Mock Trial Questions

Question 1

Please state your name and age for the court.

Answer 1

My name is Corey Shinoda and I am 47 years old.

Question 2

Where did you attend college?

Answer 2

Williams College

Question 3

What did you receive your degree in?

Answer 3

I received a bachelors in Physics

Question 4

What did you do after college ended?

Answer 4

I decided to go into business and I started working at Smith&Wesson, in Springfield MA,
where I worked in sales and marketing.

Question 5

Why did you take this job?

Answer 5

My physics background helped me understand how the products worked and I would always
do extensive research on whatever I was selling to help consumers make the right decision.

Question 6

How long did you work at Smith&Wesson?

Answer 6

I worked there for 5 years and then I got a job at a roller coaster company called Sheffield
Dynamics in Utah.

Question 7

What did you do there?

Answer 7

I eventually became a project leader which gave me the opportunity to get management
experience as well as experience with directly working with customers.

Question 8

How long did you work there for?

Answer 8

I worked there until 2001 when I went back to Smith&Wesson.

Question 9

How was working again at Smith&Wesson?

Answer 9

It was only okay.

Question 10

And how long did you work there your second time?

Answer 10

I worked there a few years and then I took a job at Caborite Aircraft.

Question 11

What made you take this new job?

Answer 11

My prior classmate, Phyllis Kara Pavlov, nicknamed Skeetch, developed a new alloy called
Carsonium, and was interested in me helping her market planes made with this alloy, because she lacked marketing and sales experience.

Question 12

What is significant about this alloy?

Answer 12

It is light weight and we agreed that it would be good for lightweight stunt planes. Also it would decrease the amount of metal used.

Question 13

What was your position in the company?

Answer 13

I started in 2009 as the Vice President of marketing and finance.

Question 14

When you began, what were you doing at the company?

Answer 14

I started figuring out how to market the new planes that Skeetch was remaking with the new
alloy.

Question 15

Which ones did Skeetch remake first?

Answer 15

Two of the best selling stunt planes, the Caborite Model 1 and the brand new Caborite Model
2.

Question 16

How did you market the Caborite Model 2?

Answer 16

I used the marketing tool that people who couldn’t normally afford their own stunt plane could
now afford the Model 2 because we made it less expensive.

Question 17

How did you keep up on your knowledge of the planes?

Answer 17

I started attending air shows to get a better understanding of what experienced stunt pilots were looking for in a plane.

Question 18

What did you learn?

Answer 18

I learned that the lighter the plane, the quicker the reaction time, which made for better stunts,
and I learned about some FAA requirements.

Question 19

What are the requirements you learned about?

Answer 19

Planes sold in the aerobatic category had to have a minimal positive limit maneuvering load
factor of 6.0g

Question 20

What is the maneuvering load factor of most stunts?

Answer 20

Most stunts can be done below 6.0g, as long as they are done correctly.

Question 21

How were these findings implemented in the new Model 2?

Answer 21

The model was made as light as possible, while still meeting the FAA standards.

Question 22

How was the Caborite Model 2 tested?

Answer 22

The plane was put through a series of dynamic tests to meet the Federal Regulations of Airworthiness Standards.

Question 23

What were the results of these tests?

Answer 23

After a few fails and re-tooling the plane, Skeetch and I finally came to a design that passed
all of the tests and earned us the certification we needed.

Question 24

What did this certification entail?

Answer 24

It certified the plane as an aerobic plane capable of a 6.0g positive limit maneuvering load
factor, lower than the Model 1 limit as expected.

Question 25

What did you do to warn the customers about this lower limit?

Answer 25

We developed a form for each customer to sign, acknowledging that they were aware of the load factor and agreeing not to exceed it when operating the plane.

Question 26

How did the sales go when the plane first became available?

Answer 26

They went well.

Question 27

Why did the sales go so well?

Answer 27

We received no reports of any defects or chronic repairs.

Question 28

What do you remember about July 3, 2013?

Answer 28

That was the day of John Jacob's Caborite Model 2 accident, the first accident ever with that plane.

Question 29

Who sold him his Model 2?

Answer 29

I was the one who sold him the plane.

Question 30

How did the sale go with Jacobs?

Answer 30

I warned him about the difference in load factor, and emphasized that he shouldn't be doing any tricks that he couldn't handle. I also gave him a copy of the Model 2's manual, and had him review and sign the form about the 6.0g load factor.

Question 31

Can you please identify this document

Answer 31

this is a waiver from my company to our customers

Question 32

Why did you have John Jacobs sign this?

Answer 32

It is a regular business procedure when selling this specific plane.

Question 33

So by signing this waiver, what did Jacob acknowledge?

Answer 33

Jacob acknowledged that the load factor is 1.2 g less than what he was used to, that putting excess force could cause structural damage to the plane, and that he would not fly outside of his abilities.

Question 34

So how exactly does Jacobs acknowledging these important points on the waiver, be significant to the case at hand?

Answer 34

We are here today because Jacob clearly did not adhere to the waiver he signed.

Question 35

So, as someone who is extremely knowledgeable about the design standards of the Caborite Model 2, how do you know that there was nothing wrong with the design of the plane that caused the crash?

Answer 35

The Model 2 passed every required test to make it a safe plane for stunt flying, it was capable of a limit maneuvering load factor great enough to perform any stunt correctly, and the plane met all of the FAA requirements.