One more reason I want out.

[Ragwing nut]

Just saw this on Barnstormers:

MIS-REPRESENTATION • INDUSTRY ALERT • Barnstormers has been informed by a Special Agent with the United States Department of Transportation and Office of Inspector General to advise buyers who have purchased and received mis-represented aircraft and parts to contact your local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) for assistance. • Contact The Baroness at BARNSTORMERS.COM - located Carson City, NV USA • Telephone: 619-328-8882 • Posted February 6, 2007 • Show all Ads posted by this Advertiser • Recommend This Ad to a Friend • Email Advertiser • Report This Ad

What is next? I know it happens, but it appears the FAA is more interested in policing the industry than regulating it. It has become increasing clear that with some recent NPRM's and other changes, I need to have a legal department just to make sure I follow procedures.

Mike

[cpirrmann]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Seems we need a return to early aviation, building our own and flying from our own fields. The new advances come outside of the FAA's purview anyway, look at the EAA and Rutan's Space Ship I. The only thing government does better than private enterprise is spend money foolishly.
The FAA or CAB was originally set up to promote commercial aviation and safety. Always beware governement involvement especially when they say it's for safety or for the children.

[Acroeric]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Guys- The intent of the posting is for misrepresented parts such as items with bad 8130's. false return to service entries, yellow tags etc. If you look there are tons of BIG aircraft parts advertised there as well. The requirements for traceability increase with large aircraft especially when operated on an air carrier certificate. There are lots of suspected unapproved parts floating around-
So- there is nothing illegal about selling used parts and letting the owner/ AP determine airworthiness.

[VictorBravo]

Re: One more reason I want out.

I have dealt with "The Baroness" from Barnstormers.com more than once... She has on occasion flown off the handle far more than necessary.

I've gotten e-mails from her alluding to the fact that the FAA, DOT, CIA, KGB, Elvis and probably the Trilateral Commission were using her website to track terrorists or fraudulent airplane parts or whatever. We exchanaged a few very pointed e-mails back when I had offered to be involved in business with her on some level and it turned out to be talk.

On more than one occasion she appears to have taken herself (and her value to the men in black suits with the earphones) a little too seriously. I have no doubt that government agencies tracking down bogus aircraft parts would check her website... they should. I have no doubt she offered to help them, which she should, and also probably did.

I just believe that this might not have been nearly as big, or as 'cloak and dagger' as she might imagine.

She has built an absolutely fantastic website, without question. It is one of the primary if not the number one aviation classified ad site. However I must strongly advise anyone advertising or buying on her site to not be spooked or frightened away from selling a Taylorcraft rudder or a 65 horse oil tank!

[Ragwing nut]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Guys- The intent of the posting is for misrepresented parts such as items with bad 8130's. false return to service entries, yellow tags etc. If you look there are tons of BIG aircraft parts advertised there as well. The requirements for traceability increase with large aircraft especially when operated on an air carrier certificate. There are lots of suspected unapproved parts floating around-
So- there is nothing illegal about selling used parts and letting the owner/ AP determine airworthiness.

I know what the intent is Eric, but that is not what it says. It is the public advertising and promotion of it that pisses me off and scares me at the same time. I know what can happen even when accused of the act and it is not pretty. The FAA has been operating on both sides of the fence trying to enforce in house policies as regulation for years which they can't do but there is no way for the public to combat it. You are one of the few left in the FAA, especially FSDO, that even is actively involved in avaiation outside their job. I love old airplanes and working on them, but if the FAA is going to act like a industry police squad, then it won't be long they have killed the GA market entirely. The liability burden, criminally not civilally, is what scares me.

Mike

[Ragwing nut]

Re: One more reason I want out.

I have dealt with "The Baroness" from Barnstormers.com more than once... She has on occasion flown off the handle far more than necessary.

I've gotten e-mails from her alluding to the fact that the FAA, DOT, CIA, KGB, Elvis and probably the Trilateral Commission were using her website to track terrorists or fraudulent airplane parts or whatever. We exchanaged a few very pointed e-mails back when I had offered to be involved in business with her on some level and it turned out to be talk.

On more than one occasion she appears to have taken herself (and her value to the men in black suits with the earphones) a little too seriously. I have no doubt that government agencies tracking down bogus aircraft parts would check her website... they should. I have no doubt she offered to help them, which she should, and also probably did.

I just believe that this might not have been nearly as big, or as 'cloak and dagger' as she might imagine.

She has built an absolutely fantastic website, without question. It is one of the primary if not the number one aviation classified ad site. However I must strongly advise anyone advertising or buying on her site to not be spooked or frightened away from selling a Taylorcraft rudder or a 65 horse oil tank!

Occasionally she can flake out, I know, I have been selling parts one there ever since she started the website.

Mike

[alwaysoar]

Re: One more reason I want out.

I haven't noticed that she does ("flake out"), just that she's great to work with.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: One more reason I want out.

I haven't noticed that she does ("flake out"), just that she's great to work with.

Not publicly she doesn't, just dealings with her over the years. I have no problems with her or her operation, a great asset to the community.

Mike

[VictorBravo]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Not publicly she doesn't, just dealings with her over the years. I have no problems with her or her operation, a great asset to the community.

Mike

Mike's right, she has never gone off the deep end publicly to my knowledge. My bad experiences have all been in private e-mails, when my opinion differed from hers.

First, there was the experience of offering to do business with her... that turned out to be all talk and no torque. We argured via e-mail several times.

