REFLECTOR: Accident in Las Vegas

Thu Aug 28 12:46:39 CDT 2008

Andy et all:

One of the days of the past Dallas seminar was spent at the airport viewing 
the 13 planes on display. The manager of the Hampton Inn where we stayed 
told me her 14 year old son had never flown. I asked Mack if he would give 
him a ride and Mack said yes with no hesitation. That teenager told me he 
will not forget the thrill. Mack was a true pro.

Milt

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andy Millin" <amillin at sbcglobal.net>
To: "'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 12:08 PM
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Accident in Las Vegas

> Milt,
>
> I don't even know if you can, or are supposed to log the taxi time as part
> of the fly-off restrictions.
>
> Lots of questions.  Doesn't make sense.  I doubt we will ever have 
> answers.
>
> Andy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
> Behalf Of Milton Mersky
> Sent: 08-28-2008 12:48
> To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Accident in Las Vegas
>
> Andy:
>
> Was the extensive taxi time part of the 5/1 hours?  Were there any flights
> as part of the 5.1 hours?
>
> Milt
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Andy Millin <mailto:amillin at sbcglobal.net>
> To: 'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'
> <mailto:reflector at tvbf.org>
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:32 AM
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Accident in Las Vegas
>
>
> Apologies for a long post.  It does not involve building, or other
> technical issues.  You may want to delete this now.
>
>
>
> I met Mack a couple of times at OSH.  I remember the first time.  It
> was at the Velocity dinner.  Duane Swing was addressing the room and Mack
> raised his hand to speak.  Mack wanted to explain a recent Lycoming AD to
> the group in detail.  Duane told him "we don't care, and sit down."  I
> remember this as Duane did not add "Please."  I knew Mack's heart was in 
> the
> right place, and I could tell this was a guy that knew a great deal.
>
>
>
> I am saddened by this loss.  I am saddened by the way the media has
> treated.  And dang it, I'm frustrated that I don't have an answer.
>
>
>
> When I entered the home building arena I took a workshop at Oshkosh
> on the rules.  I learned about the 51% rule, commercial assistance, the 25
> or 40 hour fly-off period, etc.  It is good to learn the rules.
>
>
>
> I think it was sometime around 2000 when I was at Oshkosh and I met
> a guy that had just flown in.  He had a Velocity that was a little rough,
> and it was in primer.  He told me he was a professional builder and he 
> built
> the airplane to sell it.  What, not recreation and education . pure
> commercial venture . that's not what the rules say.
>
>
>
> He continued to tell me that the airplane had 40 hours on it. He had
> flown off the restrictions as he was flying it in from California.  That
> ain't what the rules say.
>
>
>
> This was my earliest recollection learning that some people might
> not take the rules to be rules.  Some are treating them as a "nice
> suggestion."
>
>
>
> Through the years I have seen most builders play straight.
> Unfortunately I have seen others that have not.
>
>
>
> When it comes to accidents, there can be all kinds of speculation.
> I have been guilty of it myself.  The unfortunate part is that I have been
> around long enough to see enough.  The only constant fact in looking at an
> accident is there are always things that are not known.  You must read the
> accident report, and mentally add "and a bunch of other factors that we 
> just
> don't know."
>
>
>
> When it doesn't make sense to me, like Ueli's accident, then I know
> something else happened, and I just don't know what it is.  An accident is
> rarely as simple as the obvious.  And trying to put a puzzle together when
> you know you don't have all the pieces is just futile.
>
>
>
> I don't think this is a jaded point of view.  It is a matter of
> acceptance.
>
>
>
> The aircraft in Las Vegas had 5.1 hours of flight logged.  The
> restrictions said it had to have 5 hours on it before it could be operated
> at the North Las Vegas airport.  It just happened to have 5.1 hours .
>
>
>
> This just doesn't seem right.  I don't know the owner. I don't know
> if the aircraft was Full Build, Fast Build, or Check Build.  I don't know
> who flew the aircraft for 5.1 hours.  I don't know where this flying was
> done.  I don't know a bunch of stuff.  I do know that the log book shows
> just enough time to make it legal to operate at that airport.  Shoot me, 
> I'm
> skeptical.
>
>
>
> If the 5.1 hours had been flown at a rural, non-congested airport,
> then why would the owner move it to a congested airport to start testing 
> the
> supercharger?  I have no idea if this is hindsight, or my version of 
> common
> sense (probably both), but if I was already at a rural airport and I still
> had testing of that nature to do, wouldn't I stay at the rural airport 
> until
> I had confidence in the system?  I might.
>
>
>
> Then, how did he get the aircraft from the other airport to North
> Las Vegas?  Fly it in from KSOW (stated home base) and then have 5.1 hours
> on it?  Airnav says it is 279.7 nautical miles between the two airports.
> Yes, he could have dismantled it and trucked it in.  Who would do that 
> with
> what is supposed to be an airworthy aircraft?
>
>
>
> Mack was helping the guy.  If there is anyone that would know the
> rules, it would have been Mack; and Mack was helping.
>
>
>
> Bunch of questions, not many answers, don't have all the facts.
>
>
>
> Sorry for the rambling.
>
>
>
> Andy
>
>
>
> =====================================
>
>
>
> Andy Millin
>
> amillin at sbcglobal.net
>
>
>
>
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>
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