I have been thinking about some of the posts lately concerning building
practices which includes the type of materials used to construct your airplane.
I realize that these are experimental aircraft which means you can build them
from just about anything you want. We should also remember how much time and
money we invest into these projects.
What we all need to realize first is safety to ourselves and to whom you may
one day sell your airplane to.
Take for example a RV series ariplane. They are all built with a basic kit.
They should all be the same, right ? If you saw a used RV for sale, more than
likely if you wanted it and could afford it you wouldn't hesitate to purchase
it because you would assume it was built correctly, with high quality parts
like all of the others. If you see a KR2 for sale, what do you assume ? Do you
assume it was glued together with T88, Elmers art projects glue, Gorilla glue ?
See what I mean? If we want to be taken seriously by the rest of the flying
homebuilt community and potential purchasers of our finished or unfinished
projects we need common basic structural building practices.
I have looked at KR2s that had screen door aluminum turnbuckles attached to
the cables and running to the rudder and tailwheel as well as the elevator. I
bet you will not find that in a RVseries airplane. I bet you won't find T88 or
Elmers or Gorilla glue holding a RV series airplane wing skins, bulkheads or
longerons together or nails or sheetrock screws or whatever a KR builder may
decide to use.
We all have a lot of time and money invested in our airplanes. If you want it
to be worth something other than a laugh or two when it is time to sell, then
we all should try to develop common known aircraft building techniques and
common high quality building materials.
I realize that in order to expand the envelope when it comes to more and
different kinds of building materials, someone who is brave or creative will be
the one who tries new and different things. If that is the case then that
airplane needs to be carefully documented as to what materials were used to
construct it and pass that information on to the new builder or flyer of that
airplane. For the rest who are not brave then stick to old known safe building
practices so there can be a consistency with these neat little airplanes so
others will not be afraid of them or consider them a joke.
Larry H.
