By taking light sports aircraft out of the experimental category and into general aviation, the FAA may enable hundreds of new, and old, pilots to get off the ground
It is a nervous time for salesmen of light-sport aircraft (LSA). After a long wait on the heavily restricted fringe of regulated aviation, there is sudden pressure on the industry to seize on a golden opportunity.
The US Federal Aviation Administration at a stroke has granted this purely recreational aircraft type access to the mainstream of civil aviation, responding to purported claims of a pent-up demand for very basic aircraft that are still certificated to meet design standards approved by US regulators.
The Special-LSA (S-LSA) airworthiness certificates issued by the FAA will still be restrictive: aircraft will be limited to a maximum take-off weight at 600kg (1,300lb), visual flight rules operations only and a 10,000ft (3,000m) flight ceiling. But the FAA’s official sanction also lifts the LSA out of the experimental category and into the domain of all regulated general aviation services and infrastructure.
Most of the LSA design and maintenance standards have now been approved, setting the stage for the nascent industry to make good on years of claims that a huge market was being overlooked by traditional general aviation manufacturers.
Several companies are jockeying for the lead position in this market, but are also willing to be patient. The market is changing as several key pillars of the aviation support system, including the FAA’s regional network of local support offices and the development of relevant insurance terms, struggle to keep up with S-LSA’s evolution.
Word about the new industry is clearly spreading and sales are emerging faster than some had expected. Texas-based Sport Aircraft International sold 10 Czech-made Evektor SportStars, its first aircraft to receive the S-LSA certificate, in the first three months of its operation. In North Carolina, Fantasy Air has recorded orders for 13 aircraft and enrolled 18 students in a new sport-pilot school “without doing any advertising whatsoever”, says vice-president Doug Hempstead. Flight Design USA of New Jersey has sold out the CT model on its production line until November, says owner Tom Peghiny.
Certification criteria
So far, seven aircraft have met the FAA’s criteria for the S-LSA certificate, including the three above. The other four are the Indus Aviation T211 Thorpedo; the Tecnam Sierra and Super Echo (imported by Hansen Air Group, of Georgia, USA) and the TL Ultralight StingSport (imported by SportAirUSA, of Arkansas, USA), but dozens more are known to be eligible and likely to receive certification within months.
About 35 LSA designs will be featured at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, next week, priced from $18,000 to $80,000.
Identifying a buyer’s market for S-LSA- certificated aircraft is an important question with no easy answers apparent. The most critical development was the creation of a sport-pilot licence almost a year ago, obtainable for half the cost and effort of a private pilot’s licence in the USA.
The dream of LSA supporters is to attract thousands of new pilots that are currently daunted by the high cost of entry into aviation, both in terms of time for student training and money to rent or buy an airplane.
The theory goes that some of these new pilots would continue to develop their piloting skills and move up the market, creating a new flow of customers for the larger producers of the general aviation industry. The sport-pilot’s licence offers them an attractive new option for entry into the aviation market.
But industry observers are split on the question of whether such a pool of potential pilots really exists. There is also concern about how long it will take to develop a large enough base of sport pilots to support the emerging LSA industry. Peghiny, who has helped to lead an industry group seeking the LSA certification standards for two decades, believes this market will take about three years to mature.
Market prospects
However, none of the new LSA entrepreneurs expect to wait that long to justify their business plans. Another major source for S-LSA customers is a diverse pool of existing pilots who would find the lower operating and acquisition costs of the S-LSA-type attractive.
The sport-pilot licensing process itself may draw sales from another customer group, although the situation is still fluid. In creating the sport-pilot rule, the FAA initially lowered the bar for granting medical eligibility for flying status. All it required for a sport-pilot licence was for an applicant to show a valid driver’s licence – there was no requirement for a medical examination. It was thought that thousands of ageing pilots concerned about passing their next aviation physical would willingly downgrade to sport pilot status to continue flying.
But, despite support from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for this option, a last-minute re-write of the rule could eliminate hundreds of potential new sport pilots. The FAA changed the rule late in the approval process to disqualify any sport-pilot applicant who had flunked a physical by an aviation medical examiner. At the time, the agency’s lawyers reasoned that the agency could not award flight eligibility to a pilot who had been previously disqualified for medical reasons.
The fate of the LSA industry will not be clear for at least several months. It was expected to take a year or longer for the FAA and industry to create the nationwide infrastructure necessary to manage the new aircraft type.
One of the most glaring needs is for the FAA to train LSA-specific designated airworthiness representatives (DAR), who are volunteer experts who are needed to review and approve new aircraft designs.
“Unfortunately, at this point – at least in North Carolina – we do not have any DARs that are willing to take on sports pilot and I’ve talked to virtually every one of them,” says Hempstead of Fantasy Air. “They are so busy with what they’re doing and the experimentals they are already taking care of.”
At the moment, the FAA is mostly relying on agency staff at regional offices to conduct the review process. This has earned mixed reviews among the small core of LSA companies, with some local offices being more responsive and knowledgeable about LSA issues than others.
Insurance for both individual S-LSA owners and start-up flight schools for sport pilots is no longer the question mark it used to be. EASA’s Falcon Insurance programme is widely credited for leading the way for individual S-LSA buyers to obtain insurance for new aircraft purchases. Manufacturers report no trouble in this area, with a new group of insurance providers expected to become available shortly.
“It’s not going to be an issue,” says Peghiny, “if we keep our nose clean with accidents”.
STEPHEN TRIMBLE/WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
