Snip

It is Sad to hear about anyone going down, but its especially hard to take
after meeting and talking with those fine fellows and then having the judges
refuse to award an "Auto Conversion" award they had just instituted and
announced.  Tracy's somewhat more descriptive comment adequately describes
how we all felt.  While our rotary conversions may have been considered
"Cosmetically Challenged" by the judges, this V-6 installation was really
nice and clean and surely would have qualified as a "Show Quality" aircraft
anywhere else regardless of engine.

I was so Pi__ed, I send an e mail to the EAA Judging Head Honcho and
outlined what I believe is the core cause of this miscarriage of judging.  I
examined the EAA Judging handbook (which most chapters use as a basic for
judging), while it is quite thorough,  it basically boils down to 1. Is it
safe and airworthy and if it is, 2. How pretty is it? Since most judges
would not have the background to adequately judge an auto conversion on
their own, I think a basic auto conversion standard added to the EAA judging
handbook would help those fine folks who devote their time to judging.  I
suggested that auto conversions deserved a more meaningful standard, as
those who spend time on making an auto conversion safe and reliable are
still flying the "Experimental" banner for the EAA and are no less deserving
that those who spend that time making their airframes prettier.  I doubt
anything will come of it, but should they throw the gauntlet back, I will be
asking for suggestions from folks on the list.

Calmed down somewhat, but still Pi__ed.

Ed Anderson

Hey Ed, I understand your concerns, but often times more then not, an uneducated group of
individuals can be appointed to judge airplanes. Just like I saw as OSH, there were judges talking
about color of aircraft rather then technical merit. It is a shame that they have such a view as
maybe your installation does not appeal to a color blind judge BUT in all honesty when my aircraft
makes it to a show in the future, I hope that you or anybody else on this list will judge my
airplane and come up to me and say that I got a Grand Champion because it would mean more to me
from someone that has sweated and toyeled over their projects and really knows what went in to
making an experimental aircraft. I dont need a color blind judge to tell me how pretty it is. I
can live with out those people. Education is the key. I will do my part and educate one person at
a time. Hopefully before I die, there will be enough educated people that can reflect back to what
the EAA is really about and not a couple of liberal arts majors picking out colors!
Doug Mueller
RX-6 13BT
N900DM
Henderson,Nevada

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