ByDanJohnson.com

UPDATE Note (10/15/22): I urge all readers to take special note of two comments below that greatly add to the respect I intended to show John Ballantyne and Chuck Slusarczyk. I hope you’ll take the time to read both. —DJ

A Tribute… to Two Heroes
of Recreational Aviation

CHUCK SLUSARCZYK — On September 29, 2022, the sport aviation industry lost one of its best-known innovators, Chuck Slusarczyk (“Slew-zar-chick”). He was 81 years old.

Chuck Slusarczyk (1941-2022) sits in CGS Hawk #1 before it was placed into a museum.

A pioneer in both hang glider and ultralight aircraft industries — founder of Chuck’s Glider Supplies which became known as CGS Aviation — Chuck had worked at NASA Lewis in Cleveland, Ohio.

After striking out on his own, he designed numerous hang gliders and, later, the award-winning CGS Hawk.

Chuck was an inaugural inductee into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame. His aircraft are on display in three aviation museums including at EAA and Sun ‘n Fun.

His love of aviation was broad, including his hobby of building and competing in regional and national indoor model flying competitions, where he won numerous awards and set national records.

Chuck had a keen sense of humor and was always the life of the party leading sing-a-longs around the campfire playing guitar and harmonica. A dedicated family man, Chuck loved to make up stories and tell jokes. In the light aviation community, he became a legend who will be fondly remembered for a long, long time.

JOHN BALLANTYNE — On October 4,  one of light aviation’s pivotal leaders, John Ballantyne, passed away. He was 76 years old.

John Ballantyne (1946-2022) flying his Quicksilver Sport. John received numerous honors and awards.

A pioneer of hang gliding, ultralights, and Light-Sport, John was the founding president of the EAA Ultralight Division 1982 and wrote the original FAA recognized ultralight pilot/instructor training program while at AOPA Air Safety Foundation. He was inducted into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame in 2010.

John was the founder and past president of the United States Ultralight Association, honored with the John Moody Award for outstanding contribution to ultralight aviation in 1995. Four years later, he was given the highest international microlight award, the Colibri Diploma. Only three other individuals have ever received a Colibri Diploma.

John was a FAA Commercial pilot, CFI Instrument with glider privileges; was a USHGA Master-rated hang glider pilot and instructor; aided the AOPA Air Safety Foundation; and served on the Board of Directors for the National Aeronautic Association for over 10 years.

He is the only individual to have received an FAA Commercial and Flight Instructor certificate by flying a trike (weight-shift control). John’s diplomatic style and warm smile will remain in the minds of many sport flying enthusiasts for many years.

Soar Forever,
Chuck and John

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While those of us in Florida hangared our aircraft and hunkered down for Hurricane Ian, elsewhere in the world, many pilots were preparing their airplanes and gearing up for one of the biggest aviation events you’ll never see.

This weekend perhaps thousands of light, sport, recreational aircraft owners will take their ultralights (or other light aircraft) into the sky for a kind of “virtual” airshow, except it isn’t computer simulators. It is only virtual in the sense that nearly all aviators will help create an “airshow” without seeing another aircraft. “Analog” might be a better term than virtual.

The innovative concept makes WUFI (on Facebook) about as different from Oshkosh as you can get yet it generates its own high level of enthusiasm.

Note to recreational pilots: YOU can join the action and be part of the world’s largest airshow …largest by virtue of it being spread all over the planet on one weekend!

Let There Be Light
…Aircraft, That Is

According to the organizers, WUFI, the World Ultralight Fly-In is “a global flying event where recreational pilots of small aircraft across the world all fly as one on the same two days.” Because such aircraft cannot easily gather in large numbers at shows like Oshkosh (especially those in other, far-off countries), WUFI was created.

“The genesis of WUFI dates to 2014 after an impromptu three-way conversation between Koen Van de Kerchhove of Belgium, and Bill Esker and Paul Lindamood of the United States. The initial discussion took place on the Magnificent Men & Their Flying Machines Facebook page which caters to ultralight, open-cockpit and Light-Sport aviation.

Mike Peters reported, “Van de Kerchhove initiated the discussion by saying it would be nice if ‘grassroots’ flyers could all convene and fly together at one venue, similar to an event like Oshkosh for general aviation flyers. Since it’s obvious that small, personal aircraft are limited in range, a different approach was needed. It was during that initial conversation that a creative new idea began to take shape.”

