By ANN Correspondent John Ballantyne

It was FAA Headquarters, 10:03 am EDT in the Administrator's Conference Room as FAA Administrator Marion Blakey (pictured right whilst playing in a PPC... and having a good time of it), officially announced the release of a new rule commonly known as Sport Pilot. Sometimes called the "Loch Ness Monster" of rules, because it appeared and disappeared so many times, it is now written in FAA concrete.

In announcing the rule, Administrator Blakey related that her flight in a FlightStar CT last year was "Like being a bird." Many references to "Fun Flying" were shared by all in the celebratory atmosphere.

Since you're reading ANN, you already know the vitals: a minimum of 20 hours training, may carry one passenger, daytime only with at least 3 miles visibility and under 10,000 feet MSL. FAA did keep the promised "driver's license medical" instead of FAA medical, but injected some major caveats for those who have failed an FAA medical. And, if your driver's license gets yanked or suspended, so do your sport pilot privileges. Period.

Administrator Blakey reported that LSA-legal planes may weigh 1,320 pounds, Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) or 1,430 pounds -- if float equipped. That is about 100 pounds more than originally proposed. Blakey said the increase was due to input from the more than 4,700 comments received by FAA. The aircraft (yes, they will all unquestionably be "aircraft," not "vehicles") must be single engine with fixed gear and fixed-pitch propeller. They may fly as much as 120 knots (138 mph) at full-power in level flight, and must be able to fly at or below 45 knots (51.75) mph without flaps or other lifting devices.

Backing up Administrator Blakey were the Deputy Director of Aircraft Certification Service, Ron Wojnar, and Director of Flight Standards Services, Jim Ballough. They expressed a little more detail in each of their areas of expertise. This included the Light Sport Aircraft certificate programs: special light sport aircraft (built by the manufacturer), and experimental light-sport aircraft.

The experimental certificate is for kits and existing fat ultralights which must be inspected and issued an experimental airworthiness certificate by August 31, 2007 or taken out of service. The rule goes a bit further saying that, "All 14,000 pilots of unregistered ultralight-like aircraft must obtain sport pilot certifications, must have their aircraft inspected and certified, and must have their aircraft maintained by appropriately trained repairmen."

Within about 30 minutes we were ushered out the FAA back door to where 3 "Light Sport Aircraft" were on display. Actually there are no light sport aircraft yet, so 2 were ultralight trainers and 1 was an amateur-built, experimental aircraft. It was amusing to see the top officials from FAA sitting in the trike and powered parachute while, I imagined, considering what they had just done.

This reporter can't help but wonder about the Law of Unintended Consequences. What a huge change has been made. Imagine the private pilot with significant other and the 2 kids aboard the 4 seater powered parachute. They are positioned on the approach end of runway 23, at night, as the tower holds the traffic while the canopy is laid out for inflation. Yes, that's right. There are private pilot certificates for weight-shift trikes and powered parachutes which will be permitted to have more than two seats, fly at night, more than 10,000 feet MSL and over downtown. Oh, good. That will be another article.

Monitoring the role played by private organizations such as AOPA, USUA, ASC, EAA, and USHGA will also be important. On one hand the organizations can significantly help those who want to participate in this program. Certainly, FAA is saying that they want the groups to fulfill some of the traditionally FAA-conducted activities such as the development of "consensus standards" for airman and aircraft certification. On the other hand, any individual should have free access to FAA programs without unnecessary organizational hoops added for the benefit of a private organization. We will be watching this carefully as the pages begin to unfold.

Sport Pilot does not become effective until September 1 of this year. The FAA's Sue Gardner speculated, in a private discussion, that she does not expect the first airman certificates to be issued until sometime next January. The list of flight examiners (DPE) available to give flight tests and airworthiness inspectors is just about zero right now. It looks like it could be years before Sport Pilots flood the atmosphere over the United States. But they are coming…

Stay tuned to ANN. Soon, we will explore Sport Pilot's affect on newcomers who want to fly simple aircraft for fun. Later we will move on to the impact for existing ultralighters, then existing private pilots, then to other airspace users and airports. There is a lot of news in the action by FAA on this day.

About John Ballantyne: There is a reason ANN picked John Ballantyne to head our onsite coverage of the FAA's LSA/Sport Pilot announcement and why he's going to be our point-man for our future dissection of the new rule. John is an accomplished pilot, instructor and examiner for ultralights (three-axis and weight shift) and hang gliders. Commercial pilot and flight instructor for gliders (sailplanes and trikes). Private pilot with instrument rating for airplanes (ASEL). He has experience with balloons, paragliders and powered parachutes and is an FAA Aviation Safety Counselor for Washington Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).

Licenses / Ratings

Federally licensed commercial pilot and certificated flight instructor for gliders (aero-tow and weight-shift control trikes); First and (so far) the only recipient of FAA commercial and Flight Instructor certificates in trike aircraft (weight shift); Private pilot airplane (ASEL) with instrument rating; Soaring Society of America Flight Instructor; United States Hang Gliding Association rated Master Hang Glider pilot, instructor, pilot examiner and instructor seminar presenter; United States Ultralight Association registered pilot, basic flight instructor, examiner and seminar presenter; An original FAA Accident Prevention Program Counselor-Ultralight appointed by FAA in Van Nuys, California, in 1981.

Awards/Recognition

Fédération Aéronautique Internationalé CIMA [Ultralight] Commission for 27 years as pre-eminent leader in America for the ultralight and microlight sport-2000; United States Ultralight Association highest honor, Moody Award, for outstanding contribution to American ultralight aviation-1996; Fédération Aéronautique Internationalé & National Aeronautic Association Tissandier Diploma for initiative and devotion to sport aviation at the international level-1994; United States Ultralight Association Bronze Colibri Medal-1988; Experimental Aircraft Association President's Citation for Significant Contributions to Ultralight Aviation-1987; United States Hang Gliding Association Bronze Otto Lillienthal Medal-1978; United States Ultralight Instructor registration number 1.

FMI: www.faa.gov