Light Sport Weight Limit

[av8rps]

It would make a lot of sense to remove the weight limits altogether for light sport aircraft, as that would bring a lof of existing aircraft into that category AND would help flight schools and FBO's to offer affordable pilot training. It would also make a lot more aircraft available to buy for Sport Pilot certificate holders.

I hope the FAA is successful in that mission. It would make the whole LSA program more effective, more like it was originally designed to do.

[nyrikki]

It is still in progress but appears that it will not be a simple bump in weight in the existing rules.

Here is a link from a couple of days ago.

Note that gross weight will probably be determined by a new system other than a fixed-weight number, but the exact formula is pending while FAA officials finalize the regulation plans.

To repeat, ALL these objectives are on FAA’s list for inclusion in eventual rule making.

“Eventual” is a key word, however…

https://generalaviationnews.com/2018...port-aircraft/

I wish the process was faster but it will take a couple of years to know how things shake out.

[WWhunter]

This is a step in the right direction. The downside I see is the guys that are out there shopping for their 'once in a lifetime' purchase of the plane that will be the last one they will/can buy, is again put on hold since the available market of use able Light Sport types is very limited unless you are satisfied with a fantastic plastic type. These lightly constructed aircraft seem to be on the salvage sites with an amazing regularity. The ones that will actually haul two people and fuel are borderline durable.

I currently am flying under Basic Med, which others have said is a stop gap albeit somewhat a farce (in my opinion) as it is so close to a 3rd class medical its almost hilarious. Yes, I am being a bit sarcastic.

Those of us that are retirement age and still have a few years left of flying, just want to be able to take a friend up for a flight and be legal while still being able to actually go someplace other than around the patch a time or two before having to land from fuel starvation!

I wish they would put out the GW figure/math so manufacturers and prospective buyers can at least plan ahead. As it is, by the time the regulation comes out, many of us looking to make that high dollar purchase will have moved on to other pursuits. I am commenting this way due to having heard these rumors for the past year and have delayed purchasing in hopes that I can buy something I can actually use when the day comes that I quit getting the Basic med or 3rd class.

Rant over.

[efwd]

This is encouraging although I sympathize with WWHunter. I chose to move about within the current confines since the second option is to do what some are doing, sitting on the ground. I want my plane to be heavier with fuel to say the least along with the second occupant and camping gear. Mostly, what I liked to see was the in flight adjustable prop! Oh how the wallet is going to shudder if that comes through. I would do it now but if I should step out of the Basic med I don't want to have spent that kind of cash only to have to sell it.

[aviator79]

While I wish Basic Med went a little further, I think it is actually substantially better than the 3rd class medical for pilots worried about their ability to continue getting the 3rd class, and is the best option for pilots who want to fly bigger, faster airplanes. Unless you develop certain mental or cardiac conditions, you never have to report anything to the feds again. You and your doctor get to decide if you're fit to fly, which is as it should be.

I think the issue is that most pilots flying under sport pilot privileges are doing so to avoid medical certification, not because they want to fly sport planes. If you increase the LSA limits to include all the airplanes that 95% of what Private Pilots fly, it's a strong indication that there is no need to segment out a specific type of airplane at all. I hope they raise the limits so that people can do more of the flying they want to do, but I also think it's a misguided approach. Greatly simplifying or eliminating the medical certification required to exercise Private Pilot privileges is the right answer. No stupid click-through training, No anal probe (which I understand many doctors don't actually do before signing the checklist). Just have your family doc check your vision, make sure your limbs are attached, and that you still have some marbles rolling around in your skull every 5 years and call it good.

[nyrikki]

I am new here, and learning a lot reading through posts so thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge. I don't want to be political but basic med is only really useful for the aging existing population and does nothing to help out with new pilots. I wish I had kept my medical up when I couldn't afford to finish my pilots license 20 years ago, but I didn't and I have a condition that isn't related to what is actually banned but because AME's are GP's and the FAA to be honest has bigoted attitudes about some conditions and treatments it would be too risky for me to even try again.

