I've got many thousands of hours in "light general aviation airplanes". I
even owned a Beech Sport for many years while building time for my future
airline career. I never had a smidgen bit of problems with any carburetor.
As for the comment about the cabin heater system; Yes, there could be a
problem with exhaust gas leakage into the cabin but that is why I had a
simple detector inside the cabin on my Beech Sport.


No offense intended, but more evidence that "Better is the enemy of good
enough" for many.

I tend to fall into that category in many things, but not generally those
which put my life at risk. Being "an airplane (and glider) nut" since
childhood, I remember being amazed, aghast and nearly speechless when I
learned how cabin heat systems for light planes were designed. Still am. So I
happened to be an engineer at the time - big deal; I'd learned long before how
effective CO was as a means of ending life. Yes, a CO detector should-oughta
be more-better than none, but as a defense of the design...really? Even though
the bulk of my cadged lightplane rides with buddies have been in summer, I
never really felt/feel comfortable with that aspect of riding in lightplanes,
detector or no detector. Personally, I'd rather fly in or own a lightplane
without a heat muff at all. Thankfully...never had to worry about it in gliders!

In a similar vein, being a long-time reader of online FAA/NTSB
preliminary/final accident reports, it didn't take long for me to begin to
wonder - insight gained from the prelims alone - about the seemingly high
proportion of "topple and burn" light helicopter crashes/fatalities. What was
wrong with that accident picture, given the high chances/proportion of
"toppled in training" accidents?

Likewise, flight into icing conditions in anything but "an overpowered,
hot-appendaged" turbojet, - a form of life russian roulette, in my view.

Self-education. In my view, definitely a good thing!

Bob W.