John,

It's not just protecting the certified manufacturers -- it's also existence
justification. Here's a question someone interested in the FAA's budget (can
you say "Congress") might ask: If kit manufacturers and owners, working
together with small, boutique build shops, can produce safe, economical,
relatively inexpensive high-performance personal aircraft without the level
of FAA stupervision applied to certified manufacturers, why are we spending
so much money for the Feds to supervise the certified manufacturers?

Obviously, everyone reading this has already determined he or she can build
a safe plane without the Feds watching. How hard would it be for someone
trying to steal their cookies to come to the same conclusion?

Regards,

Mark


-----Original Message-----
From: John Hafen [mailto:j.hafen@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 12:08 PM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: FAA comment on new 51% A/B Ruling, and a Giant Rat


I think the real purpose of the 51% rule is to protect the certified
manufacturers from home built competition.