Re: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Re: Avionics Equipment

I agree, Ralph.  As long as you don't highlight yourself, no problem.  But like I pointed out in my last post, there is no better way to highlight yourself and in turn, highlight the entire community is to screw it up.  I was sitting in a trike one day at a Class D field in FL when two trikes came buzzing along about a mile off the departure end of the runway seemingly unaware that they were grossly violating a Class D field without talking to anyone.  They were at pattern altitude.  Airplanes were modifying their normal pattern to avoid them.  The tower was pointing them out to people as conflicting traffic.  It made us *all* look like unprofessional buffoons.  It was embarrassing.  So the bottom line is, I agree that no one probably cares what you do with your single seater.  Until that single seater pilot does something stupid, at which point people care a lot.  Including the rest of the light weight flying community because that's how we highlight ourselves.  If people started stripping N numbers and flying fat in larger numbers, that would probably highlight the situation as well, but if that practice is limited to a few single seaters it's probably not going to be an issue.

 

Jim

 

----- Original Message -----

From: rstar447

To: Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 10:06 AM

Subject: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Re: Avionics Equipment

 

--- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, "apollonorthamerica" <apollonorthamerica@...> wrote:
>
> _EVERY_ Rotax engine out there has an engine driven electrical system. Period. Leads capped away, chopped off, epoxied shut ... doesn't matter. You can do what you want but this is what the reality is and this is what will come down from FAA in Oklahoma.
> Abid

Very true Abid and most of them don't have transponders. We fly within the Mode C ring under the Class B airspace. I don't know of anyone with a 2-stroke single seat that has a transponder. I know that I couldn't even think of putting one in my 447-powered Firestar as I don't have the room to add one. Even if I could, the gross weight limit for the aircraft would be exceeded. Requiring a transponder would probably kill off the remaining LSA's that transitioned into Sport Pilot. If this were enforced, most of us would strip the N-numbers, and go back to flying as fat UL's. The FAA doesn't seem to be too concerned about weight limits for 103 as long as it's a single seat ultralight.

Ralph

>
> --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, "gmichaelhuffman" <sportaviation@> wrote:
> >
> > Ah, yes, the debate starts once more. There was a long-running Internet debate over these questions about four years ago when the light-sport program began and now the points being brought up here are the same as then. I hesitated to even bring up the subject for that reason.
> >
> > No matter what one's personal definition of an "engine-driven electrical system" might be, the FAA Light-Sport office says the exemption does not apply to any engine that has the capability of supplying electrical power, whether or not it is hooked up.
> >
> > One more thing: someone asked about transponders in ultralights. The answer is that FAR 91.215(b) applies to "aircraft" (by the official FAA definition). An unlicensed ultralight under FAR 103 is not an aircraft; it is an "ultralight vehicle" (by the official FAA definition). Therefore, 91.215(b) does not apply to ultralights. FAR 103 prohibits operation of an ultralight within Class B airspace, but not merely inside the Mode C ring. Thus, an ultralight with an engine-driven electrical system would seem to be legal operating without a transponder/encoder under the floor of the Class B inside the Mode C ring.
> >
> > Of course, as I said, all this is tempered by the real-world facts that Approach Control often does not want to know about low-and-slow aircraft out near the edges of the Mode C ring.
> >
> > Hope this helps!
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > G. Michael Huffman
> > FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative- AP, WS, & PP
> > Course Provider- ELSA Repairman- Inspection- AP, WS, & PP
> > Course Provider- LSA Maintenance & Inspection for A&Ps
> > SportAviationSpecialties dot com
> > 904-206-0522
> >
> > --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, "r" <lightflyer@> wrote:
> > >
> > > --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, "apollonorthamerica" <apollonorthamerica@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Rotax 447 has an engine driven electrical system. Its has a lighting coil comes with the engine and can be hooked up using a rectifier.
> > > > Abid
> > >
> > > Yes, you're right.
> > >
> > > On the Rotax 582 I had a regulator, battery, electric start, radio, strobes, nav lights and GPS all powered by the lighting coils.
> > > That airplane had an engine driven electrical system.
> > >
> > > On my 377, the lighting coils were there but the leads remained capped and stowed.
> > > That airplane didn't have an electrical system.
> > >
> >
>

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