Inspecting an inspection

As a first-time aircraft homebuilder, there has been this veil of mystery about the final airworthiness inspection. Thanks to the gracious invitation of a new-found fellow Zodiac builder in Corona, the inspection process has been de-mystified. Yesterday I joined Ted Taylor at his hangar in Corona for the airworthiness inspection on his beautiful Zenith Zodiac 601XL. Ted has been laboring in relative isolation from the larger builder community, which may account for his steady progress and the completeness of his final product.

The DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative) was thoroughly prepared and did an excellent job of outlining the scope of responsibilities — both his and the builder’s. At the end of the session, Ted passed with “flying colors” (pun intended) and I learned a whole bunch about final inspections. Congratulations, Ted.