Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Re: I need help

Hi Mark,

I agree getting checked medically is wise ... and even _more_ so making the livestyle choices that can load the dice in our favor for good long (and even more important -- "good quality") life. Especially as one gets over 40 or 50 years old. You could even say I'm on the radical end of the health-nut spectrum.


But to echo and add to what others wrote below earlier:
With well over 4000 pilots (true number unknown because of large number of older PP pilots flying with sport pilot privilges with no medicals flying, according to AOPA, since 2004 up to now there is not a _single_ known case of an incident or accident that it could be said that a condition that would have been detected on a medical even contributed to the event.
That alone is pretty convincing evidence to me that private pilots (be they PP or SP) aren't going to be falling our of the sky or colliding with other aircraft as a result of not having medicals.
We all know that the _biggest_ factor in flying safety is judgement (including judgement about when and where an how to NOT fly, knowing and respecting our own and our aircrafts' limits) and responsibility (maintainence, etc). Being required to take a class-3 medical probably does little to increase that.
Might you agree with those last two sentences?


Getting into a UL and flying with no training is something none of us here recommend. Whether 15 hours is "enough" is debatable. I flew a hang glider in the early 70's with almost no training (there was none available). The first crop of UL pioneers pretty much did the same. Some got hurt badly.
Unfortunately UL training is today _much_ harder and much more expensive for a new wanna-be UL to obtain than before the LSa sport pilot rules eliminated the existance of two-seat UL trainer aircraft and eliminated the existance of the BFI (Basic Flight Instructors).
(This topic is something already well-covered in other threads here by me And others -- apologies if I'm overly repeating myself.)

Because of that and other factors (such as the cost of LSa's) it is unclear if on _net_ the LSA sport pilot rules will in the long or even medium run significantly increase, not-effect, or even _REDUCE_ the acessibility of flying and number of pilots compared to if it had not been created. It certainly has not to date created the hoped for influx of new pilots. If I had to bet money I'd say it won't.

Personally Sport Pilot has been good for ME, but I'm sure there are some _really_ dissappointed wanna-be UL pilots out there wishing they'd got in before the door squeezed almost-shut between 2004 and 2008.

Alex


--- In Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com, medicbill@... wrote:
>
> They have multiple times. All the evidence and studies have clearly indicated that not requiring medicals has not affected the safety record negatively in any way. It is also those studies that gave the ammo for the AOPA, EAA and other organizations to push the FAA to do the same with 3rd class medicals.
>
> Bill
>
>
> In a message dated 4/29/2012 6:23:22 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> garyo@... writes:
>
>
>
> We should compare accident rates and go from there. That's where the truths lay.
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE Phone
>
>
> -----Original message-----
>
> From: Mark C <wannagoflying@...>
> To: Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 00:54:05 GMT+00:00
> Subject: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Re: I need help
>
>
> I for one am not in favor of the new "Watered down" LSA medicals and flight training the USA are coming out with. Thankfully the med side has not happened in Canada however Being allowed to fly a i seat Ultralight with only 15hrs training is ridiculous. If you fly LSA, Ultralight, Advanced
> ultralight, GA, Whatever your still flying! proper medicals and Training should not be sacrificed for the sake of "opening up the market" For EAA etc. I fly a Advanced ultralight (LSA in the USA) But still have a PPL and continue to get my Flight medical every year its worth the $140CND every 5 years (2
> years now that i'm over 40).













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