Notes Experimental Community Has Led The Way On Innovation
The rights and
privileges enjoyed by homebuilders over the past half-century have
not only given citizens the freedom to build and fly their own
aircraft, asserts the Experimental Aircraft Association... they
also led to innovations that have found their way into
type-certificated products and created an entire industry of
suppliers, designers, manufacturers, making all of aviation
stronger.
Recent developments, however, have caused considerable angst in
the homebuilt community about whether or not that freedom will
exist in the same form after the FAA unveils its new policy
regarding amateur-built aircraft certification, which will occur
later this year.
Any substantive changes could cause negative effects to ripple
throughout the homebuilt industry, the EAA states.
The FAA affirms it wants to preserve the 51 percent rule and 14
CFR part 21.191(g), the homebuilt aircraft regulations. The agency
is questioning whether "quick-build kits" result in aircraft that
are compliant with the original regulations, even though the agency
has consistently approved such aircraft.
To help the FAA have a better understanding of what it takes to
build even a "fast build" aircraft, EAA is asking homebuilders to
write the FAA, and urge policymakers to maintain and protect the
rights of amateur builders.
When the agency announced its intentions to re-examine 51
percent regulations at EAA AirVenture 2006, it appointed an
industry-government aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) to come up
with recommendations on the amateur-building issue. (EAA’s
Earl Lawrence was ARC co-chair with Dick VanGrunsven of Van’s
Aircraft.) As ANN reported, the FAA published those ARC
recommendations in the Federal Register earlier this month -- and
also announced a temporary suspension of amateur-built aircraft kit
evaluations, meaning it will not add any new kits to its "51
percent approved list" until the new policy is published.
Not included in the ARC report was EAA’s position,
however, which the group says is shared by the kit
manufacturers:
- Protect the current rights of builders to build the
“quick-built” aircraft kits that FAA has included on
the 51 percent approved list, and that our members have been
building over the last decade. The FAA has to recognize that for
more than a decade it has set precedent regarding the various kits
and practices that they have said meet the standard. The FAA needs
to honor its precedent and continue to approve those kits.
- Protect the 51 percent rule and with it, the builder’s
ability to build an amateur-built aircraft of any complexity, power
or size.
With those points in mind, EAA has asked its members to get
involved and write to the FAA.
"If you’re a homebuilder: Write and share your experience
as an amateur builder with those who are spearheading the new
policy," the group states. "Share with the FAA your experience of
building your aircraft, why you consider yourself a true amateur
builder in every sense of the word, and that you advocate
preserving the precedent established by the FAA when it approved
today’s fast or quick built kits as 51 percent-compliant.
"If you’re not a homebuilder: We sincerely hope that this
issue is important to you, too. If you believe in the homebuilt
movement and all the innovation that comes from it, be ready to act
when the FAA publishes its new policy as to what qualifies under
the amateur-built regulations."