I was chatting with an RV owner yesterday, someone who has a number of airplanes and bought a nicely-built RV-8 that he just loves to fly, but didn?t have time in his life to build. We were talking about tail wheel mods and a few other things, and I suggested that he ask his questions on the forums here at VAF to tap into the considerable knowledge base. His response was interesting - he?s been here before, but his concern about asking questions (or more generally, using information found here) could be summed up as ?who do you trust?? He pointed out that on many topics and questions, if you read an entire thread, you will see diametrically opposed advice and answers to the same question. So what does a non-builder, or new builder do? Without the experience to understand and interpret the results, they can be just as lost as they were before they wandered in the door?..
Now my own interpretation on the ?multiple answer? issue is that, in reality, there are almost always multiple acceptable solutions to any problem. Very rarely is there only one ?right? way to do something. In fact, when I am evaluating information for myself, I tend to ?select out? solutions from people who state that ?the only way to do this is?.? Because that tells me something about their own ability to evaluate solutions. (I am aware that statement might ruffle a few feathers, but think about it - no one knows everything and all possible answers - how can they be sure there isn?t another solution that works as well, or better?)
In the old days, of you wanted to build an airplane, and you didn?t have all the expertise required, you joined an EAA chapter, or found like-minded people at the airport, and learned from those resources. Today, it is much more common to rely on internet advice and connections, but as we know, the greatest ?joke? of our time is ?it must be true, I read it on the internet!? I am very careful to evaluate ideas and suggestions that I get to see if there is physical truth behind them, and to see if I hear the same information from multiple sources. ?Trust, but verify? is a good phrase that works for me. Out of habit, when someone gives me an answer, I usually ask for a reference - a document, manual, or other source other than simple word of mouth ("Is this written down anywhere?"). The truth is that these RV?s we build are relatively standard machines, using tried and true design and technical details. It?s not like they are rocket science, and there are very few truly ?original thoughts? involved in building or maintaining them. Most everything you need can be found in a book - the forums are a great place to point you to the authoritative work.
The internet is a great way to communicate new ideas and to pass on information which might be common in one region of the world but not known elsewhere. All the good scientists that I know want to check the references when they hear new stuff, and as an engineer in Flight Operations, we have an old saying: ?In God we trust - all others, bring data!? Word of mouth, passed from generation to generation is liable to corruption - the message can get garbled, and what once proved to be a great way to do something in a particular situation might very well be incorrect when applied to something else, yet without the original source of that information policing how it is used, later generations might not realize it?s limitations.
So?.how about other?s thoughts? To what test do you put the ideas you find here and on other forums? This might be a good topic of discussion here on a forum where people come for answers, and many of us come to help out those seeking those answers. I personally hope that people take what I write, look for other references, sort through my ideas to see if they are applicable to them, and only use my thoughts if they truly appear to pass the highest scrutiny?.
Paul
Now my own interpretation on the ?multiple answer? issue is that, in reality, there are almost always multiple acceptable solutions to any problem. Very rarely is there only one ?right? way to do something. In fact, when I am evaluating information for myself, I tend to ?select out? solutions from people who state that ?the only way to do this is?.? Because that tells me something about their own ability to evaluate solutions. (I am aware that statement might ruffle a few feathers, but think about it - no one knows everything and all possible answers - how can they be sure there isn?t another solution that works as well, or better?)
In the old days, of you wanted to build an airplane, and you didn?t have all the expertise required, you joined an EAA chapter, or found like-minded people at the airport, and learned from those resources. Today, it is much more common to rely on internet advice and connections, but as we know, the greatest ?joke? of our time is ?it must be true, I read it on the internet!? I am very careful to evaluate ideas and suggestions that I get to see if there is physical truth behind them, and to see if I hear the same information from multiple sources. ?Trust, but verify? is a good phrase that works for me. Out of habit, when someone gives me an answer, I usually ask for a reference - a document, manual, or other source other than simple word of mouth ("Is this written down anywhere?"). The truth is that these RV?s we build are relatively standard machines, using tried and true design and technical details. It?s not like they are rocket science, and there are very few truly ?original thoughts? involved in building or maintaining them. Most everything you need can be found in a book - the forums are a great place to point you to the authoritative work.
The internet is a great way to communicate new ideas and to pass on information which might be common in one region of the world but not known elsewhere. All the good scientists that I know want to check the references when they hear new stuff, and as an engineer in Flight Operations, we have an old saying: ?In God we trust - all others, bring data!? Word of mouth, passed from generation to generation is liable to corruption - the message can get garbled, and what once proved to be a great way to do something in a particular situation might very well be incorrect when applied to something else, yet without the original source of that information policing how it is used, later generations might not realize it?s limitations.
So?.how about other?s thoughts? To what test do you put the ideas you find here and on other forums? This might be a good topic of discussion here on a forum where people come for answers, and many of us come to help out those seeking those answers. I personally hope that people take what I write, look for other references, sort through my ideas to see if they are applicable to them, and only use my thoughts if they truly appear to pass the highest scrutiny?.
Paul