X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Sender: To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:09:03 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from wind.imbris.com ([216.18.130.7] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.0c2) with ESMTPS id 726622 for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 19 Sep 2005 13:38:25 -0400 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=216.18.130.7; envelope-from=brent@regandesigns.com Received: from [192.168.1.100] (wireless-216-18-135-19.imbris.com [216.18.135.19]) (authenticated bits=0) by wind.imbris.com (8.12.11/8.12.11.S) with ESMTP id j8JHbYvp068718 for ; Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:37:35 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from brent@regandesigns.com) X-Original-Message-ID: <432EF75C.9070607@regandesigns.com> X-Original-Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:37:32 -0700 From: Brent Regan User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.2) Gecko/20040804 Netscape/7.2 (ax) X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Original-To: Lancair Mailing List Subject: Re: FAA trying to stop us Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="------------080806060608050408040503" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------080806060608050408040503 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Rick, I think the Epic is a fine aircraft and I would very much like to own one. I have no problem with the way you are trying to build a company. I am concerned (because I haven't heard anything it) about your quality program. I will take you up on your offer to visit your facility. Your experience with the FAA (not wanting to visit your facility) is inconsistent with my experience (and Lance's) as I have found the individuals at the FAA generally helpful and willing to assist within the limits of their ability. Did you make an official written request of them? If so, then you have a powerful tool at hand. As you may recall, Rick, when you first outlined your plans to me all those months ago I conveyed my concerns that the FAA would not embrace the "airplane building facility for hire" approach. Lancair has arrived at the position they are in from small incremental steps, avoiding the large perturbations that make the FAA nervous. You, on the other hand, walked up to the feds, stuck your finger in their eye and demanded your certificate ... or ... or ... or what? You made the erroneous assumption that your equivalency argument (with Lancair) would have weight. If you were cited for running a stop sign and you went to court with the argument "I didn't do anything wrong because cars run that stop sign all the time." there is no doubt that you would be writing a check to the clerk of the court. The FAA will, under certain limited circumstances, go along with the "me too" approach but in your case you have a new plane, new facility, new people and a required "assistance" program. From the feds perspective "All new but just the same" is an oxymoron. Anyone else's perspective is irrelevant. People who are an innovators and a revolutionaries have difficulty empathizing with the FAA mindset. Things that seem obvious to them are are not apparent to bureaucratic cognition. Given the apparent present situation I would recommend the following remedial steps for Epic the company (in no particular order). 1) Offer a blood sacrifice to the gods by retasking Epic's FAA point man. A public execution comes to mind. (sarcasm meter is pegged). 2) Hire a new FAA liaison person. Someone known and trusted. 3) Admit, publicly, that the FAA is right and mistakes were made and Epic will be obedient from now on. 4) Contact your local, state and congressional representatives to discuss the JOBS and TAX REVENUE potential. 5) Appreciate the fact that you now have the FAA, Cessna, Eclipse, Honda, Pilatus, Piper, TBM and others aligned against your business plan. A frontal assault has a small probability of success. Think stealth. Responding to your assertion that I have a default Rick = Bad setting, I assure you that this is not the case although I am surprised you frame it in a personal context. In this instance I have simply stated the obvious, an appreciation of the reality as viewed from the outside and shared by those who's opinions you would be wise to consider. You can call it "throwing stones" but they are stones of your making. I wish you success in this endeavor and I will assist in any practical manner but I will not drink the Kool-Aid. You may have a nobel cause and think yourself as a Spartan but THIS battle is Thermopylae where your best hope, Leonidas, is to die well. It is time to consider Plan B. Regards Brent Regan --------------080806060608050408040503 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Rick,

I think the Epic is a fine aircraft and I would very much like to own one. I have no problem with the way you are trying to build a company. I am concerned (because I haven't heard anything it) about your quality program. I will take you up on your offer to visit your facility. Your experience with the FAA (not wanting to visit your facility) is inconsistent with my experience (and Lance's) as I have found the individuals at the FAA generally helpful and willing to assist within the limits of their ability. Did you make an official written request of them? If so, then you have a powerful tool at hand.

As you may recall, Rick,  when you first outlined your plans to me all those months ago I  conveyed my concerns that the FAA would not embrace the "airplane building facility for hire" approach. Lancair has arrived at the position they are in from small incremental steps, avoiding the large perturbations that make the FAA nervous. You, on the other hand,  walked up to the feds, stuck your finger in their eye and demanded your certificate ... or ... or ... or what? You made the erroneous assumption that your equivalency argument (with Lancair) would have weight. If you were cited for running a stop sign and you went to court with the argument  "I didn't do anything wrong because cars run that stop sign all the time." there is no doubt that you would be writing a check to the clerk of the court.

The FAA will, under certain limited circumstances, go along with the "me too" approach but in your case you have a new plane, new facility, new people and a required "assistance" program. From the feds perspective "All new but just the same" is an oxymoron. Anyone else's perspective is irrelevant.

People who are an innovators and a revolutionaries have difficulty empathizing with the FAA mindset. Things that seem obvious to them are are not apparent to bureaucratic cognition.

Given the apparent present situation I would recommend the following remedial steps for Epic the company (in no particular order).

1) Offer a blood sacrifice to the gods by retasking Epic's FAA point man. A public execution comes to mind. (sarcasm meter is pegged).
2) Hire a new FAA liaison person. Someone known and trusted.
3) Admit, publicly, that the FAA is right and mistakes were made and Epic will be obedient from now on.
4) Contact your local, state and congressional representatives to discuss the JOBS and TAX REVENUE potential.
5) Appreciate the fact that you now have the FAA, Cessna, Eclipse, Honda, Pilatus, Piper, TBM and others aligned against your business plan. A frontal assault has a small probability of success. Think stealth.

Responding to your assertion that I have a default Rick = Bad setting, I assure you that this is not the case although I am surprised you frame it in a personal context. In this instance I have simply stated the obvious, an appreciation of the reality as viewed from the outside and shared by those who's opinions you would be wise to consider. You can call it "throwing stones" but they are stones of your making. I wish you success in this endeavor and I will assist in any practical manner but I will not drink the Kool-Aid.  You may  have a nobel  cause and think yourself as a Spartan but THIS battle is Thermopylae where your best hope, Leonidas, is to die well.

It is time to consider Plan B.

Regards
Brent Regan
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