Home built...no thanks!
John Denver all over again.
You can choose the safest path you can find in life, but you'll never reach the heights she did. We are talking about a woman who ~lived~ risks, not avoided them.
Do you think a pilot with the babove qualifications who plans to fly their own handiwork or some union schlock who has no stake other than a paycheck is going to do a better job?
John Denver wasn't a aeronautical engineer working for NASA with her husband, who would know the risks and consequences better than her?
Don't be ridiculous.....Denver was drunk.
Denver's pilot error had nothing to do with the worthiness of Burt Rutan's design.
OTOH, considering this lady's skill, the departing canopy could have damaged the empenage and made recovery impossible.
Only the FAA final will tell the tale, and perhaps not even then.
- Mike (200 hour RV-6)
Comparing Marta Bohn-Meyer with John Denver is comparable to analogizing a soap box derby competition vehicle with a NASCAR competition vehicle. Both have four wheels but the differences are important.
True, her plane was a "home-built" but built by two of the brightest minds in aviation.
My first flight instructor summed it up when he asked me, on the way to the place, "Son, do you know the price of flying sometimes is dying?"
She extended the envelope so that others could benefit.
Your comment certainly expresses your opinion, but not much else. This isn't name calling; I don't know if you're stupid. But, your comment was. And it's not John Denver all over again.
Denver died because he was a stupid pilot, not because of the airplane.
The fuel selector was behind him, and he was low on fuel, and doing practice touch and goes on a sea side airport with rock cliffs below.
The fuel selector had a broken handle, and he borrowed a pair of vice grips from the airport to turn the handle. The airplane ran out of fuel in one tank and the engine stopped just after take off. The engine never restarted, and the assumption is that he couldn't get the vice grips to turn the handle that was behind him in time.
He should have fixed the handle. And he should have not allowed a tank to run dry in the pattern, particularly at such a dangerous airport location.
Stupid pilot, not a problem with the airplane.
Homebuilts are typically of superior build quality, strength, and handeling compared to factory built, CFR14 Part 23 Spam Cans.
The cause of John Dever's crash was pilot error (FUIL is a big error). The article does not state the cause here. It's probably still under investigation. Being an aerobatic pilot she likely pushed the envelope farther than it would stretch. Home-builts are inspected three ways to sunday and are as safe as any other small aircraft.
John Denver was not killed by an experimental aircraft. He was killed by his own absence of judgment. The fuel selector switch was in the wrong position. He would have bought the farm had he made the same mistake in a Beechcraft, a Cessna or Piper produced aircraft.
She was a fine lady flying a fine airplane.
Nothing wrong with homebuilts.
Have worked on and flown many.
(All the airliners are built by professionals)
I don't get on those