Seems like in the 60s there was a lot of homebuilts being flipped over and loaded with sandbags. I had the thought that it was encouraged by the FAA, even on proven designs. There have been articles in SA about static testing. Seems like no big deal to me if done right. I would rather hear a BANG on the ground than in the air.
Thanks for the recommendation on books to design homebuilt airplanes. I am about to go down that road myself. Kevin in Missouri