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FAA Approves Sport Pilot License
"Light-Sport airplanes will be limited in size and power: maximum weight 1,320 pounds, maximum two seats, maximum airspeed 120 knots, single non-turbine engine, fixed landing gear. If it's a Light-Sport, it should be one of the easiest planes to fly."
This has the potential to dramatically increase the number of people owning and flying planes. Not only is it easier for a person to become a Sport Pilot, it is easier and cheaper for a company to sell a Light-Sport airplane. (For years, people have been building "kit" airplanes just so they will fall under the looser "homebuilt" rules. Now, there will be no need to build a plane unless you actually want to do so.) Several airplane companies have promised to produce Light-Sport planes that will cost no more than a luxury car."
It is nice that the FAA is going to treat ultralights in a more formal way, but then I am not sure it is a good thing. Now I must have a licence to fly them, where as before you just hoped on one and Up, Up and Away.
Come the revolution, the Bourgeois, Capitalistic, "A PARKING STICKER HOLDERS", will be first against the wall!
The FAA tried something like this years ago with the Recreational Pilot Certificate - however, the requirements were almost the same as the full private (still need a full class 3 medical, nearly as many hours needed to qualify), and the rec. license was 'crippled' in features compared to the full private. It was hardly surprising that almost no one bothered with it.
On the second attempt, they seem to have got it right. The class of plane the Sport Pilot license addresses are non-complex, easily maintained and things happen slowly enough that even very green pilots shouldn't have a hard time handling them. Over-regulation has been killing general aviation for years so let's hope this gives the recreational end of it a good boost.
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
I wish more states would follow this trend in the other direction with cars. I remember renewing my license at 21, the lady asked me to read the 2nd or 3rd line down in the eye chart, no prob, done. Expecting her to ask me to read the next line, or maybe a few down, she says thanks and stamps off my renewal. wow.
That is all the better I have to see to be licensed to drive a 3500 pound automobile that will go 165 mph? In the Army, when I got my hummer license, at least they made me take a test that measured my reaction times and depth perception.
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
Now, you can at least count on the plane not to do stupid stuff, you can't change the pilot.
not to mention that if you can afford to buy a nuke you can afford something better than a 2 seat aircraft to deliver it with, say a Ryder truck.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
Being a private pilot myself, I can see why one wants to reduce costs. It does take an awful lot of both money and time to get a PPL. However, never forget that flying can be very unforgiving if you do something you shouldn't. I just hope that what little requirements are left, are rigid enough to not cause danger to others. _ /Bjorn.
This is good news for people like me who used to fly but had to give up our licenses due to overly restrictive Third Class Medical requirements.
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I know there will be lot's of critics here, all spouting off about 9/11, but that's nonsense. Flying a small aircraft into a target does not cause similar damage. That was proven shortly after 9/11 when a teenager in Florida killed himself after trying to duplicate the events of 9/11, and it was a bigger plane than what is permitted by this new class of license.
As for using it to carry a bomb, another criticism frequently heard, this also is of no merit. The original World Trade Center attack was done with explosives in a van, similar to the Oklahoma City event. You can bring an explosive in a briefcase as well, possibly even a small nuclear device. You don't need an aircraft for that.
Finally, passing legislation allowing the FAA to oversee ultralights is a good thing. Previously, it was self regulated, with almost nothing in the FAR about them. This now allows the agency to oversee safety where there was previously no one there to do so. This may be bad, as well as good, because the FAA is not known for its speed when it comes to certification, but will help the general aviation industry and sport pilots in the long run.
As for pilot training for terrorists, I don't see anyone chasing after Microsoft for Flight Simulator
and if they are suicide bombers why would they care about getting a license to fly the plane into a building, or dropping bombs from their plane.
>>Allah Ackbar, take off you piece of s***!" *Boom*
of course it couldn't be yer homegrown militia types doing this i suppose. They *have* to be muslims... *sigh*
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
And there already was something like this in Canada. I could have got it starting at fourteen, and been flying by myself by now. I chose to wait until next summer, when I'll be 16, to start on the actual private pilots license. Why, you ask? Because I'll invariably want to move up to the next level (I'm even considering an aviaton career). Flying is so fun that this is like the free sample of crack given by a drug dealer.
Pilots (which I assume you are) need to take their superiority complex down a notch. Really, you're no better than anyone else, on the ground or the sky.
I beg to differ. I would argue that anyone who can pass his private pilot training is statistically less likely to kill himself and others while piloting an airplane. In that sense, pilots are "better". If you're talking about "better" in some other context, go play that game with someone else since you're obviously trolling.
And getting your license may not be "really that difficult", but it's also not really that affordable either.
I'm all for making it more affordable. Making it substantially less safe is not the right solution to that problem.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
I recently obtained a Private Pilots license so the training is fresh in my head. I can't think of anything I studied or learned that would be a waste of time for light sport pilots.
As for the third class medical certificate required for Private Pilots, I really don't see what the big deal is. If you have a pulse and can see three feet in front of you can easily obtain one. Perhaps it is the cost? ($80)
I think what the FAA is saying with this designation is that since you will be flying a light aircraft that can do little damage to others - feel free to take your own risks.
"it's really fun when a stoned pilot decides to visit your BBQ by crashing in your yard." ;)
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Yeah. Because no one's ever driven an SUV into a BBQ or through the front of someone's house. Exactly how much "fitness to drive" regulation is there on cars?
