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on 2/19/03 12:01 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> ...it seems that www.smartplugs.com makes plugs that will let you
> burn just about anything, including alcohol. Who knew? No STC though
:(
>
> Chris
-----------------------------------------
Yo, Chris
Looks like you're on to something! For those interested, here's a direct
link to "news".
http://www.smartplugs.com/news/index.html
The Aero-News Network article for April '02 discusses an 0-200 STC in the
works and the Bonner County Daily Bee for 8/27/00 relates how Dr. Forrest
M.
Bird flew with this technology in his J-3. Perhaps the best is the AOPA
article of 8/30/00.
The involvement of Dr. Bird (to me) gives this effort instant credibility,
further reinforced with apparently ongoing government-sponsored testing
and
concept development. Dr. Bird is a member of the Ercoupe Owners Club and
(obviously) a coupe owner. Few of us seem aware of his many personal
accomplishments, both in and out of aviation.
The inventor, Mark Cherry, gets credibility in commenting that "...the EPA
can actually be more troublesome than the FAA..." clearly being of the
belief that these agencies should be more encouraging than discouraging of
technology that can improve reliability and safety.
How about a publicly-funded agency to cite (and even take meaningful
action
against) other such agencies that flaunt the "public interest". (That's
"We, the people...", not the d... bureaucrats) An agency that works for
us?
Our present "system" makes necessary approvals of new technology so
expensive a selling price high enough to repay the costs of such
approvals,
original research and development and those of manufacturing, advertising,
distributing plus a fair profit can't compete with products designed and
approved prior to or during WWII (also hard to improve much at fair
profit).
Pilots have looked the other way many years and concurrently much of their
original autonomy has been transferred to bureaucrats. If we don't like
where we're going and act to change the course, when we get there it's all
over. European general aviation looks a lot like where our present course
is taking us. All aboooooorrrd....?
William R. Bayne
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