Re: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Weight problems, was: is everyone here to bash Skycatchers?

Jay,

AOPA is an opinion, granted, a very high level opinion.
The FARs are the final/guiding criteria.

BTW:
I have seen a web site that discusses the legal details of the FARs, like the term
'flight controls'.
I do not remember the URL. It was not a AOPA web site, it was some aviation attorney
web site.

R. Williams

---------- Original Message -----------
From: Jay Maynard <jmaynard@conmicro.com>
To: Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 13:09:08 -0500
Subject: Re: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Weight problems, was: is everyone here to
bash Skycatchers?

> On Mon, Aug 09, 2010 at 08:14:14AM -0700, Richard Williams wrote:
> > I have the 'bunny' bars for my wing.
> > I have a throttle lever for the back seat.
> > There is no brake pedal for the back seat.
> > There is no steering for the back seat.
> > There is no kill switches for the back seat.
> >
> > I see no need for the brake nor steering for the back seat.
> > I see back seat kill switches as an accident waiting to happen.
> >
> > The FARs do not mandate brake and steering controls for the back seat,
> > they just recommend flight controls.
> > (if I could look up the specific FAR if your interested)
>
> They don't *recommend* flight controls, they *require* flight and
> engine power controls. Brake controls are indeed not required.
> Steering could well be, though: how do you keep it pointed down the
> runway on takeoff and landing? That's enough to make it a flight
> control, not just a ground control.
>
> And, like it or not, a kill switch *is* an engine power control.
>
> A discussion of dual controls as they relate to 61.45 can be found,
> for AOPA members, at
> http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/regulatory/regdual.html .
>
> On Mon, Aug 09, 2010 at 08:47:01AM -0700, Richard Williams wrote:
> > I think I'll mention 61.45, which is much more pertinent to this discussion.
>
> It's not pertinent to instruction, just the checkride. You were talking
> about both.
>
> > (c) Required controls
> > "..., unless the examiner determines that the practical test can be conducted
safely in
> > the aircraft without the controls being easily reached."
> > ---------------------------
> > This means that ground operation controls (steering and brake) are not
> > required to be available to the examiner.
>
> Brakes, no. (And the AOPA document above backs that up.) As I mentioned
> above, though, the steering could easily be seen as a flight control.
>
> > This means the examiner does not have to have flight controls if the
> > examiner determines safety of the flight is adequate for the practical
> > test.
>
> For a flight test, true. I can see an examiner doing this, say, on a
> commercial checkride, where the candidate is known to be able to fly.
>
> That's not going to be true on any initial pilot certificate checkride,
> though. It's sadly far too common for a student to rack up lots of
> hours and still not be competent to fly the aircraft as pilot in
> command. Why should an examiner take his life into his hands based
> solely on your word?
>
> Thre's also the minor matter of needing an instructor's signoff to
> take the practical test. Even if you can find an examiner who will go
> up with you in an aircraft he can't control himself, you still need
> dual to get the signoff, and that runs you smack into 91.109(a) again.
>
> > BTW:
> > If the examiner thinks the student cannot control the aircraft, then what
> > is the examiner doing giving a Practical Test?
>
> If the examiner has a preconceived notion about the student, why is he
> acting in a position that requires he be impartial?
> --
> Jay Maynard, K5ZC, PP-ASEL, CFI-SP http://www.conmicro.com
> http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
> Fairmont, MN (KFRM) (Yes, that's me!)
> AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC http://www.tronguy.net/N55ZC.shtml
------- End of Original Message -------

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