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Consider that the average SUV probably weighs 2 - 2.5 <b>tons</b> vs the maximum for a plane under this license: 1,320 pounds or just over half a ton. An SUV is going to plenty more damage.
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Also consider that a "stoned" driver or pilot is already operating outside the regulation. Like with a lot of things, if it's already illegal, and people are doing it anyway, either the law needs to be changed or enforcement needs to be stepped up. You don't need additional regulation.
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P.S. How exactly do you kill a bunch of people without it being "serious"?
The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
There are white muslims too...
Fact remains, it was Islamic terrorists who declared war on America, not the IRA. Wake up...
Perhaps you could include the DC-area snipers under "domestic", too, despite no bombs being involved.
You'd think that in these days the Ministry of Home Defense (zieg heil!) this kind of thing wouldn't come to pass.
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If I actually could spell I'd have spelled it right in the first place.
This just in!
Terrorists attack the people they hate!
Briliant deduction! We'll have this problem licked in no time now!
weather phenomena known as "Cumulus Granite"
That's why I like to fly with a GPS and TOPO map running on a laptop. When the altitude on the GPS matches the altitude on the map, you better have the landing gear down. The TOPO map is very good at seeing the granite clouds that you might not see through the condensed water vapor clouds.
I don't condone flying IFR when you are only permitted to fly VFR. It's just a backup just in case... Really.
The truth shall set you free!
Obvious, but it doesn't explain why not all people who have hate become terrorists. My other message was mocking that. Sure, we might be able to figure out that there's a lot of Muslim terrorists. But that doesn't tell us a damn thing, because not all Muslims are terrorists. Not even a significant fraction of them are terrorists.
No weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men.-Ronald Reagan
Actually, your comment is completely ridiculous. You're right, there was a collision between an airliner and a private airplane. Who's fault was it? The fault was placed on the airline pilot, not the private pilot.
As I recall, it was near an airport. The tower told the airliner to look for the traffic. The airliner responded that they had visual separation with the private plane. The private plane continued on it's given course and the airliner struck the private aircraft. The pilots of the airliner were responsible because they were supposed to be maintaining 'visual separation'.
Your post also demonstrates your complete lack of awareness of how the Federal Airspace System works. As a pilot, I can tell you that mid-airs between LSA (light-sport-aircraft) and airliners will most likely never happen. Airliners cruise at 18,000/ft and above and LSA aircraft will be lucky to cruise at 8,000/ft. Any aircraft entering class B or C airspace (the airspace around busy airports) will be under RADAR survelliance and will be seen as soon as they breach the airspace. There are generally three or four controllers watching airspace around busy airports. They usually get one small section of airspace to monitor so they know what every plane in their airspace is doing.
LSA aircraft will not be using large airports. They will be using smaller community airports.
Get a grip man, and don't complain about things you DON'T understand because it tends to just create FUD (and therefore difficulty) for those of us that enjoy flying.
I can't believe how many post there are from non-aero people! Don't be afraid!
This new catagory makes a lot of sense. The people going for this don't need a medical. You don't need needless extra training for this type of aircraft. Why get cerified for multi-engineed, high horsepower and complex type aircraft if you're going to fly an experimental home built that is just above an ultralight? Some things to remember are that there are a lot of restrictions on this certificate compared to a full private certificate. Aircraft size, weight, passengers, night flying, no towered airports, among others are all regulated and stricter than other certificates.
I have a Quad City Challenger that is almost completed and it does not qualify for an ultralight aircraft. it has a little too much horsepower (55-60 hp), too much fuel capacity (10 gal) and it can handle two people. I was going to get a full private license but might opt for Light Sport instead.
You can always keep building up hours and test for the next higher certificate.
Most of the pilots I know who fly planes like mine already have full private certificates but have "downgraded" to aircraft like mine. The reason is that they are a blast to fly and cost a fraction to maintain compared to larger aircraft. Most of these guys used to own a Cessna 17_ or 18_.
I was actually advised by more than a few light aircraft pilots not to train in a Cessna if all I was going to do was fly my Challenger. The reason is the Cahllenger is a lot more responsive than most other aircraft and many pilots have problems moving "down" to a Challenger. I have found a CFI who is going to train me in a Challenger and I couldn't be more happy.
If this helps curb some fears of the non-aero people posting here, many light aircraft are equipped with ballistic recovery parachutes. It's a parachute for the entire aircraft only to be deployed in the event of a catastophic failure. I have one for mine. Check them out at http://brsparachutes.com/
Remember, it's in the pilot's/builder's best interest to build a plane well and fly it well. You can't just hop out at 10,000 feet and say "Okay, I'm done now. Let's call it off".
Critical thinking isn't your strong suit, is it?
The fact is it's very easy to rent a small 2 or 4 seat cesna in this country - this law makes it no easier to use a plane in a terrorist attack.
What this law does is open the skies to a much larger group of americans - and is an acknowledgement that we are not a nation under seige - a belief that morons like you cannot seem to understand.
Pull you head out of the tv news and realize that Ashcroft and company want you to be afraid.
The only reason this country will be attacked again is if we keep trying to impose our values on the middle east (ala support of isreal and invasion of iraq).
Personally its not God I dislike, its his fan club I cant stand (bash.org)