Will Promote Sport Pilot As Affordable Way To Enjoy Flight

Sport Pilot is here to stay. That's a message the Experimental Aircraft Association plans to drive home during the upcoming EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006.

The ginormous fly-in -- billed as "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration," a moniker few (if any) aeroheads will dispute -- will feature an enhanced Light-Sport Aircraft Mall touting some of the many available choices in light sport aircraft, and special briefings will also be held as part of EAA's ongoing mission to introduce current and prospective pilots to a dramatic new movement in recreational aviation.

Of course, the EAA was a prominent champion for the Sport Pilot movement, which the group says significantly lowers the cost and time-commitment barriers to becoming a pilot and enjoying the world of personal flight. The EAA -- which is dedicated to enhancing its members' participation in and enjoyment of recreational aviation -- lobbied in government and general-aviation industry circles for more than a decade to create this opportunity.

EAA says Sport Pilot enables enthusiasts to learn to fly and gain access to aircraft in half the time and for half the cost of previous alternatives.

The Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) Mall -- the centerpiece of EAA's sport pilot effort during AirVenture -- will display dozens of the new, factory-built LSAs now available specifically to sport pilots. The area will also feature well-recognized airplanes that have been mainstays of general aviation for years, which sport pilots are eligible to fly now.

Finally, EAA's LSA Mall will also include examples of amateur-built airplanes and alternative aircraft, such as powered parachutes and weight-shift-controlled craft that sport pilots can fly. EAA's team of experts in sport pilot and light-sport aircraft will be on hand at the LSA Mall to provide guidance and answer questions.

In addition, EAA Member Village, a focal point and gathering place for EAA members on the AirVenture grounds, will feature orientation sessions for those exploring the sport pilot opportunity. Each morning a 30-minute session will cover the basic privileges and elements of the sport pilot certificate, training, aircraft ownership and rental, tips on getting started, and more.

Orientation attendees will also be entered in daily drawings for free sport pilot gift packages.

Member Village will also offer EAA members the opportunity to acquire official student sport pilot certificates, a government requirement for the solo-flight phase of training, at no cost. This represents a savings that more than offsets the price of a $40 annual EAA membership.

Because sport pilots fly only under circumstances that make flying less complicated, and present greater margins of safety, the training time and costs required are also cut in half. Sport pilots fly only in daylight when weather conditions present good visibility, and they avoid the congestion at the nation's busiest airports.

FMI: www.eaa.org, www.airventure.org