Re: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group How to Tell if Aircraft is really LSA

It is my understanding that the answer would be yes, however, you don't
want to do that. As others have mentioned on this board today there are
several subcategories of experimental. When you take a standard
airworthiness certificated aircraft and convert it to experimental the
one it generally falls into is "experimental exhibition." Certificated
as such, in most FSDO districts you will need a letter of authorization
every time you want to fly your plane. (This does vary FSDO to FSDO but
this is generally the rule.) As such, you are also probably going to
destroy the resale value of your plane because no one else is going to
want to do this. So, unless you really want the FSDO to manage all of
your flying and wish to severely devalue your plane, your better option
is to find a local IA who will let you do an owner assisted annual for a
couple of 6 packs or a reasonable fee.

Helen

dongeneda2000 wrote:
> Thank you Helen, you seem to have made some sense out of the rules that sometimes seem silly.
> So, back to my original question, IF I were to change an Ercoupe to Experimental category (which means that I as an A&P could perform annuals on it) then I could still fly that experimental plane with only sport pilot priveleges, AS LONG AS I did nothing to change it out of the rules for LSA class aircraft?
>
> --- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, Helen Woods <Helen_Woods@...> wrote:
>
>> Good grief I woke up to a lot of misinformation in my mailbox this
>> morning! Well here's the skinny folks:
>>
>> 1. If you take a look at the airworthiness certificate of an LSA it is
>> NOT certificated as an LSA. It will be certificated as STANDARD,
>> EXPERIMENTAL, or SPECIAL.
>>
>> 2. Additionally, if you read the actual definition of an LSA from the
>> FARs (I sent this around last night) there is NOTHING in there about
>> changing certificate categories, only changing parameters such as weight
>> or speed that would take the plane beyond he definition of an LSA
>>
>> 3. For example, what you can't do is get an STC for a gross weight
>> increase beyond 1320 (as is the case on many Champs) and then undo it to
>> make it an LSA again.
>>
>> 4. No. An STC or 337 most certainly does not make a plane an
>> experimental. If it did, 99% of the planes on any given ramp would be
>> experimental. (STCs and 337s are a way of life for a certificated
>> airplane owner. I have a 3 inch binder contain mine for my 1965
>> standard category Cessna.)
>>
>> 5. No. An STC has nothing to do with the manufacturer in most cases.
>> Every wonder why why a set of retrofited Cessna air vents from Sporty's
>> costs $700? Because a private company went through the FAA certification
>> processs to receive the STC for them. An STC is extremly expensive to
>> get because of the FAA testing and paperwork required. That's part of
>> the reason that SLSAs do not use STCs but use LOAs from the manufacturer
>> instead. Dealing with the FAA to get an STC is expensive. Your local
>> FSDO controls the alternative the 337 and can be problematic.
>>
>> 6. Aercoupe rudder pedals are either an STC or 337 deal and certainly
>> do not make the plane either illegal or experimental when installed by
>> and A&P and accompanied by the proper paperwork.
>>
>> Helen
>>
>> Richard Williams wrote:
>>
>>> Bob,
>>>
>>> Normally, I do not disagree with your statements, so perhaps there is
>>> some mis-understanding here.
>>>
>>> The definition of a LSA, amongst other things, say that the plane can
>>> not ever have been certificated in any other catagory.
>>>
>>> True, a SP pilot can fly a plane that meets the limitations of a LSA,
>>> However, that does not make that plane a LSA.
>>>
>>>
>>> R. Williams
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *---------- Original Message -----------*
>>> From: Bob Comperini <bob@...>
>>> To: Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com
>>> Sent: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:32:05 -0700
>>> Subject: Re: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group How to Tell if Aircraft
>>> is really LSA
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 02:10 PM 10/10/2009, Richard Williams wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Dongen,
>>>>>
>>>>> NO airplane that has been certificated as 'standard' catagory (or
>>>>>
>>> similar) can ever be a LSA.
>>>
>>>> Whoah! not true at all. there are several standard category aircraft
>>>>
>>> that are LSAs, and can be flown by a Sport Pilot
>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Bob Comperini
>>>> e-mail: bob@... <mailto:bob%40fly-ul.com>
>>>> WWW: http://www.fly-ul.com <http://www.fly-ul.com/>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> *------- End of Original Message -------*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sport_Aircraft/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sport_Aircraft/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sport_Aircraft-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sport_Aircraft-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sport_Aircraft-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/