EAA 1440 had another meeting last night, with a great analysis of accident rates and causes for homebuilts, along with comparisons to the production fleet.

I've had this idea of formalizing risk mitigations knocking around in my head for a while. At Microsoft an employee determines a set of commitments and accountabilities for those commitments, which determine the results of the annual performance review.

This model seems like a good fit for something like the homebuilding process. Considering that the fleet accident rate for all Zeniths is about 2.14% ( higher than Lancairs, less than Seareys ), then I need to do something to minimize my individual exposure to risks.

At the moment I have no idea what the largest contributor is to the Zenith fleet accident, my commitments will be based on my perceived cause of accidents and the root causes of the overall homebuilt fleet.

Commitment: Flight training
Execution:

• Meet with our EAA flight advisor. Meet with an EAA flight advisor who has specific experience with the CH701.
• Obtain an additional 20 hours of float training. Attempt to find a reasonable source of amphibious training.
• Attempt to find a source of CH701 specific training.
  

Commitment: Technical and safety review
Execution:

• Hold a project open house before transport for final assembly
• Meet with an EAA technical advisor, with a review of all airframe, fuel line, and FWF assemblies.
• Have a trusted A&P do a review of the airframe assembly
• Perform a full inspection at the following intervals of flight time:
• 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 100
  
• Have a trusted A&P do the annual condition inspection with me so I can learn how to maintain the aircraft.
  

Commitment: Fuel line & FWF safety
Execution:

• Obtain help with the FWF installation by an experienced Rotax installer
  

Commitment: Further Mitigation
Execution:

• Determine more commitments that are relevant for a safe completion of the project.