FAA prepares to handle influx of sport pilots
The first concrete signs of the long-awaited Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft rule are taking shape in Oklahoma as the FAA gets ready to handle a potential flood of interest from manufacturers and pilots.
The FAA announced in May that funding has been approved to establish a Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) Operations Program Office to implement the new pilot certificate and accompanying class of aircraft. After the final rule establishing them is issued, the FAA plans to certify an existing fleet of ultralight aircraft, primarily those that weigh too much to be included in the existing FAR Part 103 governing ultralight aircraft, and pilots - estimated at 10,000 on both fronts. As a branch of the FAA Regulatory Support Division in Oklahoma City, the LSA office will provide policy guidance and infrastructure for the industry and FAA field offices.
"We have gotten approval to start setting up this operation, and we are looking at the best ways of doing that," said Joseph Tintara, manager of the FAA's Regulatory Support Division. "We intend to meet with the industry people and their FAA counterparts to make sure it's successful."
Over the next decade, the FAA expects 12,000 new pilots to seek sport pilot certificates and buy light-sport aircraft. In addition, the rule may generate 9,000 sport aircraft mechanics. The rule would allow pilots to obtain certificates by meeting much-reduced requirements, which might also include using a valid driver's license in lieu of a medical certificate. But sport pilots would be under greater limitations than private pilots or recreational pilots. Sport airplanes would also limited to the proposed takeoff weight of 1,232 pounds, no more than two passengers, and a 115-knot top speed. A handful of already certified airplanes would qualify.
Be A Pilot, Jeppesen sponsor logbook giveaway
Prospective new pilots who take an introductory flight lesson through the Be A Pilot program will receive a free Jeppesen logbook by mail. But you better hurry. To receive the logbook, participants must use an official Introductory Flight Certificate and take a $49 intro lesson by July 31 at a participating flight school. The flight school must complete verification information on the certificate's postage-paid mail-in coupon; the participant adds his or her name and address, and drops the coupon in the mail. The promotional event was created to kick off the 2003 flying season. For more information, see the Web site or call 888/BEAPILOT.
Wisconsin program gives students free training
Wisconsin Aviation Academy Inc., a nonprofit aviation program based in Janesville, has begun its third year of an innovative program aimed at providing no-cost flight training to qualified eighth grade and high school students in the Beloit area. The program has 45 participants this year, and five or six of those will earn their private pilot certificate this summer, according to Tom Morgan, executive director and founder of the program. Participants are required to maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.5 to participate, "but we strive for excellence and encourage them to aspire to greater things," Morgan says. The program's goal is to have minorities, females, and students from low-income families make up 70 percent of its population, he says. A flight training course for adults defrays some of the costs of the youth program, whose participants and families are asked to volunteer at fund-raising activities throughout the year. For more information, see the Web site or e-mail Morgan.
CRJ-700 simulators sent to three FlightSafety centers
Bombardier Regional Jet CRJ-700 simulators have been installed at two FlightSafety International training centers, and a third location�s simulator was to go online in June, FlightSafety announced. The new simulators reflect demand for training pilots of the regional airliners, currently the fastest-growing segment of the airline industry. The full-flight simulators are operational at FlightSafety's Atlanta and Cincinnati facilities, and the third is at the Dallas/Fort Worth training facility. All three simulators will be FAA-certified to Level D. FlightSafety says it now has 16 CRJ 100/200 simulators in customer service at four U.S. locations and in Melbourne, Australia.
Pennsylvania student wins GAMA award
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association has awarded its 2003 Edward W. Stimpson "Aviation Excellence" Award to Jeremy Mumford, a senior at Maplewood High School in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He receives $500, a GAMA spokeswoman said. Mumford plans to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the fall and aspires to become a U.S. Air Force test pilot. In announcing his award, GAMA cited Mumford�s efforts at maintaining a solid scholastic record while being involved in an array of extracurricular activities, including time spent with the Maple Cave Flying Club.
Aviation camp directory available
Looking for an aviation camp or day program for an aspiring pilot? Dominik Strobel recently launched a searchable online database that lets you sort through listings using a range of different criteria, including academic/nonacademic, flying/no-flying, age group, gender, affiliation, country and state, scholarship availability, and others. The database currently includes some 170 programs in eight countries. Camp directors and webmasters can add basic listings free of charge. For more information, see the Web site or e-mail Strobel.
Glider soars toward the heavens
Taking a glider to 42,000 feet seems like more than a test flight. But that may be the case if your ultimate goal is 100,000 feet.
Members of the Perlan Project, named after rarely visible pearl clouds, have been flying their modified two-place DG-505M glider out of California City, California, carefully inching their way toward the world altitude record of 49,009 feet set by Bob Harris in 1986. Pilots Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson look like U-2 pilots in their Air Force spacesuits as they check flight and data systems while capitalizing on the tremendous lift generated by mountain waves over the Sierra Nevada. On April 24 the team reached 42,100 feet.
While the primary motive is scientific - to study the ozone layer and the structure of the atmosphere - the first stage of the Perlan Project is to garner public attention by eclipsing the altitude record and then some by soaring on to 62,000 feet. The second stage will require building a special pressurized glider that will take the team up to 100,000 feet in rare stratospheric waves that may only be reachable in certain parts of the world such as Sweden or New Zealand. To keep up with the project, see the Web site.
