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GA owes LS?


Doug G.

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Well, not literally, but I think many of the changes that are on the boards have come about because of Light Sport. Things like medical reform, the Part 23 rewrite, and the allowing of non-TSOed equipment in the cockpit have, to at least some extent, come out of the Light Sport "experiment." Agree?

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Well, not literally, but I think many of the changes that are on the boards have come about because of Light Sport. Things like medical reform, the Part 23 rewrite, and the allowing of non-TSOed equipment in the cockpit have, to at least some extent, come out of the Light Sport "experiment." Agree?

Yes, I most definitely agree.

 

Cheers

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Definitely.  This was considered to be a misguided experiment when LSA rules were adopted.  Most were waiting (and hoping?) for the smoking holes and carnage caused by in-air medical issues and pilots who didn't know how to fly.  LSA pilots took on the responsibility for flying safe seriously and showed them they were wrong.  

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Well, not literally, but I think many of the changes that are on the boards have come about because of Light Sport. Things like medical reform, the Part 23 rewrite, and the allowing of non-TSOed equipment in the cockpit have, to at least some extent, come out of the Light Sport "experiment." Agree?

 

No.  Part 23 rewrite is the result of decades of 'changes' that created chaos and made it impossible to get new designs done and to market in any kind of cost effective and timely way....and Part 23 has nothing to do with SLSA.  The essence of the rewrite is not about non-TSO'd, as the FAA says:  "reorganize Part 23 based on performance and complexity rather than weight and propulsion divisions."  A performance-based standard establishes a level of performance that must be achieved through the airplane’s design, rather than dictating how a manufacturer should arrive at a particular level of performance.

 

PBOR came out of a hue-and-cry that arose long before SLSA came along.  Worse?  PBOR is going to destroy SLSA makers because many were flying as Sport Pilots can now go back to their 172s and the SLSA market just shrunk to a trickle.

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PBORII will negatively impact the SLSA market, but not by much, and what's more it will be a net gain for the SLSA "brand"

 

In my opinion, in the eyes of the GA community, the SLSA brand is associated with very old or very sick pilots looking for a way to dodge the regs. Conversely, most of the LSA marketplace is more interested in something else entirely, namely, the environment of decreased governmental regulation and the accessibility of innovation that follows.

 

I could've easily grabed an old Cessna 172 "like you're supposed to" but I didn't, despite many telling me I all but had to. Instead I picked up a CTSW with a parachute, an engine I can run car gas in, a full glass cockpit and every bell and whistle that would cost 10 times more to have in a Cessna. I don't want to fly in something that's older than me, and I certainly don't want be denied access to the latest advances in technology because the government says I can't.

 

To be clear, PBORII will make some pilots set in their Cessna ways go back to a plane where you need to slam the door to close it, but it will also remove the "medical dodging" identity for good. My hope is that it's identity becomes a class that enjoys the innovation of the homebuilts with the manufacturing/assembly quality and standardization of certified aircraft.

 

GA does owe LSA, and will continue to do so indefinitely as it will never keep up with the SLSA rate of innovation, and will instead be perpetually adopting what is considered old tech in the SLSA world. The only way that could change is if one of two things happens a.) people lose interest in the best technology (ha!) b.) the GA and LSA regs become similar in scope and restrictiveness.

 

I'll finish with an illustration. On April 6, 2016, dynon announced an stc for the d-120, over 10 years after it was introduced. Now consider the innovation gap between the d120 and the sky view. I think that gap will get bigger and bigger every year due to the exponential nature of tech advancement.

 

OK that's the end of my ramble. I'm going to go continue looking at a true track vizion auto pilot that has 2 axis, an auto level button, speed and bank control, and will sync with the GPS and fly a multipoint route for me all for 2k. Good thing I don't have a 172 because then it'd cost 12k

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There is plenty of other evidence that you don't need a medical to fly safely!

Sailplane pilots have flown without medicals for 114 years. They have much greater numbers and have accumulated way more hours than LSA pilots.

Driving a car or truck requires greater coordination, faster reflexes, and an equivalent level of decision making capability. Furthermore, road vehicles represent a much greater public risk in that a moment of lost concentration is much more likely to kill innocent bystanders, either pedestrians or passengers in oncoming vehicles, whereas plane crashes almost invariably only cause injury to the occupants. Yet, there is no medical required for a driver's license.

Mike Koerner

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If you have a Digiflight II like I had you can get a trade in deal. You also get an rlactric trim actuator that I cannot use, so if anyone needs one let me know.

 

Yes, you can upgrade to the Vizion head, which gives altitude pre-select and some other gizmos.  It used to be $1200 for the upgrade, it has dropped to $900 last time I checked.

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There's no doubt that the LSA market, with over 140 new aircraft in 12 years, with the same safety record using ASTM standards instead of part 23, has shown that the LSA method of certifying aircraft will work for the rest of general aviation.

 

Part 23 rewrite has no relationship to SLSA. 

 

The Skycatcher’s Death Proves the LSA Rule Fails  http://airfactsjournal.com/2014/04/skycatchers-death-proves-lsa-rule-failure/

The FAA Has Completed The New Medical Rule  https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=87125

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The Part 23 rewrite came about because of the positive experiences with SLSA safety.  Just the same as the PBOR II came about because of the positive experiences with the sport pilot medical requirements.

 

It remains true that there has not been a single accident of a pilot acting under sport pilot rules that was directly attributable to pilot incapacitation due to a medical issue.  In the same time period since 2005, several ATP pilots with class I medicals have died in flight.  IMO the third class medical is not performing a valuable safety function and should be eliminated.

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