The best hombuilt ?

[seagull]

Bill,

You might have had a possibly easier answer if you had asked the question "What is the meaning of life?". I think light aircraft (for that read the ones that people can own for their recreation and enjoyment) are of such a variety that it all comes down to personal taste and preferred mission or speciality you intend to use the aircraft for. Similarly when you look at the vast list of factory-builts (including antique and warbirds) the answer is like solving a riddle. A riddle where the goalposts keep moving as the discussion audience widens.

Look at the huge variety of different homebuilt designs, and try to come up with an all-time-best "Champion" of homebuilts you run into exactly the same problems - that of personal taste, opinion and judging criteria. To select the 'best' objectively you would need to get everyone to agree on these criteria and as it is difficult to try and "please all of the people all of the time", you will likely end up with a very long list of points to judge the designs on.

As you probably know a frequent question on 'Warbirds' sites is "What is the best WWII fighter of all time"?. Most people might nominate the P51, but this would be challenged by the English who would then add 'defensive fighter' to the criteria and choose the Spitfire (taking the spotlight away from its lack of effective range while trying to manage a 'hurt national pride emotion'). My point is you need to really nail down your judging or selection criteria or you will continue moving in ever decreasing circles (with the obvious conclusion to this manoeuvre).

Many of us are fans of wood as the preferred construction medium so why can't we include Claude Piel's delightful designs which number in the many thousands that are still flying worldwide since the 1950's? Sure the RV's and Burt Rutan's creations have an impressive track record - but so does the Emeraude and all of its wooden brothers and cousins. Perhaps more so because a couple of Claude Piel's designs have been given full type certification for factory built examples which adds many hundred more to the list produced.

Maybe you should split your "Champion" award into three categories - Best Wood, Best Metal and Best Composite. And maybe you should use only one judging criteria as a common-ground that might be accepted by all of us (Yeah - Pigs might fly too!). If we accept that the EAA and the worldwide homebuilding movement should never lose sight of its 'grass-roots', and accept that an organisation has to remain focussed on the basics and HAS to keep attracting new members, - then a simple statement is probably all you need to decide the answer to this Grand Question. "What proven type of homebuilt aircraft attracts more budding builders/pilots as a safe and easy entry to the pleasures of the sport"?

That's my ten cents worth,

Barry - EAA #144680