USUA Also Wants To Extend Changeover Deadlines

In official comments submitted to the FAA this week, EAA provides several solutions that would facilitate timely and orderly transition and compliance with the year-old Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA) rule. The comments were made in response to the United States Ultralight Association's (USUA) petition for a two-year extension to various transition deadline dates placed on the ultralight community.

SP/LSA stipulates specific deadlines for ultralight pilots and instructors to certificate as sport pilots and SP instructors, and for two-place ultralight trainers and so-called "fat" ultralights to be certificated and registered as LSA.

Under SP/LSA, "fat" ultralights and two-place ultralight trainers must be registered as "experimental light-sport aircraft" (E-LSA) by January 31, 2008; ultralight pilots must certificate as sport pilots (passing a written and a practical test) by January 31, 2007, if they want prior ultralight flight time to count toward SP flight experience. Ultralight instructors must certificate as sport pilot instructors (passing a written and a practical test) by January 31, 2008, if they want to receive credit for prior ultralight instructing time. After January 31, 2010, E-LSA trainers can no longer be used for compensation or for hire.

USUA has petitioned the FAA to extend the deadlines for transitioning ultralight pilots, instructors and vehicles by an additional two years. USUA also seeks a two-year extension of the training exemption that allows two-seaters to be used for training purposes. EAA maintains that not enough time has passed since the SP/LSA effective date (September 1, 2004), and it's unclear what, if any, additional time would be needed to facilitate the transition of ultralight vehicles and pilots, since impressive progress has been made in the first year under SP/LSA.

"It's really been an outstanding effort by the entire SP/LSA team to reach the milestones that we have," said Randy Hansen, EAA Government Relations Director. "In less than one year, the milestones (see below) could not have been accomplished without the combined and fully coordinated efforts of the FAA, EAA, ASC, USUA, ASTM, the ultralight industry, and dedicated members of the ultralight community."

Major SP/LSA milestones:

• Newly created aircraft manufacturers have received 13 Special Light-Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) category and class certificates;
• 93 Sport Pilot Examiners (SPE) have received category and class endorsements;
• 49 Sport Pilot Instructor Examiners (SPIE) have received category and class endorsements;
• More than 400 individuals have taken the SP airman knowledge test;
• 137 initial Sport Pilot Instructors have received category and class endorsements;
• 450-plus individuals have been issued Sport Pilot Student Certificates;
• More than 30 individuals have been approved and trained as Light-Sport Aircraft DARs; and
• Approval has been granted to two entities to conduct LSA Repairman - Inspection qualification courses.

Two significant obstacles remain for ultralight owners and operators: First, once an ultralight vehicle is registered and the
FAA issues an N-number, it cannot legally be flown until the airworthiness certificate is issued and the pilot is FAA-certificated. Second, a practical test to obtain an FAA certificate cannot be administered in an aircraft unless it is registered and certificated for airworthiness. With the lack of Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DARs) and Sport Pilot Examiners (SPEs), this "chicken-and-egg" situation could prevent owners from legally flying their aircraft for extended periods of time.

EAA strongly encouraged the FAA to allow two-place ultralight owners to register their aircraft, obtain an N-number, and continue to operate, fly, and inspect their aircraft under the rules of FAR Part 103 or the two-place ultralight training exemptions until they can obtain an airworthiness certificate. Also, EAA urges FAA to allow pilots to take their practical tests in those aircraft that are registered with an N-number but not yet certificated with an airworthiness certificate.

Other issues noted by EAA, but not mentioned in the USUA petition: FAA should continue to develop reasonable standards for LSA repairmen-maintenance qualification course work; allow SP instructors, pilot examiners (SPE), flight instructor/examiners (SFIE) to retake their practical test per 14 CFR 61.49(b)(2) and 61.405(b)(2)(iii) without having to provide an aircraft that is certificated for spins, and allowing weight-shift control (WSC) student pilots and SP/SPI/SPE/SFIEs to receive flight training, logbook endorsements, flight reviews and practical tests in WSC aircraft that were certificated as airplanes or powered gliders prior to the implementation of the SP/LSA rule.

EAA also urges FAA to acknowledge the personal construction of aircraft (E-LSA and amateur-built) as an acceptable aeronautical activity under the Airports Grants of Assurances, therefore allowing airport hangars to be used for this purpose.

FMI: www.eaa.org, www.usua.org