/her safe, not the training they must have. They consider the private pilot certificate as a license to learn as much as they can about their machine and about flying, and are likely to have a long and satisfying aviation career. Others take it far less professionally, and are rolling the dice that they won't have a problem, and are candidates for an NTSB report. In either case, the airplane is an inanimate participant in their activities, and will safely complete a well planned and executed flight, or crash on a fog shrouded mountain due to lack of pilot skill, knowledge or experience.
The weak point is the pilot NOT the machine.
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Have you flogged your crew today?
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RE: How safe are homebuilt planes? - 
