Tom Young wrote:




Doubtful. An analysis of homebuilt accidents in Kitplanes magazine a couple
of year ago (October 2004) shows that homebuilders are higher time pilots
than the average GA pilot and have fewer accidents, hour for hour, that
involve pilot error.

I can vouch for that. There's a guy just down the hangar row from me.
Big EAA guy. Thousands of hours as a Navy pilot. He went on to be a
test pilot. He was one of the test pilots for the F14, F18 and F111.
He should know more than mopst of us put together. Now fast forwad 25
years after his militray career is over. Quite possibly the dumbest guy
you've ever met. He built a Kitfox, which is dumb enough, but loaded it
up with so much crap that with a full tank and him on board he was 50
pounds over gross. He installed an air horn, yes, an air horn. Just
like on the General Lee. Took off on his first flight, no tailwheel time
by the way. Storms approaching, wind blowing 15 kts at takeoff. Flies
20 miles away and engine pukes because he screwed up the fuel system.
Then he proceeds to deadstick, with a 30 kt tailwind and busts the plane
in half. Breaks his back and has to walk out to a road to be found.
Scratch one ****box Kitfox. Now he's rebuilding an Aeronca Chief. This
is ****box number two. Yoke won't smoothly go in and out because he has
stuff behind the panel interfering with its travel. Takes it out for
taxi practice on another day with a storm approaching, ground loops it
and breaks the spar a couple feet in from the end. Opens up the wing
and screws a metal patch on either side of busted spar and covers it all
back up. Not even remotely airworthy. Most EAA guys I've seen aren't
this bad but they are the absolute bottom of the barrel pilot skill wise.