AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2013 - 52

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WHAT DOES THE FAA THINK? Various reports issued by the FAA in late 2012 indicate that FAA officials are pleased with the overall growth of the industry and feel safety has improved, especially when compared to the Experimental category of aircraft. However, they want to see further improvement. Initial audits of five companies, sometimes involving six FAA personnel visiting a company over several days, indicated that while LSA aircraft are safe, the paperwork proving compliance with ASTM standards needs improvement. There will be eight domestic and eight international audits in 2013. (Or looking at it from the manufacturers’ point of view, manufacturers are unclear as to what sort of paperwork the FAA expects to see.) In one case, the dealer for the Criquet Storch (pronounced stork) was told there were airworthiness problems as well as paperwork issues. However, the three flying in this country were not grounded by

An Aerotrek is less than $80,000 (see “Aerotrek: Half Price, Full Featured,” January 2012 AOPA Pilot). Others are available as well. Manufacturers argue that it’s the customer who has set the perception of high prices. Most order the best of the options, such as glass cockpits, autopilots, and CD players. They want to hear “Ride of the Valkyries” while riding the air currents. That turns a $130,000 LSA into a $170,000 LSA, the argument goes. “The reality is that people are willingly buying $170,000 airplanes, because they want all that stuff on them,” Johnson said.

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THE SUN WILL COME OUT TOMORROW. At the moment, the FAA is developing criteria for inspecting a new model or first offering of an LSA by new companies. Such aircraft can’t be sold until they are inspected. Given that there are 90 LSA companies, and only five audits have taken place with eight planned in the the FAA. The FAA stopped issuing certificates for Storch aircraft, thus halting sales, and the dealer has switched to selling ultralight aircraft. FAA reports say the goal remains to make a success of the selfcertification process used by the LSA industry, and to achieve a fatal-accident rate that is better than that of the fully certified general aviation industry. At the moment, that fatal accident rate is similar to Part 23 certified aircraft’s. Still, the FAA wants to achieve that goal without FAA type design certification or production certification—two certificates now required for fully certified Part 23 manufacturers. The FAA sees a path of evolution for smaller aircraft, from Experimental to LSA, then to Primary category, and finally to Part 23 certification. FAA involvement increases at each level. The system had better work, given that there isn’t money in the FAA budget—or personnel—to fully regulate all levels. Under the Primary category, the manufacturer proposes a basis for certification and parameters to be used. The FAA can either accept or reject the proposal.

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AMERICAN LEGEND CZECH SPORT AIRCRAFT

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52 | AOPA PILOT January 2013

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2013