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Doug,
To fly a Coupe under Sport Pilot privileges, you need
to carefully screen out any aircraft that EVER IN THEIR EXISTENCE have been
converted to be a D or later model.
The FAA wrote into the Sport Pilot regulation the definitions:
Light-sport aircraft means an aircraft, other than a
helicopter or powered-lift that, since its original certification, has continued to
meet the
following:
(1) A maximum takeoff weight of not more
than––
. . .
(ii) 1,320 pounds (600 kilograms) for aircraft not
intended for
operation on water;
The FAA is on to us and sensitive to the D model
conversion. This clause was written so that experimental aircraft couldn’t
just change their gross weight, apply for an amended airworthiness certificate
then go fly over gross. On the way, they knowingly picked up the D model
Coupes as an unavoidable bad side effect.
However, it might someday be possible to get approval
for a special modification from C and CD to “1320D” or something –
with all the thoroughly tested D modifications but limiting the gross weight to
1320 lb. John (of recent messages) is looking into that. Don’t hold
your breath – we predict failure while we encourage him to try.
Ed Burkhead
http://edburkhead.com
ed -at- edburkhead???.com (change -at- to @
and remove "???")
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