If I'd bought an almost completed KR that didn't have an airworthiness certificate yet, I'd go through every sqaure millimeter of the plane and would thoroughly understand exactly how everything on it worked, and would adjust it all so that it operated as flawlessly as possible. Then I'd fix everything that didn't meet up to my standards or preferences. And when the inspector or DAR showed up, I'd be sure it was clear to him that I had total command of EVERYthing there was to know about the plane. And if he didn't offer me the repair certificate (which should have been arranged before he even showed up), I'd argue that if I was forced to hire your average A&P, I'd know way more about it than your average spam can repairman (sorry, average spam can repairmen of the world), and that nobody else on earth is more qualified to maintain and repair that airplane. And after 2-3 years of flying and maintaining it, there would be NO DOUBT that I'd be better at it than anybody else on the planet!
After that argument, I don't know how you could be turned down. My EAA tech advisor dropped by for the first of the three inspections that the EAA (and your future insurance company) would like to see on an experimental plane before first flight, and basically said "you know way more about this plane than I could ever hope to know... go ahead and finish it as you see fit and I'll sign it off!" But worst case is that you'll eventually befriend an A&P who'll realize that you are the guy that knows more about the plane than anybody else, and will let you do the vast majority of the annual "condition inspection" (and if he's not a total deadbeat) will show up and quiz you on everything he has questions about, before signing it off for you every year. Unless of course, you're a hack or the plane is junk and the A&P realizes it, and the plane is grounded until it's scrapped and burned for kindling! [sorry, it's the Ringwood Ale talking] I'm headed to Coventry tomorrow for lunch with Brendan Neary and to check out G-BTGD, built by Dave Mullins (from near Chester). It has some neat ideas on it, and to Dave's credit, he got it through the PFA's (Popular Flying Association, now LAA) hoops to get these modifications incorporated and flying. See http://www.krnet.org/krs/dmullins/G-BTGD-2.jpg for a nice shot of it doing a runup. Note the neat canopy hinge solution which I'd copy in a heartbeat. The back window is also nice, but perhaps at too much of an angle for optimal aerodynamics. Willie Wilson and Dave Mullins built their KRs concurrently around 1983. Willie still has his (more on that later on my "England webpage") and Brendan is about owner number six. My "English experience" webpage is at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/andover/ . It hasn't been updated in ages, but I'm working on that right now, to include pictures of our England/Scotland/Wales vacation in July, which I hope to have posted sometime in the next ten years. The highlight of that trip was when son Jordan came down with Swine Flu after riding the Tube in London, and learned a quick lesson on personal hygiene... Mark Langford N56ML "at" hiwaay.net website at http://www.N56ML.com
