I spoke with Bob Pastusek at the Oshkosh this week about
taking the survey that EAA and the NTSB are currently conducting. He
agreed that my comments sent via email were very appropriate, so thought I would
share them (at the bottom of the email) and the response from the NTSB,
just below. I encourage others to take the time to complete the survey and
comment as well.
Tom Sullivan
1999 Fast build IVP in (obviously) slow build mode
Dear Homebuilder –
Thank you for sharing with us your comments about the EAA’s
survey of builders and owners of experimental amateur built aircraft. The
NTSB is extremely pleased that the Experimental Aircraft Association has agreed
to share the results of this survey with us, to strengthen our ongoing study of
E-AB safety. The information that the survey will provide about the
population of owners and builders of E-ABs, in relation to the much smaller
population of accident involved E-AB aircraft, is extremely important to the
safety study. Detailed data on all E-AB accidents during 2011 are being
collected by NTSB Air Safety Investigators, assisted by FAA inspectors to
further support the study.
In addition to evaluation the survey and accident data, the
study is also gathering important information from manufacturers, organizations
like the EAA and type clubs, as well as the FAA’s inspectors and DARs.
Your comments are also valuable to the study.
Again, thank you for your observations and
comments.
NTSB Safety Study Team
From: Tom & Beth
Sullivan [mailto:toms1@chartermi.net]
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011
8:47 AM
To: eabsafetystudy
Subject: EAB Safety
Study
I appreciate the
effort to improve the safety record of experimental aircraft through the survey
and compiled data it will generate, but the opportunity to learn where we
can improve that safety record is greatly inhibited when the survey allows no
area to add comments.
I am building a
Lancair IVP Turbine, and have valid concerns about the safety record of the
Lancair fleet. Unfortunately, it appears a lot of the accidents are pilot
related, and the very root of that issue is the limited ability we have to
receive training due to the current FAA regulations, specifically the
limitations on these aircraft to provide training for hire and/or during
the phase one testing period.
If there is
a genuine desire to improve the safety record of these high performance
aircraft, then the FAA must make it easier to receive training, in these very
same aircraft, before turning a new builder loose in their own
plane.
Tom
Sullivan
2800 hours
building
2600
hours of high performance / complex time
2750
hours total time as pilot in
command