What do you think of the proposed Sport Pilot/ Light Sport Plane rules? If you are unfamiliar, her’s a basic overview.
(from http://www.eaa.org)
Training would be considerably less than current Private Pilot (probably about 20 hours)
I think it’s a great thing. Some of us have been trying to bend the Ultralight rules for a while now (cross-country training flight, anyone?), and to have those headaches removed would be a real load off. Opinions?
Edited to remove the Horizontal Scrollbar of Death - Coldfire
I don’t have any major problems with it. As far as I’m concerned, the more people getting involved in aviation, the better.
I checked out your link, and after prowling around for a bit, still have a couple questions:
*Training and FAA tests are required, but no mention of a check ride. I think this is important and am surprised it wasn’t mentioned.
*No accident/mishap stats for these things.
*No mention of a max ceiling, whether FAA or service. I don’t think these things should be allowed to go above a few grand AGL. I didn’t see any mention of radios; I assume, just looking at the picture, they don’t have one.
Have you or has anyone ever been up in one of these? If so, what was it like? How much do these things cost, and how much room do you need to take off/land? What are the control surfaces and inputs (in the cockpit)? How high/fast can they go?
[sub]And what the heck is a horizontal scrollbar of death?[/sub]
Thanks, Coldy, I just e-mailed Czarcasm about that.
Hey, flyboy, Some of the models of aircraft that currently meet the Light Sport plane rules are here. It’s a pretty extensive list.
Basically, a Light Sport plane is like a beefed-up ultralight. Under Ultralight rules
No passengers (except for training purposes)
Gas tank of 5 gallons or under
Max 245 lbs. empty weight
Max. normal cruise speed 55 knots
I’ve been up in plenty of ultralights. As far as costs go, a lot depends on whether you but a plane or a kit to homebuild. Figure motorcycle range of prices, say $5,000 to $30,000.
In regard to cockpits, obviously you’ve got stick and rudder, and inputs depend on how much you want. I’ve seen ultralights with anywhere from 2 to 10 gauges. Radio is another matter of personal preference.
Flying an ultralight is fun, unless you’re trying to get somewhere. That 5 gallon tank is a real pain in the neck. That’s why I’m in love with these new proposed rules.
Mentioned or not, the information I have makes it clear that you will need to take a written, oral, and checkride to get the rating, which will be an FAA certificate.
These types of planes - basically ultralight trainers and very light kitplanes - have variable service ceilings. I’ve been to 7800MSL in one. The only drawback was how cold we got going it. Get high enough you’ll need to worry about oxygen but I don’t see any reason for the FAA to limit the ceilings beyond what’s already on the books. Couldn’t take ‘em into Class A unless you install a honkin’ big load of instruments and other crap, which would put you overweight anyhow.
I had a blast. It was a bit odd having to put on winter jackets in July, but it did get chilly and if you’re going to go high in them I recommend wool socks and a good pair of gloves. Then again, it was a very open aircraft I was in, no windshield, doors, walls, floor… There are enclosed models that would make things considerably more comfortable for pilot and passenger.
These things are mostly intended for much lower altitudes. When I was flying these things I typically never went higher than 2000 AGL, and that was on cross country type flights (50+ miles) Around the local areas we mostly flew at legal minimums, 500-1000 feet off the ground.
Either Sport Pilot passes and I buy me one of those two-seaters or I buy one anyway and N-number it and fly it Part 91. Since I’ve got the private license it doesn’t make much difference to me.
Aw, geez, you’re talking about some extremely variable things here. Cost - 5000 for a used one that needs work on up to 30K or even 50K for a fully tricked-out model. TO/L can be 200-300 on up to 800 or more feet depending on engines, load, runway altitude, etc. Rate of climb ranges from 600 fpm to 1200 fpm.
Control surfaces? This category would encompass rotorcraft, motorized parachutes, trikes (triangular, flex-wings like used by hanggliders), and fixed wing aircraft. Trikes use a control bar like a hang glider. I’m told the parachutes sometimes controls like on an “airboat”, whatever that is. The fixed wings range from 2-axis things that have just elevator and rudder through “spoilerons”, “flapperons”, on up to true 3-axis with the typical controls surfaces and on to things with flaps, speed brakes, vortex generators, and other elaborations. The fixed wings also come in tricycle and taildragger gear styles. Some of them have floats for water operations, some have amphibious gear with retractable wheels.
Speeds are less variable. The parachutes are 20-25 mph. The others range from ~30-45 mph stall to cruising 70-120 mph.
Avionics almost always include airspeed, altimeter, and engine gauges. Everything else may or may not be on board. I’ve seen 'em with nothing more than the above (and even less) in the ultralights to things with a full panel and state of the art GPS in the homebuilts. Likewise, radios may or may not be present.
How high? As high as the engine keeps functioning, more or less. I don’t know what the altitude record is, but the ultralight end can exceed 10,000 feet if properly handled. As I said, though, most folks don’t fly 'em nearly that high (unless they live in the Rockies).
As you might have guessed by now - a lot of aircraft that already exist could fall under these rules. Right now they’re either in the ultralight end of things or the lightweight part of the homebuilders world.
Blimps and airships of appropriately small size would also fall under this category, at least potentially, but I’m not aware of any that currently exist.