Many years ago I had an ultra light built by a LAME. My reasoning was that even though I had the technical knowledge and the physical ability to build it: I just did not feel like it. The net result of that decision was all good. It was built professionally and I felt very secure at the thought of flying it. Now turning my attention to then DCA, I make no secret of the fact that they had proven to be un-acceptable. Their decision making was at best conservative. They were not to be trusted as they lacked the knowledge and confidence of someone in the position they were in. It was far easier to reject something than to put themselves at risk of litigation. I doubt it is any different today. Some years later I went to the USA and purchased a Scorpion 133 Helicopter. I knew I could not import it as a flying machine so I had it look like it was in major pieces. When it arrived the idiot from DCA suggested that it could be made to fly again and therefore denied it entry. Now if you really want to know what a backward, backwater this 'lucky country' is, I was given the opportunity to re-ship it or have it confiscated. Being a little smarter than the average DCA lemon I had already prepared an escape route. Now this is where it got interesting. New Zealand actually had a Rotorway agent that I had arranged to send it to before it left the US. So it just cost me a short shipping fee to NZ and that's where it sat for the next year or so. Some time later there was a govt change and labor got in. I immediately made an appointment to see the Minister for Aviation to explain the sheer stupidity of the situation, (especially as NZ actually had an agent and they were already flying there) Soon after we met again with the news to go ahead and bring her home. He even gave me a 'special' number to call if I had any trouble. I did actually so I pulled out the number and told the idiot from DCA to call it. A couple of yes sir, but, yes, I understand and very well sir, and she was home at last. It now resides at the Bullcreek air museum in WA. I was born here and fortunately I have traveled the World and seen more than most and I can attest to the fact that we are the least progressive and the worst for all the wrong reasons. I am an industrial designer in the automotive industry and I am comprehensively disgusted with this country and it's chicken livered approach to anything that smacks of progress. We are in fact the most regressive first world country on the Planet. So the answer to getting someone to build your aircraft, go right ahead, keep books blah, blah, blah and so on. Do whatever you want to achieve YOUR goal and not what some conservative gutless govt stooge says.
