Humorous
I find this thread getting a little humorous based on past threads. I find it ironic that so many RV builders, in prior threads, worship Van and are willing to argue truly minute issues because, "Vans knows what he is doing and is the greatest engineer on the plannet." And now they dig in their heels in when Van comes out and says, "This SB should be completed -- prior to next flight." I guess it is fair to now say that Van only knows what he is talking about when it is convenient for builders.
In my opinion, it doesn't really matter if it is a SB or an AD, if Van says, "Fix it prior to next flight," I think the prudent thing to do is -- fix it before next flight. I guess you can all second guess Van if you want, but then it is your plane and your neck and maybe the neck of a loved one or two.
You can bet that if I were in the market to buy a flying RV (I am not) that some of the first words out of my mouth would be, "Has the pick-up tube SB been completed?"
I think it silly to suggest that builders should negotiation with insurance carriers. Why should a carrier have any interest in talking to a builder or builders about this situation? They get your money now, and if you put it in the ground due to fuel flow issues, you can bet they will hang on to that money as long as possible whether the pick-up tube is the real problem or not. The insurance companies are not there to negotiate away potential problems. They are there to maximize their profits by minimizing their risks. If Van says, "put it in," the insurance companies are going to expect owners to - put it in.
So I guess the bottom line is -- do what you want, it's your plane. But don't think you are going to out-engineer Van or get one over on the insurance companies. If Van says, "fix it," that is the official word, and, in my opinion, the SB should be complied with. If you want to rationalize not doing so, go ahead but then I guess you are saying you know more than Van.
CJ
