[ballenf]

Isn't it true that in the US a homemade airplane is relatively easily registered without much hassle? Just remember reading about airplane kits and whatnot.

I don't understand the aviation minister's concern that "he'll crash". Is it fear of embarrassing the country or actual concern for protecting the guy's life? Or would the registration imply endorsement of safety and put others' lives at risk?

One of the biggest controls on recreational flying in the US for folks I know is the difficulty in getting life insurance coverage. It's a rather effective market restraint: if you're wealthy enough to afford the hobby, you're also likely keen on providing for your family.

[ThrustVectoring]

Yup. See: https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certifica...

Looks like it's $5.

The FAA's philosophy, in a phrase, is "it's your funeral". In other words, the FAA only regulates airborne activity that is likely to harm others.

[danielvf]

The US has about 33,000 currently registered homebuilt aircraft. There’s a lot of them!

For some years when I was growing up, five homebuilt aircraft were built for every one traditionally manufactured general avaition aircraft.

Most of these were built from kits or from plans, but there are still crazy people who make their own designs. My absolute favorite is the impossible Facetmobile[1]

[1] http://www.facetmobile.com

[chris_st]

Just curious about your description of the Facetmobile as "impossible"... do you believe the video of it flying is faked?

[mitchty]

Probably in reference to another faceted plane that basically was aerodynamically unstable, the F-117. Which was called the hopeless diamond.

[hindsightbias]

Kits, yes. Many inspections during build processare can be done by technical counslers who have built a kitplane before.

You can get a registration, but you can't fly w/o passing an FAA inspection first.