Weight limit increase

[mooreaa]

Just read this news on the weight limit increase and am curious what the implications might be to Kitfox. I'm on the waiting list for a kit and seems like the regs may allow for more flexibility.

https://www.avweb.com/ownership/lsa-weight-limit-increasing-to-3600-pounds-updated/?fbclid=IwAR000NV57vJQWOdiO3BdRWTLlroAdj56efjjxaMK veu5KNe6mDiEmBCiLUM

Obviously the weight limit of the aircraft is what it is set to by KF, but what would you do if you had a higher gross limit?

[Jerrytex]

https://www.bydanjohnson.com/latest-...ons-july-2019/

[Dave S]

Aaron,

First off - Congrats on ordering your kit this past summer! And do go after your Private certificate

The two references in 2018 and 2019 should be taken as an update as to what the current thinking is on the subject; and, no guarantees of when and what potentially revised regulations on the issue might be.

Rulemaking, which results in changes, additions or deletions of regulations is not a rapid process and there is never any guarantees of a completion date or what the final product may look like (or not). The primary reason the process is glacial and subject to many limitations is to enure that executive agencies (like the FAA) do not take actions that would be the domain of the legislature (law making) through rulemaking. An agency is kept on a rather short leash by the process to preserve the separation of powers.

It's a little tough to speculate on what the effect might be on a particular design/company when the product is barely a gleam in the eye of the actors. Potentially it could erase part (but not all) of the current differences between between E-LSA/S-LSA and E-AB - Potentially Kitfox could make a 1550# factory built S-LSAs and builders could make a 1550# E-LSA.

Certainly when you complete your private pilot certificate, you will be good to go with any existing design weight for your kitfox. Since you are already on the road for an amateur build aircraft (where you can choose to go either E-AB or E-LSA) - any LSA changes may not affect your route - I don't know if the rulemaking discussion is intended to cover both S-LSA and E-LSA. If you are going E-AB - probably little effect on your activities.

[VictorV]

If the FAA just changed the LSA 1320 lbs limit to 1500 lbs it sure would be nice for those of us that
are slightly "portly" and would like to take a passenger and a full tank of fuel

I think that changing the limit to 3600 lbs would hurt Kitfox business because pilots that can't
get a medical could still fly an older, cheaper planes (e.g. C172/C182).