Sport Flying with In Flight USA

By Ed Downs

Is there anyone reading this who cannot complete the title of this editorial?  Sure, it goes, “just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they are not out to get me.”  Now, according to our friends at Wikipedia, the word paranoid, or paranoia, is defined in somewhat negative terms. It includes, “Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself.”  Wow, that definition looks a lot like the guy looking back at me in the mirror every morning.  But the fact that I continue to see that reflection is, perhaps, an indication the my “paranoid” behavior has served me well for an aviation career that has lasted well over half a century. 

Early in my flying days I read a quote by Wilbur Wright that ended with the concept of “deliberately accepting risk.”  Indeed, that is what we do in aviation.  We exercise a metered level of paranoia and try to figure out what is out there, “conspiring” to get us. This could be weather, aircraft design, marginal skills, carelessness, overconfidence, human error and many other gremlins that can conspire to spoil your day. 

Have I convinced you that “paranoid” can be a good thing?  If so, you are invited to direct your “paranoia” to the future of ownership and private use of personal and business aircraft, an activity typically clumped together by the term “General Aviation,” or “GA.” 

Strange Plane?

By Ed Downs

No, the title does not mean to imply that the airplane you are about to fly is “strange,” but that you are strange to the airplane.  In other words, that slick little S-LSA in which you are about to take a demo at AirVenture is just fine, but you may not be.

Many of those reading this month’s column will do so while at EAA AirVenture 2011.  A subset of that “many” will be touring the wide selection of S-LSAs on display, with some of you signed up to take a “fly-to-buy” demo.  The question is, are you really ready to fly that LSA for the first time and give it a fair evaluation?  How are your skills when it comes to jumping into an airplane that is quite different than anything you have flown before?

Re-Tread

By Ed Downs

No, not old tires, although many of us “re-treads” appearing in this month’s sonnet do have some “spare tire” issues.  The re-treads being referred to are former pilots who have decided to give flying another go.  Sport Pilot has opened doors that some may have thought were closed.  This writer was reminded of the “re-tread” market, just the other day, while teaching a class at Yingling Aviation, an historic Cessna dealer located in Wichita, Kansas.  During our lunch break, I wandered over to the Cessna Skycatcher final assembly hangar to look at new planes on the assembly line.  While looking through a viewing window and talking with one of my students, a young line attendant approached us and asked if we would like to join a retired couple (in tow by the line attendant) and go into the hangar for a closer look.  Of course, we joined them.  It turns out, no sales personnel were available and the line attendant was doing his best to talk about the C-162.  My offer to help promote the plane (very familiar to me) was readily accepted.  Joe, the retired guest, was considering reentering aviation after a 40-year hiatus, but knew nothing about Sport Pilot or LSAs.  Skycatcher pricing, performance and simplicity left Joe quite impressed, especially after we discussed just what he would have to do to re-enter flying.  Of primary importance was the ability to get back into flying without the need to participate in the FAA medical bureaucracy.

Is Your Tower Asleep at the Mike?

By Ed Downs

The answer to the question posed in the title of this month’s column might be, Sport Pilots don’t care.  To be sure, recent weeks have set the media ablaze with stories of fear and trepidation, as brave, but apparently helpless, pilots are forced to land their airplanes without the critical and essential words from the FAA of “cleared to land.”  Media experts (really?) would have the general passenger public believe that landing without a tower in operation to utter those empowering words, “cleared to land,” leaves all aboard in deadly peril.  Okay, perhaps this writer is being a bit dramatic, but having a general belief that landings can not be made safely without a tower clearance does not do recreational flying any good from a PR standpoint, when citizens discover that their local community airport is “uncontrolled.”

Sport Pilots and Flight Planning

By Ed Downs

Is there something different about a shiny, new Sport Pilot planning a cross country flight and what we might expect to see from a typical pilot coming out of the pre-GPS world that preceded the late 1990s?  It is possible that there is, and pre 90s aviators might be able to learn a thing or two.

As spring fights its way into existence to end a long, cold winter, many are planning flying trips to a variety of business or recreational locations.  A lot of aircraft owners are beginning to realize that their passion for recreational flying may dribble over into the more mundane transportation needs for which they have used the airlines in the past.  Policy and pricing changes within the airline industry have become increasingly customer hostile, service to cities other than major hubs has been further reduced, and the TCA continues to add significant inconveniences to the travel experience.  The fact is, point-to-point travel time for most trips of less than 600 miles is significantly less in the typical S-LSA than by modern airliner.  The bottom line is that many more folks will turn to their recreational hobby planes for day-to-day travel needs.

