Hornet's Nest?

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FreeWill
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:42 pm

Hornet's Nest?

Post by FreeWill » Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:25 am

Hello all.

I'm a new LAA member, albeit I have forty years of flying experience, mostly as an airline pilot, punctuated with light aircraft flying.

I have just returned from Oshkosh 2022 where I observed that the EAA appears to be willing to consider anything from a steam engine to a nuclear reactor for propulsion, and anything from a wheelbarrow to the space shuttle as an airframe.

I talked to several exhibitors at OSH. Many expressed frustration with what they perceived to be the UK LAA's restrictive, and some said 'outdated', view to aviation development.

Our British forefathers developed, inter alia, radar, TV, the world wide web, cats eyes, the jet engine. Even the industrial revolution was born here. Should we not be driving aviation development?

Are we doing something wrong? Are we missing opportunities? Are we focusing on the wrong safety threats? Are we, perhaps, specifying requirements because 'we've always done it that way' ?

Is, for example, a 61kt maximum stall speed keeping us safe? What would change if it were 65kts or 70kts? Conversely, why are we not continually training pilots? As airline pilots we have eight hours in the simulator every six months. How would light aircraft flying look in a world where you could register/fly almost any aircraft you wish but you had to attend, say, a one day training course each year to maintain rights to fly?

I'm not proposing any particular policy. I am asking is it time to have a complete review of what we do and require so that aviation in the UK can develop more freely and possibly even more safely?

Lead planes in concrete hangars will never be dangerous. How do we embrace change, foster innovation and improve safety?
John Garry

B Davies
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:57 pm

Re: Hornet's Nest?

Post by B Davies » Sat Aug 06, 2022 5:29 pm

Welcome to the LAA world.
The biggest difference between the US home built world and the UK is that the USA have an experimental category that allows almost everything (not quite everything) but in the UK the LAA has to work in accordance with its CAA approval and home built aircraft need to comply with UK or European design codes. This does create frustration but if you go to one of our rallies or a fly in you will see a vast range of designs, some very modern and fitted with the latest kit.
Brian Davies
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FreeWill
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:42 pm

Re: Hornet's Nest?

Post by FreeWill » Tue Aug 09, 2022 5:38 pm

Hi Brian.

Thank you for responding.

I have spoken with pilots who wish to build overseas and fly the inspector out, and pay the inspector for his time for making multiple visits.

I have also spoken with other pilots who would like to do something novel e.g., fit alternative engines.

I am considering both of these options.

Maybe I have misunderstood, but my impression is that the LAA appears to consider such requests to be too difficult. How might one successfully progress such requests?

Many thanks.
John Garry

B Davies
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:57 pm

Re: Hornet's Nest?

Post by B Davies » Tue Aug 30, 2022 2:21 pm

John,

Sorry for my failure to reply. I have been off air for a while. The best way to answer your questions is to attend the fly in at Popham and meet the engineering team. Everything you mention is possible but it relies on you having the technical skills or resources to be able to comply with the requirements.
Brian Davies
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ROB. THOMASSON
Posts: 129
Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 5:36 pm

Re: Hornet's Nest?

Post by ROB. THOMASSON » Sat Sep 10, 2022 7:24 pm

People have designed and built completley new aircraft via the LAA but it does take a while. The LAA team do wonders within the regs but the danger of litigation looms high. To show you how bad it is a student pilot tried to sue his instructor when he cocked up a landing claiming he couldn't have been taught properly a few years back
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