Years later, I went down to her home airport (Gillespie) once to look at a Cessna to buy. The guy had advertised it on Barnstormers, and advertised it falsely... very falsely. To the point where some inexperienced young pilot would have bought it as a cheap time builder and gotten screwed (and very possibly injured) with that airplane. It was a very worn out and at best a marginally flightworthy airplane. The seller conveniently forgot to tell me on the phone that one wing had been RIPPED off in a windstorm, and the controls had so much play in them than no IA would sign it on an annual. The seat rails were clapped out and cracked. The flap tracks (another common Cessna issue) were worn out. You could move the control yoke up and down in the instrument panel bushing FOUR INCHES each way. Ailerons could be moved five or eight degrees before the yoke moved.

I walked away really angry that I wasted a day going to see something that was not as advertised... and some new kid could easily have crashed or been grounded by a ramp check the day he bought this pile of sh**. I went back and posted a "warning, caveat emptor" ad on Barnstormers. The guy was reportedly a friend or acquaintance of "the Baroness", and my warning ad disappeared without a trace. When I sent a note to her asking why she sh**-canned my ad with one hand and with the other hand she positions herself as a strong supporter of aviation safety and helping the men in black track down bogus Cotter pins, I got no reply. Barnstormers and the Baroness personally had a long history of 'Warning!! John Smith is a liar!!" postings... she specifically defended those type of ads as being necessary to keep the riff raff from doing people wrong. I pointed that out to her in my own... inimitable... way

From that point onward I became persona non grata on Barnstormers

That being said, she absolutely does have the best aviation classifieds website bar none. I will gladly say that, and I would support the existence and continued prosperity of the site, bad experiences and all. I was one of the people who made voluntary contributions (before there was a charge) any time I sold something through a Barnstormers ad.

Her husband Bob von Willer is a great guy who I met on another trip to Gillespie to look at a Commonwealth, which was also a piece of junk.

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Seems we need a return to early aviation, building our own and flying from our own fields.

As much as I LOVE my Taylorcraft, I also own and fly several ultralights. If I want to GO somewhere, I fly the Taylorcraft, if I just want to go UP, without any feds snooping over my shoulder, I fly one of my ultralights. The flight experience, and the operational parameters turn back the clock to just before the first world war. Sabrina

[cpirrmann]

Re: One more reason I want out.

As much as I LOVE my Taylorcraft, I also own and fly several ultralights. If I want to GO somewhere, I fly the Taylorcraft, if I just want to go UP, without any feds snooping over my shoulder, I fly one of my ultralights. The flight experience, and the operational parameters turn back the clock to just before the first world war. Sabrina

Back in the 80's I was interested in the Ryan B1RD which looked very similar to the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle. It even had a flower and vase option. There was a company that had en interesting Eindecker replica as well. Maybe I'll look into that some more.

[VictorBravo]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Back in the 80's I was interested in the Ryan B1RD which looked very similar to the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle. It even had a flower and vase option. There was a company that had en interesting Eindecker replica as well. Maybe I'll look into that some more.

It appears that ultralights have finally become reasonably well engineered and fairly reliable. I do suspect that some of the new materials available will create a "third wave" of UL's, which can be better and stronger than what there is now. As an example, the standard UL now is still wire braced, and the new Spectra and other fibers are stronger/lighter than steel cables. So saving 10 pounds of steel cable and being stronger to boot allows that weight to be used elsewhere. The TEAM Airbike ultralight concept caught my fancy as the the Javelin which was very similar.

Among the other "someday" projects I play with on paper is a self-launching modernized version of the Horten HXc, the last design by Reimar Horten. This was a 15 meter span foot launchable flying wing glider. One versio was built in Australia but was not successful for unknown reasons. With modern materials (carbon wrap tubes and pre-tensioned rods) the Horten HXc general concept could actually be executed fairly easily, and powered by two of the R/C model jet engines. There exists a real possibility that you could build an 80-100 pound aircraft launchable by foot (or on roller skates!) that would deliver 30-1 glide ratio and able to cruise at Taylorcraft speed.

[flylo]

Re: One more reason I want out.

I also have a Phantom U/L that's a blast to fly! It stressed for 9+ 6- Gs. It's cable braced,very strong,cruises 70mph and is very responsive. It will get in & out of very small places. When you chop the power it drops like a rock & takeoff roll is 100-150'. The only drawback is it burns more fuel than the Tcraft! The '38 Tcraft & the Phantom are a fun pair.

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: One more reason I want out.

Back in the 80's I was interested in the Ryan B1RD which looked very similar to the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle. It even had a flower and vase option. There was a company that had en interesting Eindecker replica as well. Maybe I'll look into that some more.

The closest thing to the Demoselle is called the Flitplane. VERY easy and fast to build, and a NICE handeling three axis ship. They have a web site, I think you just type flitplane into your search engine, and it will come up. Sabrina

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: One more reason I want out.

It appears that ultralights have finally become reasonably well engineered and fairly reliable. I do suspect that some of the new materials available will create a "third wave" of UL's, which can be better and stronger than what there is now. There exists a real possibility that you could build an 80-100 pound aircraft launchable by foot (or on roller skates!) that would deliver 30-1 glide ratio and able to cruise at Taylorcraft speed.

Have you heard of the Carbon Dragon?? It is a foot launched, ultralight legal, glider with some Very good performance numbers. Sabrina