LSA’s and Insurance

By Ed Downs

Wow, you really are a devoted aviation buff!  The title of this column included the word “Insurance” and you are still reading!  To be sure, most readers will have had some reason to deal with insurance of some kind, sometimes leading to lawyers, lawsuits and other unpleasantries that are anything but “entertaining reading.”  As an aviation professional that is now working his second half century stint in the business, this writer has certainly seen the good, the bad and the ugly of insurance.  That is why I called long time friend and advertiser, Lee Duncan (Aircraft Insurance Agency of Waxahachie, TX) the other day to play “insurance catch-up.”

Sport Pilot and Winter Flying

By Ed Downs

At first glance, one might conclude that winter flying as a Sport Pilot, or operation of an S-LSA, caries the same cautions applicable to all pilots and aircraft.  To an extent, that is true, but there are a couple of special considerations.

Any article about winter flying needs to talk about the potential of IFR encounters.  The reader’s first thought may be, “What IFR – Sport Pilots nor LSA’s are allowed to fly IFR – so why even talk about it?”  Well, that is not quite true.  There is nothing within the ASTM Consensus Standards that prohibit an S-LSA from being flown IFR.  IFR restrictions are completely up to the airframe and engine manufacturer.  The ability to operate an S-LSA in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) will be clearly stated in the Pilot Operating Handbook. To be sure, most S-LSA manufacturers do prohibit the use of their aircraft in IMC, but several S-LSAs specifically allow IFR flight, given the installation of a specific engine and/or equipment.  But, even if IFR flight is allowed, there may be limitations, such as “no flight into known icing conditions.”  It is very important to give that POH a good read, as it is required to contain a number of certification limitations that are established by the manufacturer, not the ASTM standards or FAA.  Do not fall into the trap of thinking that the words of one POH speak for all S-LSAs.

What the Heck is an E-LSA?

By Ed Downs

The subject of aircraft certification, be it standard, special or experimental can make even the most geeky tax lawyer think they have fallen down the rabbit hole, especially when talking about Experimental aircraft.  So let’s keep this month’s column about the real world of buying, selling and using an E-LSA airplane.  The fact is, one is very likely to come across a “for sale” ad featuring an E-LSA that can look inviting.  The price may be quite attractive, but just what the heck is an E-LSA?

First, let’s take a general look at any airplane that is certified as an “Experimental” airplane.  Actually, there is no such thing as simply an “Experimental” airplane, even if the word “Experimental” is clearly written on the side of the plane.  Experimental certification always carries a second word (or two) which describes what sub-part of Experimental we are talking about, and there are numerous sub-parts.  For example one might see a  nifty little RV-12 (it meets the FAA definition of an LSA) from Van’s Aircraft sitting on the ramp with the word “Experimental” prominently displayed.  This RV-12 may have been sold as a kit that meets the new FAA “51% rule” and was certified as Experimental-Amateur Built.  This means the builder of the plane can perform all of his/her own maintenance, make changes to the design (including engine changes) conduct the annual condition inspection and pretty much fly when and where he/she wants.  Sitting next to that RV-12 might be a weird looking war bird from some country whose name you cannot pronounce, made by a manufacturer best known for cranking out refrigerators that do not work.  Our “war bird” will also have the word “Experimental” clearly displayed, but is certified as Experimental-Exhibition.  This critter may have significant maintenance issues and require each and every flight to be approved by the FAA.  Get the point? 

The Gift

By Ed Downs

This holiday column is being written early Sunday morning, with the expectation of a good day.  Shortly, this writer will be heading to church, ready to partake of a terrific service followed by our calibration of Thanksgiving. The holiday season is in full swing and most of America is getting serious about selecting the perfect gift for loved ones as “Black Friday” approaches. This early hour promotes reminiscing, and the LSA theme of this column brings to mind a gift I received almost 20 years ago, to the day. Allow an old pilot a moment of sharing.

My local community airport had decided to take advantage of beautiful Indian-Summer weather to hold an open house and mini-airshow. Although late in the season, with Thanksgiving decorations having already given way to the wonders of commercial Christmas paraphernalia, a well-known resident airshow pilot agreed to participate in the program.  The local EAA chapter pulled together a fine selection of planes to be displayed, including a couple of warbirds. My company fired up a major EAA Young Eagles event with the intent of setting records by flying at least 100 kids.  The Young Eagles program was new at that time and my wife, Sue, set up an assembly-line system to process the paperwork and conduct the educational program that accompanied each flight.  The idea was that two planes (both meeting today’s definition of LSA) and three pilots would spend minimum time with ground activities, giving them the ability to offer each participant the best flight experience possible.  I signed up to fly a feisty little tail dragger (later to earn fame at major airshows) and all was ready to go.

