Sport Starts Up

By John Ballantyne, ANN Correspondent

"It has been an exciting, exciting, year," began Ron Wagner, EAA Manager of Field Relations, to the 60 or so folks gathered under the permanent forum building in the north area of AirVenture 2005.

"It is amazing to think back for three or four years when we were giving forums like this on this great initiative we hoped that we would someday get. This time last year the sport pilot rule was not even effective. EAA has had a huge influence in the new sport pilot certificate program and the corresponding light-sport aircraft certifications," Wagner said. The rule had been issued only one year ago, so EAA AirVenture hosted quite a celebration. Now, one year later, Wagner pointed out that the planes and pilots are gathering around the EAA.

Wagner also said he knew that it has been a frustrating year for those who have been wanted to but were unable to get a sport pilot certificate from the local flight school. Many couldn't find a flight instructor, pilot examiner, airworthiness inspector or even an airplane to fly. Wagner said EAA was working very hard to resolve these problems and he sincerely believed that over the next several months we will see some amazing things in recreational aviation.

"It has been an exciting, exciting, year," he repeated.

The sport pilot initiative allows operation of light, two-place aircraft with just a driver license instead of medical certificate. Wagner said that, for many folks, the medical was the most important aspect of the rule. Sport pilot has resolved the problems for those who have special issuance medicals or have never applied for an aviation medical. EAA is still working with FAA to find solutions for those who have had a medical denied, revoked or suspended by FAA.

Sport pilot is much more than that, though," said Wagner. He then listed other important items that came in the rule such as:

-New maintenance certificates for those who elect to do owner-maintenance on their aircraft. The training is affordable and achievable.

-Flight instructor certificate for sport pilot can be gained with as little as 150 hours of experience, and without having to obtain a commercial or instrument rating.

-The creation of new categories of aircraft and the method of certification for those aircraft. Weight-shift Control (trikes) and Powered Parachutes are all referred to as Light Sport Aircraft (LSA).

-Light-Sport Aircraft certification is developed through a new method of using "Consensus Standards" where industry provides the basis for certification through a facilitator, in this case ASTM.

Wagner reported thirteen new make/models of aircraft that have been certified with the consensus standard during the past year. All thirteen were represented at EAA AirVenture.

Questions from the audience began with insurance availability for those standard category aircraft which meet the LSA parameters. They are all tail-wheel airplanes and present a special insurance issue. Other insurance questions had to do with trikes and powered parachutes.

The ubiquitous medical questions came about, "what, exactly, was meant by medicals being revoked, suspended or denied?" The answer was, if your medical was revoked, suspended or denied, then FAA prohibits flights under sport pilot privileges.

Wagner began to close by saying that the future was a little hard to predict with precision. He suggested that rapid growth of sport pilot was partly dependent on increasing acceptance by traditional flight schools and instructors, and that aircraft availability was improving as more airworthiness inspectors are designated by FAA.

"I see enormous potential in the opportunity that Sport pilot and LSA offers as a recreational activity rather than personal transportation," he concluded. He assured everyone that EAA was in for the long-term and would continue to be at the fore-front of the implementation and improvement of this huge shift in private aviation.

Finally (Won't be the first time seminar-goers hear this) was an admonition to all pilots about Temporary Flight Restrictions and checking with the EAA web site related to TFR listings before each flight.

FMI: http://sportpilot.org/