I would be willing to wager that most, if not all 415C model Ercoupes have at
some point in their existence, operated at a gross weight higher than 1320 lbs.
I would also be willing to wager that many of the new LSA aircraft that have
been purchased and flown over the past five years since the LSA rules have been
on the books have also operated at a gross weight greater than the 1320 lbs
maximum of the LSA rules. If that is the case, then the argument that some are
making here would disqualify these new aircraft from flying within the Sport
Pilot/ LSA rules as well. There is just no way to enforce all of these flights,
unless there were ramp checks everywhere, and all of the loaded aircraft were
weighed prior to taking off. This is why I believe the words of the regulation
are referring to the certified gross weight of an aircraft, rather than the
actual historical weights of each flight of a particular aircraft. I love these
discussions!
Stan
