Guest Pilot Reactions

I’ve let a half dozen other pilots of greatly varied experience take the controls on local flights.

Different qualities most impressed each one and none voiced any disappointments.

The ease, responsiveness, and precision of the side yoke was a real hot item as were the avionics, comfort, quiet, visibility, speed, price, and efficiency.

I’ve been a guest speaker at three different EAA Chapters and I’ve found the homebuilders to be very interested in this new “factory” aircraft which evolved from the homebuilt industry.

If you are going to speak to these people you had better be really on top of the specs because they ask a lot of really technical questions.

I understand now that there will be a quiz.

I related that on this site one owner wrote that he was insulted to be asked if it was a homebuilt.

I told them that he must have not have been to Oshkosh lately or he would have known that it was high praise.

One humorous question by a Lycoming fan was did I think the parachute would still have been included if they had selected a Lycoming engine.

I told him that I had recently read that improvements in the new French diesel aircraft engine had resulted in claims that it was as smooth as a six cylinder Lycoming which I thought was faint praise.

I’ve been a guest speaker at three different EAA Chapters and I’ve found the homebuilders to be very interested in this new “factory” aircraft which evolved from the homebuilt industry.

The homebuilt industry can legitimately stake claim to having pushed (shoved) the industry to modernize and improve in the face of numerous obstacles. Hat’s off to all those enterprising souls who’ve had the vision to design a plane and offer it for sale, and especially to those who’ve had the guts to buy one, build one, and fly it!!!

I’ve let a half dozen other pilots of greatly varied experience take the controls on local flights.

My CFI rode in the conforming prototype at Wings Aloft last week. He was greatly impressed (as is the entire WA population, apparently). The only negatives he passed on to me:

  1. Apparently there’s a detent in the throttle somewhere near idle. Is that a way to stop you accidentaly idling all the way while throttling back? Seems nannyish to me.

  2. Poor sightseeing for the back passengers, but I don’t know how it compares with other low-wing 4-seaters.

I’m getting close to shaking the $15K loose (yes, I know, Jim, I’ve been saying it for a week).