----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Tom, As a follow-up, before two years ago when the Sport Pilot rule was published, no one thought ANY Coupe had a chance of being included. Having it be a 415-D, with its higher gross weight, was generally an advantage. If you look back in the archives, you might find discussions on whether the conversion was legal if all the paperwork was done but no application was sent to the FAA for a new airworthiness certificate showing the conversion. The thing was, the instructions in A-787 did not say paperwork had to be filed with the FAA. Since it was an option spelled out in the type certificate (A-787), many or most C to D conversions did NOT have the change filed with the FAA. Were they then legal or not - that was not fully resolved. But it's possible that there's enough of a trail of documents that could be found for the insurance company to think it's worth digging when SP pilots have accidents with Coupes. Especially if you bought a policy with a requirement that you be completely legal before they'll pay. (That'd be a bad policy in my book - if you have an accident, you've almost certainly broken some rule or regulation. I don't think the better companies have such a clause.) In fact, as Don Bowen points out, you've established a paper trail on this issue by publicly asking the question on a forum with an archive. I would be very cautious in buying a plane which had been converted to D if you intend to fly it as a Sport Pilot. Heck, some previous owner's insurance application may have listed it as a D. Somewhere, there could be damning evidence. If you do back away from this plane and go for another, I'd urge you to keep records on which plane, its N-number and serial number (if you have it) of the plane about which you asked the question. Then, if someone challenges you on the plane you did buy (because of this discussion) you'll be able to show which plane was the subject of your discussion. Maybe next year, the FAA will up the gross weight limit for Sport. There's some pressure for them to do it to get the Sport Pilot numbers up - so few training operations or independent CFIs have an SP legal plane for training and testing that SP is doing horribly on the pilot side. But do NOT hold your breath counting on it. Personally, I'm betting against such a change even though the FAA Administrator dropped a hint on the subject at Oshkosh a year ago. Then, comes the SP rule. Best wishes, Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com ed -at- edburkhead???.com (change -at- to @ and remove "???") ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
