ANN Continues To Be FIRST With Sport Pilot/LSA Details...

ANN has been monitoring the press conference just concluded by the FAA that announced the new Sport Pilot/LSA rules. Due to take effect on September 1st, 2004, we found the FAA's remarks interesting and noted few surprises.

First of all, Administrator Blakey definitely put a very positive spin on what has been a contentious and laborious process... promising that the LSA/Sport Pilot program would enhance/increase aviation safety. She claimed that there some 15000 "unregulated"  aircraft in the US today and that the establishment of LSA would bring them together, at the request of the community itself, under the guidance of the FAA.

Blakey described a rule where Sport Pilots would be allowed to operate Light Sport Aircraft in conditions requiring "3 miles visibility and below 10000 feet." Blakey further described the average LSA as costing between $20K and $60k, while also relating her experiences (very positive, it appears) while flying a Flight Design CT, last year, at Oshkosh.

Other FAA staffers, commenting on the new rule, noted that hang-glider tow operations would be allowed under the rule, though the tow pilots would have to hold a Private Pilot's license. Some degree of owner maintenance is also to be allowed, and that such manners would be supervised by a new FAA Light Sport Aircraft branch. The FAA expects the new rule to result in at least 15000 new pilots in the foreseeable future.

As to the question of the Driver's License Medical, ANN's so-called "speculation" was as accurate as we promised. If you have been denied a medical certificate,you can NOT use a DML. "The rule is clear," noted an FAA staffer, in responding to our and other questions about the FAA's intent for the DML... "if the FAA has knowledge of a denial," the FAA will require additional effort from those affected. We did get something of a clarification, though, for those already operating under a special issuance medical certificate... if a person is currently flying under a special issuance certificate, "they will be authorized" to fly LSA's, though they will have to follow the restrictions established by the FAA in granting such a special issuance. The FAA did note that someone who has operated, for a while, under a special issuance scenario could, "in time," be allowed to eventually operate a LSA using a DML...though no further details were yet available to establish the criteria for such future operations.

There's more... but we're now turning to a number of industry experts for their take on the day's affairs and will be presenting, throughout the day, the thoughts and conclusions as they formulate them. Keep checking back with ANN to make sure you stay up to date. Former USUA President and LSA Expert, John Ballantyne (described by a Senior FAA Staffer as "the guy who started this," will be filing his reports in a short while -- and we have a LOT more data coming in as we write this.

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FMI: www.faa.gov