I’m always amazed at the coincidences, so called, of life. When things from divergent paths come together in unexpected ways, it always catches my attention. That is what happened when airplane wings started falling off and I began to limp. I need to explain.
When I made the decision in 2006 to build the Zenith Zodiac 601XL, hundreds of them were flying around the world with an enviable safety record. About one year ago, that changed almost overnight. At least five planes were involved in accidents stemming from structural problems — including some wings folding in flight. NOTE: Although the final investigations are still pending, early indications seem to point to pilots who may have knowingly or unwittingly overstressed the airframe beyond design specifications. By the way, this can happen on any airplane in the skies today. The cardinal rule is that pilots must always respect the laws of physics, because too much speed mixed with too much turbulence or excessive G-forces can be fatal.
Predictably this sent 601XL builders scrambling for answers, and my conclusion was that I would install a whole-airplane parachute, otherwise known as a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) in my plane. If and when the unthinkable happens, pilots of BRS-equipped planes simply pull the red handle and the whole plane floats down to earth virtually guaranteeing a happy ending.
What is the downside? Only two that I know of. Cost (about $4,000) and weight (35 pounds). In an airplane with a useable load (after fuel) of about 450 lbs, I regretted having to give up 35 pounds (about 8% of my load capacity) to nylon, metal and a rocket jettison pack. What could I possibly do to compensate. Enter Dr. Baick, my physician.
On March 18 he reviewed my annual physical results and admitted that all my numbers were in the green. His observation, however, was that my joints weren’t holding up as well as the rest of me. The only solution, he reckoned, was for me to lose some extra pounds to reduce the daily pounding on my joints. By now you’ve probably guessed that his target for my weight loss was (drum roll) 35 pounds. Lose it or limp, he said.
The bottom line is that my airplane with a BRS parachute will now weigh exactly the same as it would have without that equipment three months ago. And that’s all because my doctor was a benevolent nag and I was able to shed the 35 pounds that may someday save my life…in more ways than one.
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.
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