Len, et al: We have to remember how and why the FAA went to LSA and SP in the first place - primarily, it was to get some level of licensing and control over the "heavy" ultralight crowd.
The fact that Ercoupes, Champs, etc. qualify is just a fortunate quirk in the rules - it was not the original intent at all. And, LSAs are still selling quite well - 50 orders were taken at the Sebring show a couple of weeks ago. $100K for a brand new airplane is not out of line - it was totally unrealistic for people to think that LSAs were going to come to market in the $60K neighborhood - wishful thinking, but unrealistic. Most LSAs are made in Europe for a good reason - those companies have been making similar airplanes for a long time, and only Cessna here is making a real effort to get into the market, and they have to do the basic manufacturing in China to be competitive. Our FAA and the UK's CAA see things quite differently in a lot of ways. Yes, the UK has the NPPL and we don't, but they also have user fees, and much more restrictive airspace rules, and how much is 100LL - upwards of $7 per U.S. gallon, and even more on the European continent. As the old saying goes, "there's no free lunch". Jerry E. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of dallas hewett Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 10:25 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ercoupe-tech] FAA medical requirements ????? Although not an Ercoup flyer, I can appreciate what Len says about the gov't organizations. I am currently in an organization run by the us govt. The US Army. I am a reservist recalled and assigned to a National Guard unit. I like to say the Army is filled by a lot of good, intelligent, smart people. But as an organization it is mindless. Nothing more moronic than a buerocratic government agency. No matter what the branch. My mantra has been, "don't fight the inertia...." I, too, am an LSA pilot and would love to buy a tri-pacer. Dallas --- On Fri, 2/13/09, airslot4518 <[email protected]> wrote: From: airslot4518 <[email protected]> Subject: [ercoupe-tech] FAA medical requirements ????? To: [email protected] Date: Friday, February 13, 2009, 8:56 AM I often refer to the FAA as the darkside for sometimes good reason medical requirements being one of them. The FAAs medical establishment in OK City is a huge bureaucracy and being what it is strives to be self substaining as an organization and I am not exactly ignorent when it come to health/medical issues having a Ph.D in public health. This said the UKs position seems to be more enlighten than the FAA. Essentially what the Btits have done is say that your doc knows more about your medical condition than some bureaucrat in th FAA. To add insult to injury there is no consistensy even among federal agencies. Case in point I am a licensed merchant marine officer(captain) licensed to operate passenger vessels up to 100 miles offshore. If you think flying is a bit demanding try running a boat in six foot seas for 18 hrs fifty miles off the beach when everything is soaked with seawater with a 250lb mako shark trying to eat its way into the boat and more often than not someone is seasick and passengers(fisherma n) are not real experienced big Game fisherman. Yes I do have to jump thru some medical hoops every five years--yes five years-- to maintain my ticket. Just did it -- max 8 stress test blood pressure , eye exam, blood chem-hearing test ect. The FAA- in reality- has no such option. My doc signs a form stating that I am medically fit to command a vessel submits all the paperwork to the national maritime folks then good to go. As for the FAA I probably could make it thru a 3rd class- my doc sure as hell thinks I am safe to fly-- but why chance it so LSA is the way to go for me. Kind of strange I can get paid to take people to sea but can't take my wife and kids flying in a tripacer. In some ways the LSA thing is a joke. A lot of the new LSA birds cost a hundred grand or more-- glass cockpits and all. Of course as we all know a Cessna 150, tripacers or even a cessna 120 is not a legal LSA airplane. Also take a look where most of the LSA birds are being manufactured- -- not good ole USA-- maybe europe????. Now considering that the country is in an economic mess why not make a few rule changes like dumping the medical for leisure pilots to include fixed gear airplanes which fly at less than 130 kts(maybe less than 150 hp) vfr -daylight -below 10000 foot or some such combination. The 1330 lb gross weight thing is a poor criterian. A lot of people can afford a cherokee as opposed to a new LSA. Wonder how many cessna LSA flychasers(catchers ) are going to get sold this year. I guess the bottomline is no matter how hard you try you can't fix stupid and from someone who spent a fair amount of time around gov't somethings just are stupid the FAA medical proceedures for non professional VFR single engine pilots being near the top of the list in my book. PS Last night booked an combination overnight offshore shark /tuna charter for five- two women and a 14 year old included- in June. Seven people at sea for 18 plus hrs STRANGE this world of ours. Capt Len Buchta
