That's me
I am one of the builders in that article (I do not know the guy from Mesa). They got my number from our EAA website, which I am chapter president of... I know enough from my pre retirement media training to be skeptical, very skeptical. A couple of blanks I can fill in. The reporter already had the Stern Lancair 4 crash in mind (that was a big deal around here) and had found the FAA data on experimental crash rates. So where he was headed was not good, you know, experimentals are killing unknowing pilots... He already had the information we dread having incorrectly portrayed and publicized. I asked him if he was open to the counterpoints. He seemed to be. I provided data from other studies and asked that he read it before we talked more. He asked if he could see my project. I agreed.
I made sure he saw Van's build drawings (the whole stack and the one that I was doing at the time). And tools, books, parts, raw materials and then things made from those raw materials, etc... My project, which is wired, rolls around and is starting to look like an airplane instead of a pile of parts was probably at a perfect stage for a non builder to see. He was fascinated by the work and the level of complexity to build it. I powered up the panel, which is pretty well equipped. I wanted to demonstrate this is not unknowing and unregulated, we talked for quite a while. I covered the DAR inspection process. He realized this is not a simple and scary case of a guy with a toolbox just fooling around in the garage and then going out flying to endanger folks on the ground.
In the end I "think" I turned what could have been a negative piece into something neutral, probably better than neutral. At least he saw it as a legitimate activity that, while having some inherent risks, is not a willy nilly free for all and is not as unsafe as the general public thinks.
As you pointed out, the title is generated by someone else to be eye grabbing, I wish I could have influenced that. But otherwise I am pleased how it went and I think the piece served our community well.
Others comments in this thread are right, little planes scare people. Most think we are nuts to build a plane let alone actually fly it. But if we educate others about what we are doing and how we take it seriously we win. We won't convert them to becoming pilots or builders. But we can convert them from blindly scared of what we do to at least respecting it. Even if they choose not to join, they will not join the chorus against us.
Thanks for the feedback.
The
Arizona Republic story is...err... interesting. Particularly the part about noting the crash of a Mooney, indicating it's not experimental, but then saying experimental aircraft are a concern.
That said, the article is actually pretty fair and balanced. The headline is usually not written by the reporter, but by some slob in a cubicle who usually can't tell you if it's daylight out or not.
I don't know Roger Whittier, the RV builder in the piece, but I'd like to thank him for at least trying to provide the reporter with some guidance that I think held some sway in the piece itself.
