LAMA Newsletter - Spring 2005
LAMA History
Larry Burke, Bill Sadler (Sadler Aircraft), Cliff Rock (Fisher Aircraft), and others in the homebuilt industry founded LAMA, a nonprofit national trade organization, in 1984. LAMA’s mission was representation of the light aircraft industry including manufacturers of aircraft, engines, avionics and components. LAMA also represents distributors and suppliers to the light aircraft industry.
Burke was elected as LAMA’s first executive director, and then president upon the retirement of Bill Sadler. He was active for years in FAA-sanctioned committees (the ARACs), that created the FAR Part 103 ultralight regulations. In the early 1990s, he was part of the team that drafted certification standards for a new class of recreational aircraft called primary category. Several designs including the RANS S-7 Courier, and the Quicksilver GT-500, were certified under this system.
Thirteen years ago, Burke established the LAMA President’s Award for individual achievement within the industry. Each year, a winner is chosen by votes from the industry leaders, and the announcement is made at the summer Oshkosh convention. The permanent trophy, with each winner’s name engraved on it, resides in the EAA Museum at Oshkosh.
Representing LAMA, Burke participated in ARAC committees, and offered his services from the outset of the FAA’s revolutionary sport pilot/light-sport pilot proposal, which was revealed in 2001 after more than 10 years of work by FAA representatives and industry volunteers. In early 2002, he was elected secretary of the ASTM International light-sport aircraft consensus standards executive committee.
ASTM administers the FAA-mandated certification standards for all classes of light-sport aircraft-a process that will continue even after the FAA reveals and implements the new rules, probably in early 2004. Burke has recruited a five-person board of directors, all of whom are active in the ultralight and/or light aircraft industry and are participants or leaders in the ASTM consensus standards work. Recently reincorporated in California and equipped with a newly defined mission and new bylaws, LAMA is poised to become a major positive factor in the newly forming light-sport aircraft manufacture, marketing and supply community. Currently recruiting industry membership, LAMA expects to offer its member companies voluntary consensus standards, technical assistance, audits and marketing and promotion related to light-sport aircraft.
What's All This About Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft?
In 2001, the FAA confirmed that it would soon propose a major addition to regulations relating to recreational flying. Called sport pilot/light-sport aircraft (LSA), the proposal is among the most complex, far-reaching changes ever to the FARs, and the objective is to simplify the requirements and reduce the cost for people who want to engage in aviation as a recreational activity. Why would the FAA spend great amounts of time and money on recreational flying? The answer is related to a declining active pilot population in the U.S. over recent decades. That is worrisome because unlike in the past, when airlines and other commercial aviation activity drew most of its pilots from the military and from pilots trained under the GI Bill, advancement of pilots into business aviation today is more often from general aviation sources with students paying their own way. The current high cost of training-even for the private pilot license-and the cost of remaining proficient once licensed is a major factor in the decline of general aviation flight hours compared with the 1970s and '80s.
Sport Pilot/LSA Origins
Sport pilot/LSA began in the early 1990s when the ultralight community petitioned the FAA to liberalize the regulations to allow heavier, faster and more capable aircraft…and to allow ultralight pilots to carry a passenger. Instead of taking this route, the FAA decided to retain the ultralight rule, FAR Part 103, but to generate an entirely new category of pilot's license and a new category of aircraft they could fly. In February 2002, the FAA released its sport pilot/light-sport aircraft notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and asked for public comment during a 90-day period. On May 6, 2002, the public comment period closed with more than 4000 comments and suggestions logged. After the final rule is announced-expected by late 2003 or early in '04-the FAA and the light-aircraft industry expect a major increase in recreational flight resulting from thousands of new pilots and new aircraft.
Here's More on the FAA's Revolutionary Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft ProposalThe New Pilot's License
FAA's proposal describes the new sport pilot license as easier to obtain than the current recreational license (few students trained for that license) or the private license. A minimum of 20 hours of flight training including solo flight would be required. Training would
concentrate on subjects needed for day VFR flying in simple aircraft. A major departure from other pilot's licenses is that the medical certificate requirement would be met by having a driver's license from any state in the U.S., although a standard Class III FAA medical could be substituted. With the sport license, a pilot could carry one passenger in an aircraft that qualifies as a light-sport aircraft (LSA).What's an LSA?
