That's impossible. The "big names" are subject to everything being certifcated. They are also subject to liabilites that we can't even dream of.
There is simply no comparison here. We don't spend millions to get our airframes certified, and most of us don't have millions to loose, liability wise.
L.Adamson -- RV6A (the last I intend to build)
Yes, I know and understand that. This is my point!
Why does it cost millions for the "big names"? Liability concerns are an issue of course. However, Liability exists in every industry. Those industries are not languishing in a time warp though.
As is being discussed in a similar thread,
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=32167, the issue with the millions it costs for GA manufacturers can be changed if we have a change in the way we think about doing business in the aviation industry. What is going on currently is
NOT WORKING! The government regulations are killing the GA industry. The more the rules and regulations are changed or newly implemented for the purpose of
RESTRICTING innovation and improvement, the less choices all of us who fly will inevitably have.
We should not only be talking about this in terms of "protecting our turf", we should also be discussing the very reasons why those GA airplanes cost millions of dollars. Cessna, Cirrus, Piper and all the other GA manufacturers are not the enemy of E-AB builders. We should all be involved in getting the bureaucratic red tapers to let go of their strangle hold on this industry.
Ironically there is a similar problem that has developed in another government agency with very similar problems arising because of it. I have been researching information on running a car on alternative fuel (i.e. LPG, CNG, electric, etc.).
The EPA has developed a strangle hold on the conversion industry for these alternative fuels just as the FAA has done with aviation. The EPA has made it virtually impossible for anyone except the big fleet companies to convert to alternative fuels because they have imposed rules dictating that only EPA certified conversion kits can be used to convert to CNG for example. And guess what! Because of the draconian requirements imposed by the EPA on these conversion certifications it becomes very expensive to certify a conversion. Now doesn't that sound awfully familiar?
These kits are costing in the neighborhood of $10K to install. There are non-certified kits selling in the $1500 range but because these are not EPA certified if you install one on your car and then get flagged at some inspection down the road the EPA will fine the car owner a hefty fine.
Now here is more irony. In my state, Oklahoma, our state government has allowed a 50% tax credit for the cost of converting or buying a new alternative fuel vehicle. The federal government also has an 80% tax credit. Well, now, that sounds pretty darn good and even though it appears these conversions are expensive perhaps the tax credits would off-set the cost enough to make it feasible. Alas, not true!
The state of Oklahoma also has a law on the books that requires any technician that works on an alternative fuel vehicle to possess an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technician Certification. So no one can legally work on one of these vehicles without this certificate. And here is the funny (read sad
) part. There are no organizations in the state that have a certification program where these technicians can get certified.
So although the state and feds want to talk the big talk and say they are supporting alternative energy by providing tax credits, realistically, they are stymieing anyone from using them. Even though I want to convert my vehicle and could probably float the up front money it would cost for the conversion until my tax credit were to come in sometime after April 15th, there is no one in this state I can contact to do the conversion for me.
So here I sit ready and willing to contribute my part to getting off of the foreign oil train but I have no viable means to do it. The rules and regulations are preventing anyone outside the major fleet owners from seeing any benefit from any of these government incentives or to even go so far as to even try it to see if it will work.
I cannot help but notice how closely the effects of these EPA
RESTRICTIONS mirror the FAA
RESTRICTIONS we have to live with in the aviation world.
There is a difference however. Our federal government leaders are attempting to address the EPA strangle hold by introducing a bill that if passed will change the way the EPA will treat alternative fuel conversions for automobiles. If interested here are some links discussing the issue:
http://api.ning.com/files/gNvEyvmx6i*dCaNpLjvaawdQSj*3m9M8nK47-1BKS6vhmLctfAhsDeSonAUO5qgNmAlGQo7RLxzg-G0LnhWvu6uxBxfITNXb/TheDriveAmericaonNaturalGasActof2008.pdf
Here is the senator's website that is spearheading this bill:
http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=32cee86f-802a-23ad-4e25-8ceb2615ebae
This issue with the EPA is very similar to what has been happening to aviation since the FAA started down this restriction policy road back in 1958!