Oshkosh is the place to see and hear about new airplanes, many of which propose to revolutionize a category, or even create a new category of aircraft. The fact that virtually none succeed doesn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of pilots, developers or investors. I have often said, and firmly believe, that to stay alive in an airplane you should expect the very worst at any moment and be prepared to deal with it. Optimistic pilots don’t tend to last long. Believing that you or your airplane can handle bad weather, clear the trees at the end of the runway when the airplane manual suggests it will be close, or make those last few miles even though the fuel gauges show empty is a direct path into an NTSB report. I suspect the final thoughts of many pilots were “I thought this would work.”
But that tried and true attitude toward safe and conservative flying is suspended by many pilots when they encounter a new design that promises never before seen performance at a price that has also never been achieved. Instead of thinking of all of the things that can go wrong with a new design — as you should think of all of the potential issues before you push the throttles forward — pilots want to believe that some new aerodynamic or construction technique, or new materials, have laid waste to all successful airplanes that have come before and that the new magic airplane will be in production in mere months.