The trio of organizers suggested that a “virtual” fly-in could be very feasible, and even though such an event would not allow aircraft to convene at one place, it would allow pilots all around the globe to take part by sharing the same sky, on the same day. “So in an abstract but very tangible way, a world fly-in was possible,” explained Mike, Administrator of WUFI 2022. “Thus, the World Ultralight Fly-In was born. And the slogan, ‘One Day, One Sky’ was coined.”

“After meeting with Van de Kerchhove in Brussels,” Mike continued, “Esker and his Belgium counterpart hammered out details of the fledgling fly-in. With some research into weather patterns in major countries in both hemispheres, it was decided that an October timeframe was ideal. By late summer of 2015 all technical aspects were mapped out including logistics, promotions, and flight application requirements. Individuals from 13 different countries were designated as ‘group captains,’ and logos, certificates and items such as patches and t-shirts were designed. Then in October, the first WUFI worldwide fly-in was launched. That inaugural year aeronauts from over 44 countries participated with more than 1,200 earning their 2015 WUFI certificate.”

Since 2015 the fly-in has been held every year, with thousands of participants representing all areas of light aviation. In those seven years, numerous articles have been published around the globe highlighting the unique flying event.

“Stories consistently note that WUFI was created for and is still open to light aircraft only because so few ever have the opportunity to participate in a large, conventional fly-in,” Mike observed. “The event has been administered, promoted and orchestrated 100% through Facebook Groups from Day One. Participation and receipt of an official certificate has always been free of charge. The World Ultralight Fly-In is the first and only one of its kind.”

“One sky, where boundaries of country and language disappear, and all pilots are truly equal in their collective love of the majesty and exhilaration of flight,” organizers state.

“Since weather can often make it impossible for some countries to fly on WUFI day,” Mike elaborated, “several years ago we opted to add a second day so that now WUFI is technically ‘Two Days, One Sky.’”

Sidebar Notes

Mike recalled when WUFI attempted to set a Guinness World Book record for a “…mass, coordinated light aircraft multi-country fly-in event.” The WUFI submission ultimately was not accepted due to the specific nature of record attempt requirements. 

Aircraft Types — The most common aircraft are U.S. fixed-wing open-cockpit ultralights followed by weight-shift trikes, powered paragliders, powered parachutes, LSA types, and gyros. “Each year,” Mike added, “a few hang gliders and a few full-scale gliders join the fun. In 2015 we had an ultralight hot-air balloon and in 2018, we had a hot-air blimp.”

Many Countries — “Last year we had pilots from 43 countries,” Mike said, “but we usually have about 46-47.” Organizers believe Covid kept the numbers down the last couple of years but they report large groups of pilots in the Philippines, South Africa and South America fly WUFI every year.

Personal Best —In 2017, one pilot in Arizona flew a hang glider, a powered paraglider, a trike, a fixed wing, and a gyro the same day for WUFI. That sounds like a ball and you can be part of the WUFI virtual/analog fly-in for 2022.

Check your aircraft and get ready! The fun starts this weekend!

ARTICLE LINKS:

• WUFI Facebook page
• Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines Facebook page
• Questions about WUFI 2022? Email Paul Lindamood

Get your own handsome certificate for participation. It’ll look great on your hangar wall.

Compress Post ...

I am honored that the room was full to standing room only capacity but even that gratifying turn-out at the Midwest LSA Expo 2022 represents a fraction of pilots keen to learn more about Mosaic. I refer to a forum at the event, a talk that has been well attended since I began attempting to keep up with FAA’s latest moves on the new LSA regulation.

For the majority that could not attend in person, the entire talk is featured below. In particular, I think you may enjoy the Question & Answer portion starting at 32 minutes into the video. See the list of questions below for specific times — in case you know most of this but simply wanted to ask a certain question.

I’ve been predicting for months that if FAA was to stay on schedule — a schedule they set — the agency had to announce Mosaic at Oshkosh 2022. If they did not announce then, FAA would not meet their original Congressionally-imposed deadline of December 31, 2023.

They didn’t announce at AirVenture. So they will not meet the original deadline.

Now what?

Full Presentation Below

As in recent years, I recorded my presentation at Midwest.

