The new Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft categories, planned to emerge from the FAA later this year, will bring business and other benefits to the nation's smaller and underutilized airports, according to officials of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Bob Warner, EAA Executive Vice President, speaking to the Nebraska Aviation Symposium, reaffirmed the expected boost that sport pilot/light-sport aircraft will bring to the nation's airports. Warner told the airport owners and operators that now is the time to prepare for the new pilot and aircraft categories, so their facilities will be ready to welcome the new influx.

"Sport pilot is the future of recreational aviation, especially for those who depend on new pilot starts and fuel sales for their business survival," Warner said. "Anyone involved in general aviation realizes that the nation's reliever and general aviation airports are a resource that is just waiting to be tapped. Sport pilot offers that opportunity for those who are ready to welcome it."

EAA apparently thinks the final version of the Sport Pilot rule, as it is commonly known, is expected to be released by FAA in mid-2003 [E-I-C Note: We think that unlikely and would expect to see it in late summer or early fall... i.e, the end of September... right at deadline]. It will mark the culmination of more than a decade of work by the FAA and other sport flying organizations and pilot groups to bring forward categories of simplified pilot and aircraft certification. Sport pilot and light-sport aircraft will allow new, low-cost aircraft models to be accessible to new pilots, who will use this area to discover the world of recreational flight.

Currently, aircraft manufacturers are working with FAA and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International to establish light-sport aircraft standards that ensure safety and reliability. Those standards are expected to be approved for the various aircraft categories throughout 2003.

Airport planning groups are also exploring the potential from those who participate as sport pilots or in light-sport aircraft. For instance, the Metropolitan Airport Commission, which oversees operations for seven airports in the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) region, is preparing for the addition of light-sport aircraft to their facilities.

FMI: www.eaa.org, www.faa.gov