wildnloose,
From p.5 in the manual(under Warranty Information) In that Horizon Hobby has no control over the final assembly or material used for the final assembly, no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any damage of the final user-assembled product. By the act of using the product, the user accepts all resulting liability. If the buyer is not prepared to accept the liability associated with the use of this product, the buyer is advised to return this kit immediately in new adn unused condition to the place of purchase Kinda makes it hard to sue????
Bud, any lawyer worth his salt could defeat this statement with ease. These comments are put in to scare off those who may question but not challenge the offending company. Should someone, God forbid, get injured or killed due to a firewall separation Hangar 9 will suffer the consequences if a legal complaint is raised.
If you are correct in assuming that "final assembly" implies work performed at the factory then they further endanger their position by stating that they have no control over a product they sell. That screams irresponsibility, does it not? For a company to continue to offer a product that has a reputation of dangerous destructive tendencies is unbelievable in this time of heightened product liability litigation. But I question the term "final assembly".
I have to believe that final assembly refers, not to the construction of the plane at the factory, but to the assembly of the factory parts by the kit purchaser. No kit manufacturer can observe or verify a builder's work and could, therefore, not be held accountable for errors made in that phase of construction. That, in my mind, is what Hangar 9 termed "final assembly".
To me, the answer is simply not to purchase a Hangar 9 Corsair and to alert others who may be considering the purchase of one or may have already purchased one to the potential danger associated with this plane. In our society, money talks and word of mouth is very powerful indeed.
Al