Drivers license - Third Class Medical Proposal

[gregsgt]

I'm not sure it will have a big impact on LSA since a 1-time medical is still required. I know people that were holding out hope that it would be the same drivers license medical so they could fly a Cherokee or a 172 again but know they have no way of passing a medical. So their only option is still LSA.

I have a current medical but it was a god-awful-bureaucratic-expensive-pain-in-the-ass process for something my own doctor said was a non-issue.

I personally can live with the watered down changes but can see how others might not like them.

[TahoeTim]

One time medical is way better than every year. I have afib and have to do a treadmill and stress test every year. I let my third class go this year since I don't own a certified plane and never followed thru with my PP ticket due to the medical costs. Anyone in my situation that dropped their 3rd class in the last 10 years will be tempted to get a go fast plane to keep the kitfox company. I can't even imagine going 250 kts with 5 people riding with me That's King Air speed.

The bill was written for me!


As a side note, my buddy the Police Chief thinks I should by his Long Ez. I told him I don't fly stuff made out of resin and insulation board and I like looking out the front to see the prop

[IVPleasure]

You may want to rethink that Long EZ. Check this out.

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...el-consumption

[jtpitkin06]

When discussing the future of LSA with medical reform, you are really talking about two separate aircraft. E-LSA and S-LSA.

I have long predicted that E-LSA would all but disappear. Experimental builders will establish gross weight to comply with structural limits instead of a regulatory limit. Being able to fly without a medical in just about any experiment makes E-LSA a dead horse. Builders will increase the gross weight as needed and register the aircraft as E-AB.

On the other hand I predict S-LSA manufacturing to continue but many of their customers will migrate to larger, faster, heavier aircraft. The reasoning is that most LSAs cannot carry two well-fed people and enough fuel to fly for more than an hour. The average person weight of 170 pounds was barely viable in the 60's. That figure is now probably over 200.

While the S-LSA manufacturers all have the same problem in useful load they have a captive customer base. Their typical buyer doesn't have a medical and therefore would not buy anything bigger under the current rules. If medical reform passes the playing field changes dramatically. The pilots can move up in size but the S-LSA manufacturers cannot without re-certifying under part 23. S-LSA is forever married to 1320 pounds.

I predict tough times ahead for S-LSA manufacturers that do not make the transition to heavier certification.

As for the legacy aircraft I predict a surge in used aircraft sales as pilot move to faster, night and IFR capable aircraft. As legacy aircraft availability decreases there will be an increase in used aircraft prices.

Some pilots might not migrate to certified aircraft believing the cost of maintaining a certified airplane is prohibitive when compared to an experimental. But those pilots fail to consider the typical experimental costs $60K to build and sells on the used market for half that. $30K buys a lot of fuel and lots of annual inspections.

LSA will still have a following of pilots that have a Sport Pilot certificate. But I predict that without the medical certificate requirement that a large percentage will make the transition to Private Pilot.

In the mean time... Let's get the bill passed!!!

The dang radio nucleide stress tests are expensive and the thallium makes my hair fall out.

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

[TahoeTim]

You understate the popularity of E-AB. I would guess that 99% of all experimental builders register their aircraft as E-AB. It offers more freedom compared to E-LSA. E-LSA has to be an exact copy of the factory S-LSA aircraft and I doubt anyone does that. Why would I want to build an exact copy of the factory plane, including avionics?

An E-AB builder can raise the gross weight rating anytime he chooses, it's experimental after all. Safety is an obvious consideration and I'm not advocating doing a weight increase without engineering back up. As a sport pilot, I will immediately raise the gross of my SS7 to 1500 the day I get my new medical. That's exactly what attracted me to the kitfox. It has a factory rating of 1500 that I have to currently downgrade to fly it as light sport. Other manufacturers such as Zenith and Vans could also rate their aircraft to to a higher gross without too much effort. The downside to E-AB is that the subsequent owner cannot do the repair work or annuals without an A&P sign off.

Let's take it a step further... I own a 1946 415-c Ercoupe. It is one of the few certified airplanes that is light sport legal. It was rated at 1260 lbs in 1946 but was uprated to 1400 with the D model. The only change that was required to change a C to a D was an elevator travel change. Many C's were uprated "free" which makes the C very rare since you never go back once you rate it above 1320 (stupid rule btw). I have a 1320 STC for my plane but again, once I step up to the new medical, I can make a logbook entry and fly at 1400 lbs.

Yes, the rarely used E-SLA might go away but E-AB is going to be as popular as ever and I predict that many kit manufacturers will get out their pencils and start offering a higher rating just like Kitfox does.

[Av8r3400]

John has his terminology mixed up. I believe he was stating E-LSA, when he was actually meaning Experimental Amature Built, within the LSA rules.

Another reform currently on deck is the Part 23 reform to make it follow ASTM guidelines, similar to the S-LSA rules. This will make his concern about the S-LSA manufacturers moot as well.

If you read the PBOR2 as it sits now, it is a step in the right direction, but the reform has lost a lot of its relief from rules and actually puts in place some new ones that may be difficult to muster. There are concerns that family practitioners will not want to sign off on these 4 year exams due to the liability exposure. I'm not a doctor, but have heard this come up as related to malpractice insurance costs, etc.

Without devolving into the politics of it, I'm actually hoping the current version dies where it is and that the congress will finally pass a long term budget measure for the FAA which contains the original PBOR.

[avidflyer]

Actually, the list of certified aircraft that are legal for a sport pilot to fly is quite large. Champs, Chiefs, Cubs, Taylorcraft, Luscomb are just some of the ones on the list. Many of the 2 seaters built before or just after WW2 fit the category. Also, anyone can do repair work on an experimental aircraft, although you do have to have a repairman's certificate to do the yearly conditional inspection if you're not an AnP. (this post addresses a couple of points made by Tahoe Tim)Jim Chuk

[TahoeTim]

My point was intended to point out that the weight rating is the key to survival of the current kit companies. Kitfox is in a great place in that aspect.

I also agree that politics have sadly gotten in the way of common sense. Simply raising the light sport weight limit would do the same thing as this bill. I will not support AOPA or EAA fund raising unless they move to practical solution of redefining the existing light sport rules. It's time to reward sport pilots by allowing them more choices in aircraft. Simply raising the weight limit to a modest 2000 lb and the stall a few mph would up a LOT of aircraft. At some point we have to decide if we want to be stubborn and die a slow death or try to get more people flying and then fight for their business by offering an aircraft more attractive than a Cessna 150 or an Archer. I have faith that the kit designers can come up with some sweet kits if they were allowed to work with a 2000 lb gross.

PBOR2 is only out there because the FAA refused to act on PBOR1 that was passed as law. It's corrupt.

[av8rps]

Maybe when tbe Constitutional Convention occurs (we're getting closer by tbe day...), we can just abolish the FAA altogether along with the rest of this screwed up government. That would solve all of our issues.

Oh, and for the record, Avid and Kitfox were going gangbusters in the 80's and 90's, long before Light Sport was even conceptualized. So I don't really think it will have much impact on Kitfox. If anything, it might open a new door for a larger and even more capable Kitfox?

[TahoeTim]

Agreed.

We need to focus on getting more pilots into any GA aircraft, glider, PPC, gyro,etc