Oroville EAA Chapter 1112 
and 
Oroville Foundation of Flight 
Meeting Minutes - Year 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copperstate Regional Fly-In - Casa Grande, AZ - 10/23-26 (George F. has been asked to attend this Regional and represent Stewart Systems.  He will be driving down, leaving on the 20th).
Copperstate Regional Fly-In

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Next Meeting - EAA/OFOF BOD Meeting, Wed., August 6, 2008, OFOF Hut, 7 pm

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Attachment 1 - LSA_SP_NPRM_080721.doc

Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)

[Docket No. FAA-2007-29015; Notice No. 08-03] RIN 2120-AJ10

Title - Certification of Aircraft and Airmen for the Operation of Light-

Sport Aircraft; Modifications to Rules for Sport Pilots and Flight

Instructors With a Sport Pilot Rating

DATES: Send your comments on or before August 13, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments identified by docket number FAA 2007-29015 using any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your

comments electronically.

To send comments to the FAA:

* Go to www.regulations.gov

* Send mail to:

Docket Management Facility

U.S. Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.

West Building Ground Floor

Room W12-140

Washington, D.C. 20590-0001

* Fax to the Document Management Facility, 202-493-2251

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
List of 22 Subjects Addressed by NPRM: (http://www.eaa.org/news/2008/2008-04-24_revisions.asp)

1. Replace sport pilot privileges with aircraft category and class ratings on all pilot certificates

2. Replace sport pilot flight instructor privileges with aircraft category ratings on all flight instructor certificates

* 3. Remove current provisions for the conduct of proficiency checks by flight instructors and include provisions for the issuance of category and class ratings by designated pilot examiners (DPE) (Comment – DPE is gross overkill for routine endorsements for things such as “fast” LSA and Class C,B airspace. DPE's are scarce, expensive and unnecessary for these approvals. )

4. Place all requirements for flight instructors under a single subpart (subpart H) of part 61

* 5. Require 1 hour of flight training on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments for student pilots seeking a sport pilot certificate to operate an airplane with a maximum airspeed in level flight with maximum continuous power (VH) greater than 87 knots calibrated airspeed (CAS) and sport pilots operating airplanes with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS. (Comment – Inappropriate for LSA/SP. The LSA aircraft are not required to have gyro instruments that are necessary for this task. It would be an unnecessary expense and unused skill.)

6. Remove the requirement for persons exercising sport pilot privileges and flight instructors with a sport pilot rating to carry their logbooks while in flight

7. Remove the requirement that persons exercising sport pilot privileges have an aircraft make-and-model endorsement to operate a specific set of aircraft while adding provisions for endorsements for the operation of powered parachutes with elliptical wings and aircraft with a VH less than or equal to 87 knots CAS

8. Remove the requirement for all flight instructors to log at least 5 hours of flight time in a make and model of light-sport aircraft before providing training in any aircraft from the same set of aircraft in which that training is given

* 9. Permit persons exercising sport pilot privileges and the privileges of a student pilot seeking a sport pilot certificate to fly up to an altitude of not more than 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) or 2,000 feet above ground level (AGL), whichever is higher (Comment: It is suggested that 2000 ft be changed to 2,500 ft to allow flight above existing flight restrictions over certain high altitude Wilderness Areas, e.g. in Wyoming.)

10. Permit private pilots to receive compensation for production flight testing of powered parachutes and weight-shift-control aircraft intended for certification in the light-sport category under Sec. 21.190

11. Revise student sport pilot solo cross-country navigation and communication flight training requirements

12. Clarify cross-country distance requirements for private pilots seeking to operate weight-shift-control aircraft

13. Revise aeronautical experience requirements at towered airports for persons seeking to operate a powered parachute or weight-shift-control aircraft as a private pilot

14. Remove the requirement for pilots with only a powered parachute or a weight-shift-control aircraft rating to take a knowledge test for an additional rating at the same certificate level

15. Revise the amount of hours of flight training an applicant for a sport pilot certificate must log within 60 days prior to taking the practical test

16. Remove expired ultralight transition provisions and limit the use of aeronautical experience obtained in ultralight vehicles

