Training Notes and News

How is the light sport industry going three years after it was approved? It came with huge predictions by supporters of a flood of new airplanes and sport pilots, but maturity is taking longer than expected. Look for the industry to boom again when Cessna Aircraft Company and Cirrus Design begin deliveries of light sport models next year.

There is a shift in focus toward training, however, and you may be looking at the beginnings of how everyone will learn to fly in the future. Cessna has entered the arena with strong emphasis on flight training, with Cirrus Design not far behind, although putting less emphasis on a training role for its light sport aircraft (LSA) in development. And flight schools are beginning to embrace the concept (see "Texas School is Sporting," this page, and "Instructor Report: Embracing Sport Pilot," p. 59).

Aircraft sales were lackluster in 2007, but more companies announced new models. Currently 21 companies lead the industry, accounting for more than 90 percent of the sales, according to industry advocate and analyst Dan Johnson. Some 65 models of aircraft have been approved.

Gleim will announce this summer that it has at-home courses and flight simulators based on X-Plane gear for those getting a sport pilot certificate. (The course will be $99 but you must purchase the X-Plane software and hardware separately.) And the simulator can be customized by Gleim for individual flight schools to mimic the same aircraft used for training.

The industry is building inexpensive avionics that rival the capabilities of the top of the line, such as the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. TruTrak Flight Systems has developed an electronic flight information system (EFIS) that costs only $3,800 yet can do nearly everything the G1000 does without the multimillion-dollar full FAA certification process.

So who are the students and how many are entering sport pilot training? For all three years of the industry the answer has been about the same: older male students who may have concerns about getting or keeping an FAA medical. (You can fly on the basis of your current driver's license if you have never lost or been denied an FAA medical.) St. Charles Flying Service in Missouri says student starts have slowed a bit because of the proliferation of sport pilot schools. But Chesapeake Sport Pilot at Bay Bridge Airport in Maryland has seen rocketing growth to nearly 60 students flying four planes. About 40 percent are just people attracted to flying at a lower cost than the private pilot level.

When they go out the door with frequently requested options, most of the top-selling new light sport aircraft cost $110,000 to $137,000. Three models are available at half that cost, but their manufacturers are not among the top 21 companies in terms of aircraft now registered in the United States.

For a list of flight schools offering sport pilot training, see the FIRM list on Dan Johnson's Web site. AOPA Online has information on the sport pilot certificate.--Alton K. Marsh

Texas school is sporting

US Flight Academy in Denton, Texas, is offering a sport pilot training program that can be completed in 10 days--or even less. If a student shows up with a passing score on the knowledge test, and the weather cooperates, the school expects to finish the course in a week.

USFA's program includes 21 hours of flight training in a Remos light sport aircraft and 28 hours of ground school, which the school believes should prepare people with average abilities to pass the sport pilot checkride. Students who have not passed the sport pilot knowledge test must also spend some time on homework assignments to prepare for the exam. The program is priced at $3,783, which does not include lodging.

"Our intent has been to provide a program that makes it easy for anyone to come to Denton, earn their certificate quickly, and go home as a sport pilot," said Mike Sykes, president of US Flight Academy. Sport pilots can upgrade to private pilot status, either right away or at a later date. For more information visit the Web site or call 866/383-2400.

Learning in the sun

There will be a number of opportunities for you to learn more about aviation if you're going to be in central Florida in April. Visit AOPA's big yellow tent at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, which will be held in Lakeland from April 8 through 13, for a lot of vital pilot information in one place.

AOPA President Phil Boyer will present an interactive Pilot Town Meeting on Thursday, April 10, at 7:45 p.m. AOPA will present educational seminars on such topics as thunderstorm avoidance, medical certification issues, and the latest general aviation developments on Friday, April 11. Wayne Phillips, AOPA Flight Training's Career Advisor columnist, will present "So you want to be an airline pilot" at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 12, and again at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 13.

All week, experienced pilots from AOPA's Pilot Information Center staff will be available to answer your questions. Pilot products and services will be on display, and you can see the 2008 AOPA "Get Your Glass" sweepstakes aircraft, a fully refurbished Piper Archer with a new Aspen Avionics glass panel. Sign up for the daily prize drawings--you could win a Garmin 496 handheld GPS.

For more information, see the Sun 'n Fun Web site or AOPA Online.

What's in AOPA Pilot

Here's what you're missing if you don't read AOPA Pilot, the association's flagship magazine published each month for certificated pilots:

• AOPA Pilot's Fiftieth Anniversary: Ready for 50 more.
• AOPA's Big Idea. How the number one aviation magazine was born.
• Cessna Skylane 182 then and now. Flying the differences between the 1958 and 2008 models.
• America's Airports. Tahoe's "Lake in the Sky" airport turns 50.
• Never Again. I lived through a graveyard spiral (circa 1958).

Are you ready to read about more advanced subjects as these? Just as pilots upgrade to more advanced certificates, it might be time to upgrade your magazine. You can convert your paid membership to AOPA Pilot at any time by calling AOPA toll-free (800/USA-AOPA).

