Frank; I appreciate the comments and also welcome your opinions. Nice to spark a debate to see where folks stand. It's a pleasure to know there is at least one fan out there after I've been privately scolded for my remarks and mannerisms which is actually my non-politically correct way of transmitting tough love. Not sure if it's a blessing or a fault, it all depends on whose life is saved.
The difference with my "What's your life worth" and theirs is that I have nothing to gain except well appreciated camaraderie when our fellow coupers refuse to fly west. True there is always risk but by no means should that infer an improper or unnecessary dangerous decision should weigh into life. Must you really fly the airplane this weekend, this month, this season if it's unsafe? Must you brave the dangers of morning rush hour traffic to feed your family? You avoided risk by having your engine repaired and I applaud that decision. If you weren't able to do it, I seriously doubt you would have thrown caution to the wind, said the hell with it and gone flying anyway. You did not knowingly fly the airplane with a deficiency, you acted responsibly and took care of it, although it hurt in the hip pocket. I'm not a proponent of tossing money at every problem, but will quickly condemn those who act in an unsafe manner by knowingly making improper decisions about the risk they take. Whenever I take someone for their first flight in a little puddle jumper I let them know that whatever happens to them will also happen to me, and I ain't gonna let nothing bad happen to me! Gets a chuckle and some relief. No, I won't do acro without an instructor. For too many years too many of our little airplanes have been neglected in the area of proper maintenance which includes poor decision making. For too many years the community has condoned those poor practices and methods and although there's a new Sheriff in town, lots of the old ways persist. I'm on board with the new Sheriff and absolutely feel that one needs to give the proper attention to keeping things flying the (W)right way. My project won't fly until I'm happy (and the IA is happy) with all the mechanicals. Not perfect, but completely airworthy. If I don't make it next season because of economics, then so be it. So thanks again and for those offended, that was not my intention, but please feel free to utilize the delete button whenever my name appears in the from tab and you just plain old can't handle it. Al DeMarzo Visit the Ercoupe Swap Page - Free and Easy http://www.ercoupeowners.com/swap/swapbook.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: fnelson913 To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 7:13 PM Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Re: Tank cleaning Al, I am in complete agreement with you. And I would like to make one counter point. As most people in the forum know, I am having trouble with a rough running engine due to a sticking valve. When my former A&P and his shop mate were informing me that it was necessary to have a complete engine overhaul as a result of a stuck valve, I got the same story: what is your life worth? What if that valve had stuck while you were up in the air? As we have all discussed, lead-fouling 100LL is likely the cause of my sticking valve. And instead of $6,000 to $12,000 worth of repairs, I should have my Ercoupe airworthy for around $500 or $600 not including the $850 bill from my previous A&P. So this is the point I want to make. Every day we make decisions and do things that involve risk. Just getting in my car and driving to work involves life-threatening risks. What we all want to do is manage that risk wisely. No amount of money can remove risk from our lives. And yet, people do risk their lives and lose their lives to save very little in the way of time or money. Since we cannot eliminate risk entirely, we must manage risk wisely. The best way to do that is to become well informed. That is why I thank all of you in this forum for your knowledge and sage advice. I don't want to fall out of the sky and make my wife a widow. I don't want to end someone's life on the ground because I didn't take the time to drain some fuel out of my gascolator. On the other hand, I don't want to line someone's pocket who wants to take advantage of my inexperience and fear of my own mortality. Thank you all for taking the time to answer questions and join the debate. I salute you. Frank Nelson N51DV - 415C --- In [email protected], "AJ DeMarzo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > No one should play Aviation Russian Roulette. Not sure about anyone else out there, but my life is worth more than a few hundred bucks. > > Al DeMarzo > Visit the Ercoupe Swap Page - Free and Easy > http://www.ercoupeowners.com/swap/swapbook.htm >
