[balloon-makers] another viewpoint Re: Velcro standards etc

[rsleonard9 at aol.com]

 I've been keeping my son, a 1st lt flying blackhawks and responsible for maintenance, appraised of the discussion on repairs and procedures.  I forwarded Jonathan's note to him with my quip about who to sue.  Below is his response, which is an interesting and valid point.  It also is in line with what an FAA official once told me which was the regulations are not about keeping you the pilot safe but preventing you from harming others re dropping out of the sky on them.


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Of course it is all well and good that he feels empowered, but I feel nervous.  I now involuntarily rely on his judgement not only as a pilot which I assume he is licensed, but also as a repair tech which I assume he is a hobbyist, to not hurt or kill me or others as he hangs above my head in the national airspace. 



On 10/26/06, private e-mail address <private e-mail address> wrote: 




 


 oh my god, no one to sue but myself
 
-----Original Message-----
From: private e-mail address
To: private e-mail address
Cc: private e-mail address
Sent: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 3:13 AM
Subject: [Balloonmail] Velcro standards etc








So, as I'm plowing through the masses of interesting emails on the subject of specifications and liability, I just got this in the inbox: 
> Thank you for your recent order at buyhookandloop.com You are among > an ever growing crowd of consumers that realize they do not have to > pay 3X the price for Velcro Brand product -- Congratulations! Our > generic "velcro" meets or exceeds the specifications of industrial > brand Velcro. 
I don't mean to advertise for this company, but I just replaced the 12 velcro tabs in my [experimental] balloon Gloria before Fiesta (she just turned 5, with 216 hours now - She's mostly Carrington, but also some unapproved Westmark fabric - all holding up great!). And I LOVE being able to do this kind of repair work myself, and making my own choices about safety specs. It's not for everybody, but assuming personal responsibility is very empowering. It's one of the serious advantages of being a homebuilder and going the experimental route. And I think it cost me all of $7. And it's been working great. 
But, if something goes wrong (catastrophic velcro failure in a parachute top?!) I've got nobody to sue but myself :) 
 
-Jonathan Wolfe, Ph.D. 
http://www.FractalFoundation.org 
http://www.SkyDyes.net 
 
. 
 
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