ORIGINAL: DavidR
No specific AMA rule is being broken. ...snip...Jim stated that he had "exceeded a manufacturers recommended engine size" by doing that and talking about it in an open forum he effectively says that he does not have to follow the manufacturers recommendations for what engine he should have to use. It does not matter that he altered the airframe to increases the strength (who says he did that correctly, maybe he just shifted the failure point to a different part of the structure) he changed and in a potentially detrimental way the airframe.
I don't see your point here.
1. He didn't break any rule.
2. Where is written that someone has to follow the manufacturers recommendation for what engine to use?
3. Based on many of the arfs I have seen I can't say that they were assembled correctly BY THE MANUFACTURER and didn't require modification by the consumer in order to make them safe.
Is your whole point that Jet guys should be able to put a 23 lb thrust turbine on a 5 lb airframe with 15 lbs of fuel so the plane goes 400 mph? (I know, not real numbers, just trying to understand your point)