It is acknowledged fact that uncertificated aircraft are no less "safe" than certificated aircraft....perhaps time for a third category "BUILT TO STANDARD"
Already, Permit aircraft can be built of materials "suitable for aircraft construction"
Perhaps any supplier would need a suitable Bond, to prevent the unscrupulous selling a range of junk and then cutting and running.
but, the present system works, you can build an aircraft out of identical components at less than 1/4 of the cost......
the certification charade is just a huge gravy-train quango, It doesn't make construction better or safer, it just makes lots of employment inspecting and paper pushing.
there is a much bigger market at 100K, than there is at 400K. Commercial pressures tend to make the industry self-regulating, without this huge parasite sucking it's life-blood.
the motor Industry does have it's recalls, but I'd guess, on a per-unit basis, they are a fraction of Aircraft Component recalls.
Completed vehicles have to gain "type-approval" Aircraft, likewise. That is sensible. the ridiculous paper trail is , by and large a gross overkill for the number of failuresit prevents,
ISTR a Jodel being laid-up bacause a standard automotive switch did not have the required paperwork....it came from the same production line as the "certified"component. but couldn't be fitted because that would undermine the "safety industry."