AOPA and Sport Pilot

By Ed Downs

This column needs to start with an apology to those who may look forward to reading about airplanes and sport flying.  But, given the timing of our November edition, many will be reading this at the 2010 AOPA Aviation Summit, having just voted in a mid-term election involving the most toxic political environment since the Civil War.  Let’s chat about what AOPA is doing for the Sport Pilot/LSA movement, given a political and security background, which has shown outright hostility towards the private and business use of personally-owned aircraft. To be sure, these are only the opinions of this writer, but they are based upon an AOPA affiliation that began over half a century ago. 

Most folks who have followed the Sport Pilot/LSA phenomenon will agree that the EAA has been at the forefront of developing ASTM consensus standards and promoting the existence of a Sport Pilot certificate.  As an active participant in formative activities that took place between 2000 and 2004, this writer was aware that AOPA was quietly participating in the process. I did wish that they would become a bit more vocal and supportive.  Early 2004 presented this writer with an opportunity to meet privately with the incredibly busy Phil Boyer, then President of AOPA.

LSA’s Sprout Technology

By Ed Downs

Most readers of this column know by now that the S-LSA category of airplane evolved from the low tech world of ultra light designs. Some 6 years after the birth of LSA, one has to look hard to see the simplicity of its origin. Airframes have become increasingly sophisticated, and avionics packages are beginning to challenge big buck machines. A first timer renting or buying the typical S-LSA will be surprised upon entering a cockpit that looks more like an F-22 than single engine sport plane. Now, that sounds pretty exciting, but let’s take a look at who that “first timer” might actually be.

PiperSport – In For the Long Haul?

In Flight USA Exclusive Interview

By Edward S Downs

Piper’s new Light Sport Aircraft, the PiperSport. (Courtesy of Carl Miller)The recently completed Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In and Airshow certainly underscored the ever-growing popularity of Light Sport Aircraft.  High on the list of exciting announcements made this year was introduction of the new PiperSport. Piper Aircraft’s entry into the S-LSA market re-kindled this writers desire to learn more about how the “big guys” are dealing with ASTM type certification challenges.  Typically, my columns are written in the third person, keeping personal views and comments out of the story.  This time is different.  My quest to interview Cessna, and now Piper, about their decision and commitment to enter the S-LSA market has a personal side that I need to share.

The LSA’s of Sun ‘n Fun

By Ed Downs

Many readers will be at the 2010 Sun ‘n Fun Airshow, or will be following reports of this event over the next few months. With more than 100 S-LSA offerings now available, trying to decide which of these great airplanes will be best for personal use or flight training is challenging.  You may be asking yourself, does this S-LSA really meet the industry consensus standards (referred to as “ASTM Standards”) and is the manufacturer ready to support the plane, long term?  The concern of continuing support is especially important for S-LSA’s being imported from distant lands.

Where the Rubber Meets the Runway

By Ed Downs

This column has been addressing the Sport Pilot rule and Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) primarily from the perspective of general education.  In others word, what this Sport Pilot movement is all about and how you, the reader, can apply Sport Pilot to your flying.  The frustrating part of both writing and reading such accounts of these exciting, new, flying opportunities is that it lacks the “let’s go flying” side of the story.  To be sure, S-LSA’s are being seen more often, but in general, one can wander around most airports and not see this new breed of airplane. 

Sport Pilot and Rotorcraft

By Ed Downs

So, here we are, already in February, with this issue of In Flight USA looking into the exciting topic of helicopters. To be sure, vertical flight has long excited those seeking to defy gravity. In fact, one of our first true aeronautical engineers, Leonardo DaVinci, designed an “air screw” that forecasted principles we use today in modern helicopters. The fact is DaVinci’s machine would have been capable of an autrotative decent, although the landing might have been just a bit bumpy!

The DaVinci design does, however, remind us that helicopters are not the only type of “rotorcraft” out there. A flying machine that is generically referred to as gyroplane by the FAA is another form of rotorcraft that has been on the aviation scene since the late 1920s. Essentially, the rotors of a gyroplane (often referred to as an autogyro) are unpowered. Their rotation is caused by airflow that results from moving the gyroplane through the air with an engine/propeller combination that is attached to the airframe, much like a pusher or tractor airplane. It is the gyroplane that gives us the Sport Pilot/rotorcraft connection.