Comment

Comment by Ken Seymour on November 17, 2009 at 5:03pm

I am new to the forum and I am building a 650. I have not started the wings so I will be able to add the upgrades in a new wing. I agree with Jake. I also point to Zenith's own demo plane and William Wynn's Airplane. I will install everything that Chris comes up with but there is more to these breakups then design.

Comment by Glenn Garrison on November 17, 2009 at 2:37pm

Jim, I concur with your assetment and very logical thinking. What people need to remember these aircraft cannot just pull over to the side and get out and fix them. They are not cars! I am a certified A&P and work in the airline industry, and we have a good saying " ALWAYS ERROR ON THE SIDE OT SAFETY"! We are not only responsible for the aircraft being airworthy but for the safety of the passengers and flight crew. Therefore reguardless of the inconsistencies as mentioned by Jake, ones own life as well as those lives on the ground as well need to be considered. There is a good reason for the SAIB, which as a result of several people losing their life. The FAA could have grounded these aircraft permanently and not alowed them to fly reguardless of a fix or upgrade. I am as well going to wait for this upgrade and incorporate it into my aircaft a 601XL. So if any others question this upgrade and the SAIB then they sould not be flying aircarft, and I do not want to be around when they do. I would hate to try and explain to someones love one why this happened and why they and their children no longer have a father or mother or both which ever the case may be. Safe flying .

Comment by Jake Reyna on November 17, 2009 at 7:35am

Jim, it's all about risk management, like looking both ways before you cross the street. In defense of those that are lucky enough to have their Airworthiness and registered as EAB, there are many inconsistencies with the data and there is the issue of government intrusion.

I'll start with the SAIB: "After the review we made a determination that these accidents did not clearly indicate a single root cause. Instead, it implicated the potential coupling of design and operational aspects of the aircraft." I wrote Wes Ryan, his name is at the bottom of the SAIB and asked him what does "it implicated the potential coupling of design and operational aspects of the aircraft." mean? His response, contact Zenith and AMD for guidance. That seemed odd, why couldn't he answer?

Read the Q&A with Chris Heintz and get a feel for his thoughts, but I'll post one that is relevant to this conversation.

"The past two years have been challenging for the CH 601 XL community around the world. As we all know, a number of accidents have occurred over the span of a few years for which no common cause has been determined. This lack of a “smoking gun” has caused all kinds of conjectures and wild guesses as to probable cause, and each time a new “theory” or “solution” is proposed, I and numerous engineers spend long hours trying to validate or rebuke the latest round of speculation. To this date, after thousands of man-hours of investigations, multiple design reviews and an unheard-of amount of testing, the accidents in question still do not share a common cause. In offering this “Upgrade Package” I have had to set aside my own professional
opinion (that the design is sound) as well as legal counsel’s advice in order to provide builders, owners and pilots the “fix” that they have been asking me for. With these upgrades (my “180º shift”), the safety margins of key airframe components have been dramatically increased… "

On average 100 are killed in Amateur Built aircraft annually. Go to ntsb.gov and run a report. The leading causes of death in the US are: Heart disease: 631,636, Cancer: 559,888, Stroke: 137,119, Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583, Accidents (unintentional injuries): 121,599, Diabetes: 72,449, Alzheimer's disease: 72,432, Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,326, Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 45,344, * Septicemia: 34,234. CDC FASTSTATS

Total: 1,855,611 annually from just the leading causes. Auto accidents, homicide, alcohol and drugs add another 120,000. Like I said, it's all about risk management.

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775