Post by Bruce on Nov 30, 2007 9:23:40 GMT 12
Read on Avweb today that the US experimental Aircraft Association (EAA, the national body of homebuilders, like our SAA) has suggested changes to the rule that requires a minimum of 51% of an aircraft must be constructed by the owner for it to be considered a homebuilt.
The new proposal would allow more work to be completed by "commercial Assembly Centres" on behalf of the owner. As it is in the USA thre are a number of "builders Centres" where those with enough money can hire assistance, tooling etc and get thier aircraft completed in as little as 3 weeks.
I'm not sure what to make of this, as although it gets people flying earlier, and may improve quality standards, it does erode the principle of homebuilding, which is for the educational and recreational benefit of the builder. Its also blurs the boundaries between homebuilt and factory built aircraft, and opens up a whole can of worms about who is responsible for ensuring the aircraft is built to suitable standards.
I suspect that even within EAA itself there will be some heathy debate about this direction!
The new proposal would allow more work to be completed by "commercial Assembly Centres" on behalf of the owner. As it is in the USA thre are a number of "builders Centres" where those with enough money can hire assistance, tooling etc and get thier aircraft completed in as little as 3 weeks.
I'm not sure what to make of this, as although it gets people flying earlier, and may improve quality standards, it does erode the principle of homebuilding, which is for the educational and recreational benefit of the builder. Its also blurs the boundaries between homebuilt and factory built aircraft, and opens up a whole can of worms about who is responsible for ensuring the aircraft is built to suitable standards.
I suspect that even within EAA itself there will be some heathy debate about this direction!