Would Also Allow Development Of Lighter-Than-Air LSA

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that, if enacted, would put to rest a niggling point in the original standards defined for light sport aircraft in 2004... as well as potentially expanding the category to include lighter-than-air LSA.

In its NPRM, the FAA acknowledges the "realities" of operation of amphibious aircraft -- namely, that a pilot who takes off from the water, may not necessarily wish to land back there.

Currently, amphib pilots are not permitted by regulations to change landing gear configuration -- putting the wheels down for a ground landing, or retracting them to set down in a lake -- while in flight, but only when on the ground or in the water.

This "repositionable" definition has resulted in confusion since the FAA agreed to the light sport aircraft standards two years ago.

"When we drafted the original proposal for LSA appropriate for sport pilots, we were concerned that LSA be simple in design and operation," the FAA writes. "For aircraft design, low performance within the constraints of light weight and structural integrity were important. For aircraft operation, simple mechanical systems within the constraint of sport pilot training requirements were important.

"As noted in the preamble to the rule, from an operations perspective, 14 CFR, part 61, § 61.31(e) provides a statement of the aircraft features that the FAA considers in assuring adequate training for a pilot to operate complex aircraft. From the aircraft operations perspective, § 61.31(e) does not dictate that retractable landing gear makes a seaplane complex. We intended to allow for retractable landing gear for amphibious aircraft. We attempted to differentiate between retractable and repositionable landing gear, but that distinction has caused problems when implementing the rule."

As Aero-News reported, Czech Air Works (CZAW) petitioned the FAA for an exemption to allow retractable landing gear on its Mermaid amphibious airplane.

The NPRM also calls for regulations governing the development of lighter-than-air light sport aircraft. (LTA). The LTA change would result in a "common land-based LSA maximum takeoff weight limit and allow the LTA LSA industry to design and build safe, functional LTA aircraft."

Details of the NPRM are available for download at the FMI link below. Comments are requested before May 21, 2007, with implementation of the new rule planned for June 4.

FMI: Read The Full NPRM (.pdf)