[Note: This article was written and published well before the FAA handed down its final Sport Pilot rule in July, 2004. Be aware that some of the details may have changed.]

By THOM RIDDLE

If you have been following the Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA) rulemaking activity at the FAA, then you know we are on the threshold of a revolutionary new era in recreational flying opportunities.  Although these pending rules--the final form may be announced as early as July at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture convention in Oshkosh, Wis.--will open up recreational flying for everyone, there are several aspects that should be of particular interest to deaf/Deaf aviators, students, and wannabes.

For those who are not aware of this monumental initiative, I will summarize the major features of these soon to be promulgated regulations. Keep in mind that the following is based on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and, as yet, are not rules and could change in many ways before becoming rules. However, the EAA, which has played a large and important role in this initiative, believes that the final rules will be very close to the proposal. For a thorough discussion and the latest information on these groundbreaking new FARs, see www.sportpilot.org website.

Think of this NPRM as three separate proposals in one package:

1. A new pilot certificate--including student pilot, pilot, and instructor ratings

2. Two new aircraft categories--Special light-sport aircraft and Experimental light-sport aircraft

3. Two new Repairman certificates tied specifically to aircraft typed--A Repairman Certificate with maintenance privileges for the Special light-sport aircraft category and a Repairman Certificate with inspection privileges for the Experimental light sport aircraft category.

The NPRM in no way changes FAR 103 ultralight rules.

The NPRM in no way changes the existing Experimental amateur-built rules. It does not affect the requirements for a Repairman Certificate for that category of aircraft.

Light Sport Aircraft: Are those which meet all of the following criteria:

1. Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight (MGTOW) of 1,232 lbs. (560 kg.) or less.

2. Lighter-than-air light-sport aircraft maximum gross weight of 660 lbs. (300 kg.) or less.

3. Maximum stall speed, landing configuration (Vso): 39 knots or less.

4. Maximum stall speed--without the use of lift-enhancement devices, (Vs1): 44 knots or less.

5. Maximum speed in level flight with maximum continuous power (Vh) of 115 knots.

6. Two-place maximum (pilot and one passenger).

7. Single, non-turbine engine only.

8. Fixed or ground adjustable propeller.

9. Unpressurized cabin.

10. Fixed landing gear.

11. Seaplanes may have repositionable landing gear that would allow the wheels to be rotated for amphibious operation.

The stall speed limits require some explanation since it is not intuitively obvious what items 3 & 4 above mean. If an aircraft has lift-enhancement devices such as flaps, then there are two stall speed limitations that must be met: 39 knot Vs0 and 44 knot Vs1. If an aircraft does not have lift-enhancement devices, then it must meet the more stringent 39-knot Vs0 limit. Notice also, that there are some existing certificated aircraft which already meet this criteria, such as the early Aeronca Champs and J-3 Cubs. The EAA is encouraging the FAA to expand the MGTOW limit from 1,232 lbs to 1,300 lbs. If this suggested change is incorporated in the final rule there are several other existing certificated aircraft that will fit into the definition of LSA.

The classic certificated Piper J-3 Cub taildragger already meets the FAA's proposed Light Sport Aircraft requirements, including a Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight of 1,232 lbs. or less.

Sport Pilot Certificate (excerpted from www.sportpilot.org):

A sport pilot applicant must:

1. Be a minimum of 16 years of age to become a student sport pilot (14 for glider), and

2. Be 17 years of age before testing for a sport pilot certificate (16 for gliders).

3. Be able to read, write, and understand the English language.

4. Hold either a current and valid U.S. driver’s license or a FAA airman’s medical certificate.

5. Operate only in day VFR (visual flight rules) conditions.

Item 4 above, means that when flying any aircraft that qualifies as an LSA, including certificated aircraft like J-3 Cubs, as private pilots we can do so legally with a current driver’s license in lieu of a FAA medical certificate.

Categories: Light Sport Aircraft categories include: Airplane, glider, lighter-than-air (airship or balloon), rotorcraft (gyroplane only, no helicopters), powered parachutes, and weight-shift controlled (Trikes). The training requirements for earning a Sport Pilot Certificate vary with the category of LSA, but in general are far less than the training hours required for the Private Pilot Certificate. See www.sportpilot.org for all the details on training requirements.

Sport Pilot Instructor Certificate: To become a sport pilot instructor, you must hold either a sport pilot certificate, a private pilot certificate, or higher. You must be a minimum of 18 years of age; however, you are not required to hold a Commercial pilot’s certificate. The significance of this, of course, is that any of us deaf/Deaf private pilots could fairly quickly qualify as SP Instructors, as long as we satisfy the rest of the requirements. To my thinking, this is the single most important factor in lowering the barriers to flying in the deaf/Deaf communities.

If you have never held any flight instructor certificate, you must:

1. Obtain ground instruction from an authorized instructor on aeronautical knowledge areas applicable to the category or class of light-sport aircraft in which you intend to instruct so that you can pass the Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI) and aeronautical knowledge written tests.

2. Obtain the requisite aeronautical experience for the category and class aircraft in which you intend to instruct.

3. Take a Practical (flight) test with a designated sport pilot examiner.

4. Log the minimum total pilot flight time in the category and class of light sport aircraft.  This varies with category; for example, airplane category requires:

150 hours flight time as a pilot,

100 hours flight time as pilot in command in powered aircraft;

50 hours flight time in a single-engine airplane;

25 hours cross-country flight time;

10 hours cross-country flight time in a single-engine airplane; and

15 hours flight time as pilot in command in a single-engine airplane that is a light sport aircraft.

LSA Maintenance and Inspection: Type certificated aircraft require most maintenance to be done by certificated A&P Mechanics and annual inspections to be done by an A&P with Inspection Authority. The LSA maintenance requirements will be much simpler. One can earn a repairman certificate with maintenance and inspection authority for a particular category of LSA by successfully completing an approved 80-hour course!

By contrast, to earn an A&P Mechanic certificate one needs 1,600 hours of supervised work experience and/or successful completion of an approved 2 year school plus pass rigorous FAA written and practical tests.

Zenith Aircraft Corporation's Zodiac CH 601 XL is a kit plane, available in both standard and fast-build versions, that may meet the FAA's Light Sport Aircraft requirement for an instructional aircraft.

Experimental Amateur Built Aircraft: One of the hurdles in getting Sport Pilot candidates trained will be that this NPRM requires training in aircraft that qualify as LSAs.  Since only a few normal and primary category certificated aircraft currently qualify, the FAA is also planning to allow experimental amateur built aircraft to be used for compensation and hire as instructional aircraft. There is an enormous fleet of existing amateur built experimental certificated aircraft that meet the LSA requirements. According to the NPRM, the FAA will require each experimental aircraft intended to be used for SP instruction to meet certain standards and registered with the FAA for this purpose. The details of this are not yet known.

There are many other changes promised in this NPRM which I will not discuss here, so again, I urge you to see www.sportpilot.org for all the details and latest developments. I am excited about this proposal and believe it will dramatically lower the entry and ongoing costs of recreational flying. I have spoken to several FBOs about this and they know very little about this and they do not seem at all interested in it. They are missing the boat, in my opinion, and because of that these new rules will give individual pilots and flying clubs numerous opportunities for recreational flying. It is my hope that I can persuade the local flying club here in Western New York to acquire at least one LSA. If that fails, I will consider starting an LSA club myself. Life is good and getting better!