Rob,
your post reminded me of the ability to be more tactful (and my further need
to work on it). The financial cost to the remaining family members and
the flying community must then be a necessary cost of our beloved
activity. As a Tech Counselor, it is obvious how often and solidly
entrenched the right of Experimenter are.
After
a near fatality to one friend in a group of many, one of them piped up with a
quote that I occasionally use. "The Tree of Life is Self Pruning".
How unfortunate that phrase remains in our jargon. We need to instill a
passion for improvement, a tolerance of another's objective observation and a
willingness to take more of the financial responsibility off of all the
survivors who pay future premiums beyond our passing.
John
Cox - regularly speaking to the choir and those standing at the brick wall
without a clue as to our post
From: Lancair Mailing
List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of
rwolf99@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:14
AM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Diplomacy and
Tact
As I grow older, I realize that
I can say what needs to be said without insulting people. And yes, I can
be more blunt with my friends. However, a couple of years ago I was
being shown a Legendary Mustang kit at the local airport, which is
surprisingly similar in construction technique to our Lancairs. Some
construction aspects were done very well and some were not. The bad ones
that I remember all involved the wing fuel tanks. The fuel tank sealer
was poorly applied without good coverage -- there was exposed fiberglass in
many places. But worse were the holes in the ribs that were not closed
out with micro. THERE WOULD BE HONEYCOMB DIRECTLY EXPOSED TO FUEL.
I told the builder that he needed to close out the holes so as not to allow
fuel to contact the honeycomb and gradually soak thru the entire wing
skin. His response was appalling -- he had taken the hole that he cut
out and stuck it in a jar of avgas to see if it would break down over
time. It looked okay after six months, so he was unconcerned.
I
told him three times that he needed to close out the holes that were to be
exposed to fuel. I was polite about it. I told him how I o
make sure to get good coverage with the fuel tank sealer. Did he
listen? No. However, I stopped short of calling him a f**king
idiot with a death wish because it would not have made a bit of difference.
If he ever finishes his plane, he WILL be an accident statistic.
Guaranteed.
What would you have me do? Talk to the brick wall a
little longer? Call the "homebuilt airplane police"? I said what
needed to be said, three times, and was rebuffed every time. No, I
walked away and told myself that Darwin still works, but in this case it will
take a little longer.
- Rob Wolf