17. Add a requirement for student pilots to obtain endorsements identical to those proposed for sport pilots in Sec. Sec. 61.324 and 61.327

18. Clarify that an authorized instructor must be in a powered parachute when providing flight instruction to a student pilot

19. Remove the requirement for aircraft certificated as experimental aircraft in the light-sport category to comply with the applicable maintenance and preventive maintenance requirements of part 43 when those aircraft have been previously issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category

20. Require aircraft owners or operators to retain a record of the current status of applicable safety directives for special light-sport aircraft

21. Provide for the use of aircraft with a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category in training courses approved under part 141

22. Revise the minimum safe-altitude requirements for powered parachutes and weight-shift-control aircraft

NPRM Verbiage - excerpt

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/08-1127.htm

[Docket No. FAA-2007-29015; Notice No. 08-03] RIN 2120-AJ10

Title - Certification of Aircraft and Airmen for the Operation of Light-Sport Aircraft; Modifications to Rules for Sport Pilots and Flight

Instructors With a Sport Pilot Rating

........

II.B.5. Require 1 hour of flight training on the control and

maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments for

student pilots seeking a sport pilot certificate to operate an airplane

with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS and sport pilots

operating airplanes with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS

(Sec. Sec. 61.89, 61.93, and 61.327)

Current regulations require student pilots seeking a sport pilot

certificate to receive and log flight training in the control and

maneuvering of an aircraft solely by reference to flight instruments.

This training must be received before conducting a solo cross-country

flight or any flight greater than 25 nautical miles from the airport

from where the flight originated. It also must be received prior to

making a solo flight and landing at any location other than the airport

of origination. These requirements are detailed in Sec. 61.93 and are

applicable to persons seeking a student pilot certificate to operate

any category and class of aircraft. That section, however, does not

specify any minimum flight training time to meet these requirements. In

addition, current regulations for the issuance of a sport pilot

certificate do not require an applicant to receive flight training on

the control and maneuvering of any aircraft solely by reference to

instruments.

The FAA is concerned that persons exercising student or sport pilot

privileges in airplanes with a maximum airspeed in level flight with

maximum continuous power (VH) greater than 87 knots calibrated airspeed

(CAS) may inadvertently encounter conditions less than those specified

for VFR operations due to their greater speed and range. Operators of

these aircraft are more likely to encounter instrument meteorological

conditions than operators of other categories of aircraft. In order to

enhance the ability of these pilots to appropriately react to the

possibility of encountering instrument meteorological conditions and

the potential consequences of attempting continued visual flight rule

(VFR) flight in instrument meteorological conditions, the FAA is

proposing to require persons operating an airplane with a VH greater

than 87 knots CAS to receive and log 1 hour of flight training on the

control and maneuvering of an aircraft solely by reference to

instruments.

The FAA recognizes that persons may currently be authorized to

operate aircraft with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS. To provide those

persons with a reasonable period of time to obtain this training, the

agency is proposing that the training be completed by 1 year after the

effective date of the final rule. This training would include straight

and level flight, climbs and descents, turns to a heading, and recovery

from unusual flight attitudes. Due to the slower speeds and limited

capabilities of categories and classes of aircraft other than

airplanes, the FAA is not proposing that this requirement be extended

to operators of those categories and classes of aircraft and airplanes

with a VH less than or equal to 87 knots CAS. The FAA notes that for

training to be conducted solely by reference to instruments in visual

meteorological conditions, it must be conducted with a view-limiting

device.

......___________________________________________________________

Subpart C--Student Pilots

Sec. 61.93

Solo cross-country flight requirements.

e) Maneuvers and procedures for cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for cross-country flight in a single-engine airplane must receive and log flight training in the following maneuvers and procedures:

12. Control and maneuvering solely by reference to flight instruments, including straight and level flight, turns, descents, climbs, use of radio aids, and ATC directives.

13. 
    
    
    Note: I asked Brian Carpenter, DPE, et al, Rainbow Aviation, if there truly was a current requirement for Sport Pilot candidates to receive the 61.93e(12) training. He said, “No”. And that is my understanding also from prior discussions of the original SP/LSA NPRM. The FAA is blowing smoke when they reference 61.93e(12) for SP. That is a requirement for the Private Pilot student, not the SP student. And then they admit, in the last para of their discussion of the regulations that current regulations do NOT require this instrument training!