This year, I paid extra attention to be sure you could read and understand the slides shown on screen to those in attendance. Yet that means you cannot see my smiling face at all times — though I would consider that a feature, not a bug.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Time log for each question

• 32:10 — Can logbook endorsements be used to exercise IFR privileges?
• 34:21 — Can I maintain a legacy aircraft (Ercoupe, Cessna, Piper) as I can a LSA?
• 35:15 — Can I get a 30-pound weight allowance when changing from fuel to batteries on an ultralight?
• 38:30 — Will other government authorities match regulations with FAA?
• 40:39 — Isn’t Mosaic going to upset or change other regulations?
• 41:42 — Waiting for the new rule before buying an airplane…?
• 43:02 — Do you see any conflict in FAA regulations (between FAA divisions)?
• 44:05 — Can Endorsements work for privileges like night flying?
• 45:48 — Can I use my LSA in furtherance of a business?
• 46:21 — What about current LSA that can handle higher weight?
• 47:33 — Is stall speed going to change?
• 47:58 — Is stall calculated by formula?
• 49:29 — Question regarding aviation medicals and keeping your privilege?
• 50:46 — Do insurance companies care about the aviation medical (since so few accidents are attributed to medical problems)?

I hope you find the questions and answers of interest… perhaps ones you would have asked one had you been present.

Please Comment

If you don’t see your question answered, try entering it as a comment to this article. I’ll do my best to reply if I have a response, but be patient.

I hope any others with more or better knowledge than I have might also contribute.

Please, though… no FAA bashing or coarse language!

THANKS!

LSA branch manager John Stoll carries on a tradition of FAA giving industry leaders and ASTM standards writers an update on regulations, safety, and other matters of interest. John is a pilot and kit builder.

Compress Post ...

As Labor Day approaches each year, pilots in the Midwest U.S. — and some from much further away — start heading to Mt. Vernon, Illinois. About an hour’s drive East of St. Louis, Missouri, Mt. Vernon is home to a dedicated sector show that has emerged as a favorite.

This is the 14th year for the Midwest LSA Expo, so airport manager and all-around good guy Chris Collins is starting to psyche up for his benchmark 15th year in 2023. Putting this in perspective, that’s as old as the Sebring LSA Expo ever got before it disbanded. I’ll bet Chris never really thought about running one of the most established shows in the country.

While I cannot speak for every attendee, I can tell you that vendors return year after year for a very good reason: they sell airplanes. Pilots can thoroughly examine an airplane and perhaps make their decision. The result: both aircraft sellers and aircraft buyers go away with bigger smiles than when they arrived. That spells success.

Another key reason is that when you arrive at Mount Vernon airport (KMVN), by car or airplane, you will be greeted by people in bright orange shirts who will treat you exceedingly well. Lead by the very affable and determined to-satisfy manager Chris, I have never seen an airshow group go to more effort to make sure every single person present, both attendees and vendors, feel extremely welcome. To maintain such great customer service for 14 years is nothing short of remarkable.

Longtime Magni Gyro representative, Greg Gremminger gives informal on-the-ramp gyro talks every day and takes lots of potential customers for a demo flight.

At no airshow I attend is it easier to go for a demonstration flight than at Midwest LSA Expo. Since Chris commands the airport — with solid support from the city that hired him to run the operation many years ago — airplane representatives can get you airborne fast. I’ve often seen it literally take minutes from the time a pilot says “Let’s go!” until an aircraft vendor can have you roaring down the runway for takeoff.

Finally, on an affordable aviation-oriented website like this it’s a pleasure to mention that that Midwest is free to attend, free to car park, and free to fly in and park. If you do the latter, the airport has shuttle drivers available to run you back-and-forth to hotels that are just a few miles away.

If you arrive on Thursday, you even get a free meal. “Join us at the close of day one inside the historic fixed base operations building on the east side of the flightline (look for the Titan Aviation Sign),” wrote organizers. “The orange shirts will be serving up Grandma Deb’s famous BBQ with all the usual fixins’. New for 2022 will be fried fish prepared by Evans Aviation. Decompress with industry friends in a great aviation atmosphere.”

This Year’s Special Attraction

Back for their eighth Gathering are the KR type-enthusiasts. “We are pleased to welcome the KR Aviation Family on its 50th Anniversary,” said Chris.

