All,
Today I spoke with AOPA's Rodney Martz. No one had yet contacted them
on the Ercoupe ACS,
so I explained the situation as I see it as to why AOPA should make
comments. In response to his
request for information I have provided him with (1) the ACS, (2) the
current NTSB information,
(3) AD 2003-21-01, (4) the latest revision of my comments to Mr.
Caldwell of the FAA [which Ed
Burkhead kindly posted for me this am on our Yahoo site], and (5) Bill
Yeates' Fred Weick letter.
I have also emailed Marv Dunlap, who is a certificated mechanic in very
active contact with the
FAA in his continuing efforts to complete the ERCO four place Sanders
had to abandon unfinished.
He has been emailed an "information package".
My chosen contact with Univair was not in today, but I hope to be "in
the loop" as to their intentions
by sometime tomorrow.
Regards,
WRB
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Begin forwarded message:
From: William R. Bayne <[email protected]>
Date: September 24, 2009 14:58:27 CDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: ACS 8/14/09 - In-flight Breakup of Ercoupe 415-D, NTSB
ERA09FA087
Hi Rodney,
Enclosed is the information you will initially need to investigate
this ACS. The comments I am mailing by
U.S.P.S. Certified Mail today are in the pdf "Caldwell" below. My
scanner is down, so I will have to mail
you the pdf "Caldwell" attachments by snail mail. Please email me
your address for same ASAP.
The Weick letter at the end was posted to the Ercoupe Tech forum after
I had composed and submitted my
information. That's why I did not reference this information of
obvious relevance to subject ACS.
As I attempted to explain, it is my belief that the approach that has
been proposed is fundamentally flawed
and, if allowed without successful challenge by any and all in private
aviation, could ultimately result in
such unwarranted intrusion of the FAA into the existing relationship
of trust and reliance between owners
and their mechanics. The day-to-day maintenance of older airframes to
maintain them in a useful and
airworthy condition is a process that has evolved over a very long
time and has worked well.
To label all undocumented" post-production airframe work as
"unauthorized simply because it is not in FAA
files is to ignore the fact that much work has always been recognized
as requiring only a log book entry by a
person of appropriate certification. Such work would include that
deemed a "minor modification", as opposed
to a "major modification" by a certificated mechanic as well as
"preventive maintenance" which an owner/pilot
is permitted to accomplish and is required to so document.
If you need any further information, please feel free to contact me by
email or by telephone (after 11am CDT)
at (972-932-5063). I would appreciate being kept "in the loop" as to
AOPA interest and action in this matter.
Sincerely,
William R. Bayne
Director, Texas Ercoupe Museum
.____|-(o)-|____.
(Copyright 2009)
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