In my situation I am safe to fly with my condition and it wouldn't impact this at all. But AME's tend to be General Practitioners and have no reasonable way to even to make real judgement calls on some of the blacklisted labels.

It is harder for those who are being treated for mental health issues. For the vast majority of sufferers of mild depression and anxiety, for example. Treatment is successful in treating a condition that would still allow them to safely fly airplanes but by avoiding treatment will ruin other portions of their life.

It also most likely causes way more safety issues do allow this unscientific anti-mental health culture to live and produce a world of fear. Even if someone just needs counseling or some life coaching and it doesn't rise to the level of requiring medical treatment they will avoid this. I know several commercial pilots who are even afraid to talk to a counselor.

Up 1 in 10 of the pilots flying the planes you ride in on commercial flights show signs of clinical depression and 1 in 20 has had suicidal thoughts in the past few weeks.

The only way this would change is if the FAA destigmatized mental health issues and actually cared about evidence based decisions by subject matter experts. This applies to medical issues too (which is the camp I am in).

It is a culture issue in the FAA, and that will never change inside the agency without external force so write letters to your representatives and have discussions. Bureaucracy is a necessary evil, but it wont' change from within.

If you care about the future of general aviation and safety in general make your voices heard. Like the ''Pilot's Bill of Rights'' that is the way things will change.

Selfishly an extra ~100lbs of legal weight would allow me to carry safety gear and fuel in a SS7 but I just mailed off a few letters to my representatives too.

I don't think that GA will be on the top of their priorities but public safety is and studies like this and incidents over the past few years should be.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5157081/

As public comments on proposed regulation are not anonymous the people suffering from either medical or minor but treated mental challenges voices won't be heard so consider being a voice for others. Maybe related to a loved one who suffers from social anxiety and up the dream to fly, or in my case a loved one who chose intentional controlled flight into terrain vs risk seeking help for depression.

Us enthusiasts are probably the best driver of change in this case.

[aviator79]

I lost my dad to a mental health condition that was probably treatable, and I work where a diagnosis might get authorization to work revoked. We have mandatory mental health screening annually, but it's not for our benefit, so there is a strong motivation to keep things to yourself.

So I will speak up. Thank you for posting.

[fastfred]

I also agree it seems like they would rather have more fuel with less fuel stops in unfamiliar airports with attendants that over fill under fill or leave the caps loose or back wards. Also the ability to have better equipment , back up alternator, fuel pump and emergency equipment . Now I must run light and watch my waistline.

[aviator79]

I think the problem is not the depression diagnosis itself, but the stigma and havok the diagnosis can wreak in the rest of your life. Maybe I'm naive, but mental health should be treated more like physical health. Nobody is afraid to go to the doctor for a bacterial infection. You get antibiotics, you get better, and you get on with your life. Nobody, a year after the fact, is going to refuse to let you eat at the salad bar because you were ill a year ago. People should not fear getting treatment for mild mental illness associated with stressful life events. Like physical illnesses, these are often treatable, and people should not neglect their mental health for fear of what it could mean for their job, their liberties, or their medical certificate. I guess we're a little off topic though

To Fred's point: Don't lose sight of why the Sport Pilot certificate exists. It is to allow less stringent training and certification requirements for pilots who want to fly simple, light, easy-to-manage airplanes. It was not intended to be a mechanism used to avoid medical certification. I'm not against increasing or removing the weight limit, but when you start to grow the LSA definition to encompass almost every airplane Private Pilots fly, then what's the point? To me it's a strong clue that you're just building an end-run around medical certification, and I think the better approach is to fix medical certification.

[fastfred]

I agree again. Most will all be near that point someday which is why I try to fly every nice day . On the weight issue it would nice to be able to haul food for a camping trip for 2 people. They don't have to worry about us drinking beer because it won't fit. 1320 or 1430 is there that much difference?