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Engine Airworthiness

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Acrosport2

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I sent a letter to the gov't affairs guy at EAA concerning this. Tell me what you think.


Currently, when you install an engine on a homebuilt, it becomes unairworthy for installation on a certified aircraft. Because of this, engines from homebuilts tend to have a much lower resale value should a builder decide to sell the engine for whatever reason.


This built-in devaluation can encourage builders (or discourage as the case may be) to use lower-priced engines initially or to ignore manadatory service bulletins and AD's because they will not recoup their cost in the future. Because engine failure is a leading cause of accidents in homebuilts, taking away this disincentive would enhance safety.


I am proposing that those owners who choose to have their engines maintained in accordance with all manufacturers recommendations and AD's and who have their annuals on the engines signed off by an IA, be permitted to retain the airworthiness of their engines just like any other aircraft. This would encourage owners to make the investment in better quality engines. Insurance companies may see an advantage in this as well and offer premium reductions to those who choose this option.


This would , of course require that the engine either start as a new, reman or come from a certified aircraft to begin with. And the option would remain with the owner who chooses not to, for the rules to remain as-is.


When you are looking at purchasing a $20,000-$50,000 engine, it would be nice to have a much wider pool of potential buyers when the time comes to sell it.
 

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