What It Looks Like: Rudder bellcrank

By Mark Twombly

For all of the elegance, passion, mystery, and emotion associated with flying, the vehicles that make it possible are simply machines. Pretty simple machines at that, at least on the light-aircraft end. Simple means lighter weight, fewer things to go wrong, and less expensive to build and maintain.

One example of the simplicity of design inherent in light aircraft is the rudder bellcrank pictured here. You could call it a rudder actuator, but that seems too complex a name for such a simple system.

The "system" starts with the rudder pedals in the cockpit. The pedals are tied to a pair of cables that snake back through the fuselage to the rudder. Each cable ends in a ball-end fitting, with the "ball" resting in a clevis or fork end. The fork end/clevis is bolted to one of the rudder bellcrank arms that extend from the leading edge of the rudder.

In the accompanying photo, the bellcrank is mounted on the bottom of the rudder. The bent tab to the rear of the bolt connecting the fork end to the bellcrank is a stop that prevents the rudder from further displacement. The bolt above the ball end/fork fitting adjusts to set the maximum desired rudder displacement.

Let's say you want to make a 90-degree downwind-to-base turn to the left. You bank left, and also depress the left rudder pedal to coordinate the turn and keep the ball centered. Depressing that left pedal causes the two interconnected rudder control cables to move--the left one pulls, or tensions, while the right one relaxes and moves rearward.

Depressing the left rudder pedal pulls the left cable, which pulls the left arm of the rudder bellcrank forward. This displaces the rudder to the left, which yaws the nose of the airplane left as the wings bank left. Result: Nicely coordinated turn. Elegantly simple.

School News

Embry-Riddle, UND join JetBlue recruitment program
JetBlue Airways announced that it is forming a partnership with two aviation colleges to recruit pilots. The Aviation University Gateway program will accept qualified candidates from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of North Dakota, who will intern at Massachusetts-based Cape Air and work as flight instructors at their respective schools. They will then fly with Cape Air, a regional airline, for two years before becoming eligible for an interview at JetBlue.

Dowling College has new dean of aviation
Dowling College, in Oakdale, New York, has named John Wensveen as the new dean of aviation. Wensveen was most recently president of Washington, D.C.-based Airline Visions, and he is considered one of the aviation industry's leading experts on low-fare, high-value airline operations, the college said. He was vice president of international development for MAXjet Airways, and was also professor of airline management and operations at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Final Exam

Final Exam is composed of questions similar to those a student may expect on the private pilot knowledge test. Answers are researched by members of the AOPA Pilot Information Center staff and may be found below.

1. When requesting weather information for a flight the following morning, a pilot should request
1. an outlook briefing.
2. a standard briefing.
3. an abbreviated briefing.
2. The suffix nimbus, used in naming clouds, means
1. a cloud with extensive vertical development.
2. a rain cloud.
3. a middle cloud containing ice pellets.
3. Before a person holding a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of a high-performance airplane, that person must have
1. passed a flight test in that airplane from an FAA inspector.
2. an endorsement in that person's logbook that he or she is competent to act as pilot in command.
3. received ground and flight instruction from an authorized flight instructor who then endorses that person's logbook.
4. A blue segmented circle on a sectional chart depicts which class airspace?
1. Class B.
2. Class C.
3. Class D.
5. Which aircraft has the right of way over the other aircraft listed?
1. Glider.
2. Airship.
3. Aircraft refueling other aircraft.
6. What minimum flight visibility is required for VFR flight operations on an airway below 10,000 feet mean sea level?
1. One mile.
2. Three miles.
3. Four miles.

Final Exam Answers

1. The correct answer is A. An outlook briefing should be requested if you want information for a flight that is six or more hours in the future. A standard weather briefing is a full briefing before a flight, and an abbreviated briefing can be used to supplement other weather information or to request an update on a previously obtained briefing.
2. The correct answer is B. Nimbus, a Latin word meaning rain cloud, is used to describe clouds that produce precipitation. Examples are cumulonimbus or nimbostratus clouds. Clouds with only extensive vertical development are referred to as towering cumulus. A middle-level cloud is referred to with the prefix alto, as in altostratus.
3. The correct answer is C. A pilot wishing to act as pilot in command of a high-performance airplane (with an engine of more than 200 horsepower) must receive flight and ground instruction and obtain a one-time endorsement. However, a pilot who has logged flight time as PIC of a high-performance airplane prior to August 4, 1997, does not need an endorsement.
4. The correct answer is C. Class D is represented on a sectional chart by a segmented (or dashed) blue circle. Class B airspace is represented by solid blue circles, and Class C airspace is represented by solid magenta circles.
5. The correct answer is A. Right-of-way rules spelled out in FAR 91.113 assign right of way based on aircraft category and characteristics. When converging, a glider has the right of way over an airship, powered parachute, weight-shift-control aircraft, airplane, and rotorcraft. Aircraft refueling other aircraft, both of which are presumably engine-driven, have the right of way over all other engine-driven aircraft, but not gliders.
6. The correct answer is B. A Victor airway is designated as Class E airspace. When operating on an airway below 10,000 feet mean sea level, the minimum required flight visibility is three statute miles. While airways are primarily designed to be IFR routes, pilots flying VFR may use them; choose the appropriate VFR altitude for your direction of flight and comply with the minimum flight visibility requirement.