CAA: GA News, "FAA administrator: Sport pilot license may be OK'd by summer"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@cwnet.com>]

Friday, May 12, 2000

FAA administrator: Sport pilot license may be OK’d by summer
GA News


ANCHORAGE — The sport pilot license that’s on the table as an alternative to
the recreational pilot’s license for Part 103 operations is close to
becoming a reality, Jane Garvey told GA News during a visit to Alaska last
month.

“We are close to a solution on the medical aspects of the sport license,”
Garvey said. “The obstacle over the pilot medical certification has slowed
down the process, but with the help of EAA and USUA officials, we may be
close to finalizing this.”

Garvey, who was in town for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
biennial conference, indicated that a driver’s license might be used as a
substitute for a medical.

“We applaud the administrator for working with the user groups, and her
willingness to put the sport pilot proposal on the “A” list,” said Tom
Gunderson, administrator for the pilot proficiency program for the United
States Ultralight Association.

Some recreational enthusiasts, however, say they believe the sport pilot
license may turn out to be a Pandora’s box unless all aspects of
recreational flying are considered in the notice of proposed rulemaking that
the FAA is considering.

“The question is what will we do in the meantime with microlight-type
aircraft from Europe,” said Mike Jacober of Arctic Sparrow Aircraft in
Birchwood. “Right now if the sport licensee passes with any kind of medical
provision, that means we will have a more stringent requirement than glider
pilots, yet they can fly motorized gliders.”

Jacober, who does not object to the sport license per se, has not been able
to get local FSDO officials to license his European microlight aircraft as a
motor glider. If they were to acknowledge the aircraft as motor glider, it
would be classified as an experimental aircraft and require a soaring or
private license.

“Until this is licensed,” Jacober said, “I can’t use it as an ultralight, or
as a motor glider, or as an experimental aircraft.”

What does that have to do with the sport pilot license?

“Part 103 was made to address ultralight recreational pilots,” Jacober said.
“It creates a license that may actually require more stringent requirements
for pilots. It doesn’t define all recreational aircraft. It’s basically
useless unless the FAA is planning on registering all of these aircraft —
motor gliders, gliders, and ultralights.”

Despite the critical issues concerning the medical aspects of the sport
pilot license, Garvey indicated that recreational pilots should know by
summer the outcome of the NPRM.

“This is the kind of thing that I would like to take to Oshkosh to announce,
but with any luck we should know before then,” she said.


   Post your opinion on this story in the CAA General Aviation Forum
http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID2

*****************************************
California Aviation Alliance: General Aviation Airport List E-mail Commands
To subscribe to the GA News List, send an email, from the email account you wish to receive your posts on, addressed to listserv@californiaaviation.org and place the following in the first line of the body of the message:
 Subscribe ganews YourFirstName YourLastName YourJobTitle YourAirport/Company 

To unsubscribe from the GA News List, send an email, from the email account you have been receiving your posts on, addressed to listserv@californiaaviation.org and place the following in the first line of the body of the message:
 Unsubscribe ganews YourFirstName YourLastName