On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 06:41:58 -0600, - Barnyard BOb - wrote:

Without knowing the number of flight hours involved,
accurate safety details and analysis are destined
to remain shrouded in much fog, mystery and hype.

Certainly. But of course, we'll probably never have that sort of data,
unless the EAA does a membership survey. We can't fully rely on the online
NTSB accident reports, either, because they only mention the engine type
when engine-related problems were a factor in the accident. Unless we pay
for and analyze the hard-copy reports, we don't know how many of the other
2200+ homebuilt accidents since 1990 involved auto-engine homebuilts.

However, I can see those with an agenda abusing
the incomplete data to bolster a particular point of view.

Yep...that's why I couched the information in cautious terms, in some
cases...there just isn't enough depth to the statistics.

For instance, during the 1990-2003 time period, three Fly Babies and three
RV-3s suffered in-flight wing failures. One out of every five Fly Baby or
RV-3 crash. What's important is the root causes; in the Fly Baby case, two
out of the three crashes were errors in maintenance, and the other involved
the builder deviating from the plans. But the raw data certainly looks
bad.

The RV-3 problems are similarly well known... NTSB accident report
FTW98FA145 offers great insight. But those who want to slam either
aircraft have plenty of ammunition.

I picture an average RV3 flying mega-more hours a year than
any BD-5 whizzing around in little circles because of reliability
issues and no x-country capability. Ditto for my trusty Fly Baby.

The question is, what is the average annual flight time for the entire
homebuilt fleet? Again, we'll never know unless EAA mounts some sort of
effort. I put about 40 hours a year on my Fly Baby, but I live in
mild-weather country. Then again, I had a buddy with an IFR ticket and a
Bonanza, and he only flew 60 hours a year.

It's a matter of averages, not the few stand-outs (or, in the case of Fly
Babies, stand-unders :-).

It's great you're able to fly your RV-3 so much, Bob, but what about the
previous owner? When did he make the first flight, how many years did he
own it, and how many hours did he put on the plane until he sold it do you?
What's the average annual flight time on the airplane since it made its
first flight?

In my case, the plane first flew in 1982 and the plane has ~350 hours.
That's only about 17 hours/year average.

Ron Wanttaja