LSA was defined in the NPRM as:
"A simple single-seat or two-seat aircraft with a maximum gross weight of 1232 pounds, a maximum level speed of 115 knots, a maximum stall speed of 39 knots, a maximum of one engine, and no complex systems such as in-flight variable-pitch propellers or retractable gear".
New categories of aircraft never before regulated by the FAA would be included. The types would include airplanes, gliders, weight-shift (powered trikes), lighter than air (balloons and blimps), gyroplanes and powered parachutes. Pilots would obtain a logbook signoff from an instructor for each type of aircraft to be flown. Light-sport aircraft would come from four sources:
--Existing certified, manufactured aircraft that meet the definition. For example, Piper J-3 Cubs and Aeronca 7AC Champions would qualify
--Amateur-built, Experimental-category homebuilts that meet the LSA definition. There are many.
--Light-sport Special, a new category of factory-built, ready-to-fly aircraft certified under a new concept termed consensus standards that would be adopted by the aviation community. These aircraft could be used in flight training and could be rented
--Light-sport Experimental, which would be produced as kits by factories for assembly by customers. Unlike the amateur-built Experimental category, however, these kits could be nearly complete by the factory. They would conform to the consensus standards, but they could not be used for hire (rental).Consensus Standards?
A key to the success of the proposal is adoption of the required consensus standards by the manufacturing community and the FAA before the final rule becomes effective, now expected sometime in 2004, although details of the final rule may be announced at any time. The consensus standards requirement is a major departure (mandated by congressional legislation in 1996) from the FAA's standard mode of operation, and it is a huge task for the recreational aircraft industry.
The requirement is for industry-wide standards for design, manufacturing, testing, quality assurance, documentation and follow-up support. In early 2002, EAA proposed engaging ASTM International, an independent, nonprofit, 100+-year-old test standards organization for administering the entire consensus standards activity. ASTM does not charge for its administration and has a long track record of helping industries develop their own standards. ASTM was elected to assist, and the process of developing LSA standards began immediately. The work is conducted primarily by volunteers using e-mail.What's LAMA's Role?
FAA, LAMA and the light aircraft industry (in the U.S. and elsewhere) believe that sport pilot/LSA will have a major positive effect on civil aviation and the industries that support it. LAMA is committed to participate fully in the current and future activity and to inform its members of progress and problems. It is currently preparing to assist in the marketing of LSA aircraft…and of the LSA concept. A major factor is that LAMA intends to offer its member companies voluntary audits relating to satisfactory meeting of the consensus standards. We look forward to serving the light-aircraft manufacturing community. (See "LAMA Board Active in Sport Pilot/LSA Work")
Make/Model
The sport pilot/light sport aircraft NPRM encourages manufacturers to group together aircraft with similar handling characteristics. This will enable sport pilots to self-endorse rather than obtaining an instructor's endorsement for each make and model of aircraft. Maneuvers specified by the manufacturer in the pilot's operating handbook must be followed by the sport pilot to self-endorse prior to carrying a passenger. The Make/Model Task Group will be meeting at the Marriott Waterside on 19 Nov 2003.
Part 103 Tandem Operations
Bill Bryden, Chair of the Tandem Operations Task Group, is leading an activity to allow training and operation of harness-supported Part 103 paraglider and hang glider vehicles. This active part of light aviation was overlooked by the FAA when they wrote the Sport Pilot/Light Sport aircraft NPRM. In the NPRM, existing ultralight 2-place trainers are to be eventually replaced by light-sport certified factory-built ready-to-fly 2-place aircraft. There was no mention of two-place trainers and two-place recreational vehicles whose primary means of support was a harness rather than an airframe. It is expected that following the exemption for 2-place tandem training, a rule change will be made to Part 103 to allow training and recreation in 2-place harness-supported paragliders and hang gliders. The Tandem Operations Task Group will be meeting at the Marriott Waterside during 19-21 Nov 2003.
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