So, bottom line, This is a bad idea, totally unnecessary for LSA and a waste of time and money for the Sport Pilot, IMHO.

Compiled by:
Joe Cook, Secretary, EAA 7678
Oroville EAA 1112 http://eaa-oroville,8k.com

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Attachment 2 - File 51_rev.txt

http://www.ionaircraft.com/update.html
.......................
It is the second situation that has produced a potentially catastrophic result.  Because of a few bad actors, the FAA has proposed rewrites of large parts of the rule in what amounts to a ban on certain types of airplane kits.  Like ours.  Specifically, the proposed new rule specifies that the builder must fabricate at least 20% of the airplane from "raw stock" which they helpfully identify as things like "lengths of wood or tubing."  Here is the exact text from  the proposed rule:

"An aircraft assembled from a kit composed entirely of completely finished prefabricated components, parts, and precut/predrilled materials is not eligible for an experimental amateur-built airworthiness certificate.

(3) The major portion of a kit should be composed of raw stock, such as lengths of wood, tubing, extrusions, etc., which may have been cut to an approximate length. A certain quantity of prefabricated parts, such as heat-treated ribs, bulkheads, or complex parts made from sheet metal, fiberglass, composites, or polystyrene would also be acceptable, however—

(a) The kit must still meet the major portion requirement, and the applicant must show to the satisfaction of the FAA that the completion of the aircraft was not simply an assembly operation."

The problem here is that is exactly how most modern kits are made these days--assembly operations.  And until now, that's been just fine.  Not just our kit, but almost all kits on the market for the last 20 years.  Looking at Van's for example, all of their skins are precut and predrilled.  Their complex weldments are out of the box, etc.  Existing kits, again such as Van's, are grandfathered.  So all of the 'assembly operation' planes available now are acceptable, but if this new rule takes effect there won't be any new ones.

Why is the FAA proposing to set experimental aviation back 50 years, to the days of wood ribs and welded tube fuselages?  Again, a few bad actors abused the living bejeezus out of the existing rule.  That is not in dispute (well, the bad actors may dispute it, but we don't).  But here is where things break down: Rather than enforce the existing rule, the FAA decided a whole new rule was needed.

This is akin to saying "There were some people speeding on the highway last night, we should decrease the speed limit" whereas a logical response would be "There were some people speeding on the highway last night, we should ticket them to keep everyone else safe."  In other words; if they were breaking the old rules they will just break the new rules.  And in the mean time the rest of us pay.

What can be done?  Well, for starters the FAA has only given a 30 day comment period (the comment period is more usually 180 days or 90 days . . . 30 days is rare).  So if you want to influence this, you need to contact your federal-level politician to see if he or she can be sympathetic.  Click here for Senate and click here for House.  You can also comment directly to the FAA (click the link and BE 100% RESPECTFUL).  Also contact the EAA and let them know you are concerned.

Beyond all that drama  . . . see you at Oshkosh next week!  We're in the same place as usual--booth 406 in the North Display area.  Just a reminder, that is the display area just south of warbird parking and east of the the forums pavilions.

Stay safe.

End 7/16/08 Gen. Mem. Minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Board of Directors Meeting
Minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Joe's Golden West pix are published on the web at http://www.grayeagle.110mb.com/GW_2008/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Moved and approved to accept as published. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The meeting  was opened by President Steve Tenneson in the OFOF Briefing Hut at 1910 PDT.  Two guests were present, Burke Ray and Richard Ivany who were potential members for the Oroville Sport Pilots LLC organization which had a scheduled meeting following the Gen. Mem. meeting.  We were also honored to have Paradise members, Dave Harmacek and Ed Collins, present.

Treasurers Report - George Frazier reported the following status of the treasury:

    EAA Checking - $559.84
    OFOF Checking - $901.27
    OFOF Savings - $1084.72
    17 Fly-in Pancake Breakfast patrons were served at the Feb. event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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