EAA Sport Aviation - August 2011

moment of inertia, this is possibly the worst place (other than in the tail) to add weight to an airplane. Also, weight added anywhere in the wing will affect the flutter characteristics of the wing. The RV- 10 wing has been subjected to ground vibration testing with standard tanks both full and empty. With significant weight of any kind, structural or otherwise, added to the wing, the flutter speed limits will change— and until the new arrangement is tested, nobody knows what the new limits will be.

Like many kit-plane suppliers, we endeavor to supply complete, thoroughly designed and tested airframe kits. It is our hope that builders will construct the airframe assemblies in compliance with our proven design. Most do. Details such as instrumentation, avionics, and cabin interior appointments are often not included in kits because we know from experience that builders have very special individual preferences for these details. These are areas where builders can usually express their individuality without as much concern for safety of flight as would be the case with changes to the structure or aerodynamics. I say usually because even any seemingly insignificant part of an aircraft can affect safety of flight. With reasonable care, interior appointments will remain benign.

We all know that builders of experimental amateur-built aircraft have the right to make changes to their aircraft at will—whether or not their changes are based on good science. If they choose to operate the aircraft with a lesser or unknown margin of safety, that is their prerogative. However, unless the aircraft is single-seat, any passengers carried in that aircraft will be exposed to the same unknowns that the pilot has accepted for himself. We feel that this is a responsibility often overlooked by pilots. While they may be willing to accept certain risks for themselves, what should their responsibility be to their spouses, friends, children, and grandchildren?