Course To Be Offered To All In January

The FAA/Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) will hold the prototype amateur-built designated airworthiness representative (AB-DAR) training course at the FAA Academy, in Oklahoma City (OK) on December 16-18, 2003.

After fine-tuning the program, the first course for AB-DAR nominees will take place January 27-29, 2004, followed by another on June 8-10. EAA and FAA created the AB-DAR program to deal with the backlog of inspection requests for new amateur-built aircraft. Nearly 60 AB-DAR candidates, most of who have come through EAA's recruiting efforts, must complete the course before they can perform field inspections.

Three EAA staffers, Earl Lawrence and Randy Hansen of EAA Government Relations and Joe Norris of EAA Aviation Information Services, will attend the December prototype course along with FAA and TSI personnel.

EAA has provided the hands-on workshops on which AB-DAR nominees will learn by donating three aircraft:

• 1998 Lancair Tigress
• 1979 Smyth/Pieper Sidewinder
• 1965 Welsh Rabbit (Model A)

EAA has also agreed to lend FAA its 1998 Buckeye Dream Machine powered parachute for three years. These four aircraft will also serve as the hands-on training aids for the Light-Sport Aircraft DAR course that the FAA/TSI team is developing.

Courses will be limited to a maximum of 20 students, with two of those slots reserved for Flight Standards District Office aviation safety inspectors. If the ASIs can't use the two reserved positions, additional students may be added.

FMI: www.eaa.org