President of Capella is First Post-NPRM Interview
It's taken a while for the dust to settle, from the arrival of
the Sport Pilot NPRM. As our thoughtful folk have looked at the
proposal's various sides (it covers aircraft, certification, and
pilot licensing), there's a lot that needs to be watched. Some have
seen Sport Pilot as the beginning of a new era in small, private
aviation; others see it as the end of ultralighting as we know it.
They're probably correct on both accounts.
We asked Reid Howell, president of Capella Aircraft Corporation,
to share his thoughts on the new NPRM. Reid has been around the
small-airplane industry since it started getting popular, in the
1980s. His designs have been flown by a number of noted aviators,
notably Duane Cole; and his Capellas, in their various
configurations, have (after some hiccups) established themselves as
popular, sturdy, fun flyers. More to the point, Reid has been
involved with the concept of Sport Pilot since there was such a
concept. Here's what he's thinking:
It's nearly there...
"I've been working on it pretty hard," Reid said. "As far as the
NPRM is concerned, we'd call it a 90% solution as written -- we can
bring it up to about 98%." The key, as he sees it, is to have
enough, qualified examiners. "We're going to comment on the
availability of appropriate, experienced pilot examiners --
examiners that are familiar with these types of aircraft." As he
continued to tip his hand, Howell said, "The basic gist of our
comment: 'What about the examiner who just doesn't know about the
particular aircraft?'
If, for instance, I had to give a check ride with a, say, Streak
Shadow [an aircraft that Reid admits to a fair degree of
unfamiliarity] -- how could I do this, without simply looking at
the candidate in flight, and seeing how he flies it?"
There's a workable solution, he thinks.
"One of the things I've been working on: a manufacturer would
have to provide the instructor with a supplemental instruction
manual. We could then combine, for example, a Capella XS, and XLS.
To go further, you could, for instance, combine lots -- or even all
-- powered parachutes."
He doesn't know everything about everything. [How
refreshing!]
Reid admitted, "I don't know anything about trikes -- there may
be a way to consolidate a lot of trikes, too." He knows a lot about
his specialty, though: fixed-wing tiny airplanes. "As far as
fixed-wing aircraft, there's a huge spectrum, from a Capella to a
Weedhopper, to a Taylorcraft. A Kitfox, with its flaperons and
different handling characteristics, is yet another kind of bird.
I'm not going to say, at this point, which make/models should be
combined; but I'd say for certain that each make and model should
not need a separate endorsement." As the NPRM is currently written,
you would need a different signoff for each make and model,
something the FAA has pledged to clarify. Instructors, too, would
thus need to be qualified in each make/model -- a virtual
impossibility, since there's no starting point, especially for
'orphaned' aircraft, like the aforementioned Streak Shadow. Mr.
Howell knows this, and has a thought: "Obviously, aircraft of a
common make, with maybe some equipment differences, shouldn't need
separate endorsements. I don't think you should need separate
endorsements, say, for a Capella XS, XLS, or XLS Super 100 -- or
even the single-seat SS."
What about aircraft that look almost alike, and fly the same --
but one model has a wheel in the front, and the other has one in
the back?
"A taildragger endorsement is already required, anyway," Reid
reminded us. "So, you could fly all our taildraggers under one
endorsement, and all the tricycle-gear under another
endorsement."
Stress the need for relevant training...
Reid explained, "The object of the make/model endorsement is to
keep costs down -- why should I have to send my customer -- or a
Weedhopper pilot -- to a Cessna school, where they have to learn to
fly a 172?
That's an expensive, complex, and overly-burdensome
requirement."
It's not like a box of chocolates, he said; more like bread:
"It's like a loaf of bread -- you buy it by the slice -- you don't
need to buy the whole loaf, when you only want to make a
sandwich."
If bread cost $80 an hour, we'd figure out a way to buy it by
the slice, too!
Some things need to have another look.
The way the NPRM is currently written, student (sport) pilots
cannot fly the faster machines, even though such machines meet all
the other aircraft requirements. Upon the awarding of the
certificate, the newly-minted sport pilot would then be able to fly
in much-faster machines. Reid thinks this is quite impractical, and
negates a large part of the "simplicity of training" idea that
spawned Sport Pilot, in the first place. It also makes a nightmare
for students, instructors, and manufacturers.
Reid explained, "There is currently a limitation for student
pilots, to keep them under 87 knots. That's largely irrelevant, and
might require an instructor to have two different aircraft.
Compared with private pilot regs -- where there is no speed limit
-- that just doesn't make sense. If you're training a student for
solo, there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to solo a faster
airplane -- that's what he bought -- under the eye of an
instructor."
Capella's founder also had some idea about possible designed-in
SNAFUs in the NPRM. "This is a diverse category of aircraft, and
operators are trained in specific make/model. The reg, as currently
written, prohibits a Sport Pilot from conducting sales
demonstration flights. The guy that is trained in the make/model
under consideration, is better-qualified than, say, a 400-hour
Private Pilot [who would be allowed to give such a demo flight].
We're pushing for Sport Pilot instructors to be able to give those
demonstration rides."
It's pretty close, though.
A little tweaking, and Sport Pilot might be able to address that
'98%' he was talking about. "The whole concept is based on a
streamlined training program -- let's not force the applicant to
take more training than required for safety. Once we get the
make/model consolidation under control, I think we can meet that
goal," he said.