I really appreciate the comments everybody has made - I have to say that by and large people have confirmed my own prejudices. The exception is Nick Lappos, who obviously has a fairly libertarian view on this.
So, from Nick or anybody else who agrees with him, what in your opinion is the practical justification for allowing experimentation without design and testing control?, does it allow a better design to be reached quicker?, what is the safety record like? does the FAA accept data from unqualified individuals in final approval of a mod or whole aircraft type?
Or is it really a plea from people who won't admit that they simply don't have the ability to comply with safety regulations?
To an extent I am playing devils advocate in asking these questions. I freely admit that I am personally in the same camp as I-M or NorthernSky, but I really do want to see the point of view of those who disagree with me (and outside this forum, there are quite a few, and they are very vocal). At the moment I don't really understand that viewpoint, and would like to.
G