----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- Some of you may have already read
this, but some may have not. It was taken from a meeting at Sun &
Fun
Bob Parker
Mena, AR.
...As Sport Pilot Proposals Attract Attention...
Briefly, the proposal aims to create a new Sport Pilot Certificate, that would be "affordable, safe, and appropriate" for the sport flyer. A driver's license would be acceptable medical certification, and about 20 hours would be plenty of training to pass the practical test. Ultralight experience could be credited toward flight time. Ultralight pilots who prefer to stay as they are would be free to continue operating under Part 103, which would remain in effect unchanged. Sport pilots would be restricted to day VFR flying, not for hire. Warner said the industry has plenty of incentive to make radical changes -- and make them soon -- to make it easier, more attractive and more affordable for new enthusiasts to get involved in flying. By 2003, he said, the Young Eagles will have flown a million youngsters, representing a huge pool of prospective pilots and owners. Likewise, the intensive attention that aviation is expected to get as the U.S. celebrates the Centennial of Flight in 2003 "might inspire many people to try to fulfill their dream of flight." And Warner wants to be sure that when people get that urge, the way is clear for them to make it come true. ...Complying Aircraft Shine In The Distance (From Overseas)...The Sport Pilot regs, as the currently sit, would require eligible aircraft weigh no more than 1,232 pounds, seat two (maximum), stall at no faster than 45 knots, fly Day VFR only and not exceed 115 KTAS in level flight (with a logbook endorsement). Well, it just so happens that a booming economy, coupled with the ability to circumvent a huge portion of liability through use of the experimental category has led to a virtual explosion of experimental designs here in the states over the past two decades. Unfortunately, none of those aircraft have been available to pilots unwilling or unable to build. Hopefully, this is where the Sport Pilot regs will find their niche. By sheer volume and variety, a large number of those experimental aircraft will be eligible for certification under Sport Pilot guidelines. When asked if they'd be producing aircraft under the new rules, nearly every manufacturer of light kit aircraft we've asked here at Sun 'n Fun answered in the affirmative. ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiLm.aVzvvT Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ |
At three standing-room-only seminars this week at Sun 'n Fun,
officials from the EAA and the FAA briefed pilots and ultralight flyers on the
current status of the long-anticipated NPRM known as the Sport Pilot proposal.
Bob Warner, an executive vice president of the EAA, gave the main presentation,
while Sue Gardner, the FAA's point person on the proposal, was on hand to offer
"hypothetical answers to hypothetical questions." And there were plenty of
questions. The complicated proposal affects airmen, aircraft, maintenance and
instruction. Warner made sure everyone had a copy of a brand-new brochure
outlining the rules as they were "being discussed as of March 28, 2001." The
caveat: "They are not final and may not accurately outline the rules that will
be posted." Because, of course, before the rule can be posted it must undergo a
review at the Department of Transportation, then the federal Office of
Management and Budget, then go back to the FAA, then to the public for comment,
and back to the FAA yet again, before a Final Rule can exist. Thus, the
"hypotheticallness" of the entire enterprise. Regardless, interest in the
proposal is so intense, and hopes for its impact are so high, that the EAA and
FAA are working hard to keep everyone informed. Warner described the proposal as
"really revolutionary, and getting the highest priority at the FAA." The time
frame for the final rule was estimated at mid-2002, but many observers expect
that to be wildly optimisitc, while not completely beyond the realm of
plausibilty. The matter of instructors seemed a bit thorny and indefinite.
Current ultralight instructors would be able to qualify as Sport Pilot
instructors under a limited grandfather clause. They would have a lot to do,
because Sport Pilots would need a logbook endorsement for each make and model of
aircraft they want to fly. Owners would be able to get a repairman's certificate
to inspect and maintain their own aircraft.
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