They’ll return better than ever for 2022. When the KR group first attended, these aircraft may not have seemed very similar to Light-Sport Aircraft or Sport Pilot kit aircraft. As we await FAA’s Mosaic regulation, KRs may qualify to be flown by someone using Sport Pilot privileges, like most other aircraft that regularly attend Midwest.

When Ken Rand designed his KR-1 in 1972, he also pioneered a state-of-the-art foam-and-fiberglass composite construction method which has now become standard in homebuilt, commercial, and military aircraft. Its strength-to-weight ratio is superior to conventional construction methods, and the ease of shaping compound curves produces fast, clean surfaces that even a novice kit builder can master. The resulting KR aircraft are lightweight and trailerable.

KRs gathered in KMVN 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and are returning for 2022 to celebrate the design’s 50th anniversary.

KR-1 is the single-seat, low-wing, retractable monoplane typically powered by VW engines. KR-1B designates a motorglider with modified outer wing sections making the original KR-1 into an excellent self-powered glider.

KR-2 is a high-speed, two-place, side-by-side monoplane. Like all Rand’s designs, KR-2 is equipped with removable wings and your choice of retractable, fixed conventional, or tricycle gear.

KR-2S is the latest in the fleet, boasting a 16-inch stretch in the fuselage over the standard KR-2 giving more head and leg room. Its angled canopy and fixed landing gear give it a racy appearance that is only exceeded by its performance. A KR-2S can accommodate engines including VW, Jabir, and Continental C-85 or O-200.

This year this year KR gathering organizers are expecting about 30 pilots and 10 show-worthy KR aircraft. Come check out the variety of these airplanes when you attend Midwest LSA Expo 2022.

Mosaic and More Knowledge

Every year, the Midwest team puts a number of forums together for attendees to gain more knowledge in specific areas. Here’s the forum schedule for 2022.

I am hard at work on a fresh presentation that will update everything we learned about Mosaic at Oshkosh. Regular ByDanJohnson,com readers have already seen much of this, but a live presentation offers a good chance for Q&A that I will try to extend this year as I have learned attendees ask good questions that those who could not attend would like to ask. I’ll do my best to answer using knowledge acquired in recent weeks.

At EAA’s summer extravaganza, acting FAA administrator Billy Nolan called on a lieutenant to answer the question about when Mosaic may be released. Learn the latest at Midwest LSA Expo 2022 (with video to follow)..

Come learn what “The Boss” had to say at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022.

Who Can You Visit?

Who can you expect to see at Midwest LSA 2022? The following companies have indicated they will show but last-minute changes may alter the exact list (aircraft and engines are shown first; other exhibitors follow).

Click the links to learn more about each vendor…

1. Aeromarine LSA — Merlin, Merlin Lite, V-Twin engine
2. Aeroprakt USA with Heavenbound Aviation — A22LS and A32 Vixxen
3. AeroPilot USA — L600 Eagle, Whisper X350 kit
4. Bathawk Aircraft
5. Bristell by Piston Aviation flight school
6. AeroSport — SkyReach BushCat, Kanardia avionics, flight school
7. Hawk Aviation — CGS Hawk SLSA, two-seat kit models
8. Ekolot America — Topaz, Elf
9. Evolution Trikes — Revo, Revolt, Rev
10. Flying Legend — Tucano
11. UL Power — ASTM-compliant engines
12. Flight Design by Airtime Aviation — F2, CTLS, CT Super
13. G1 America— G1 STOL
14. ICP Aviation North America — Savannah
15. Just Aircraft — SuperSTOL, Highlander
16. M Squared Aircraft — Breeze SLSA, kit models, services, more
17. Magnus Aircraft by The Aviator Family — Fusion 212
18. Magni Gyro — M22, M24 Orion
19. Nano gyrocopter by Fly Ultralight Nano
20. Rans Aircraft— Outbound, Raven, Courier, more
21. Sling by Midwest Skysport — Sling LSA, Sling TSi
22. SportairUSA — Norden, Archon, many services
23. Skyleader — Skyleader 600
24. Tri-State Kites — Smithsilver aircraft, many services
25. Vashon Aircraft — R7 Ranger
26. Veloce Planes — Veloce 200, 400, 600
27. Zenith Aircraft — CH701, CH-751, Cruzer, CH-650

A small army of smiling oranger shirters will greet you when you arrive and are always looking to help anyone in attendance.

• Aviation Insurance Resources
• Certes maintenance services & Rotax
• Flights for Christ
• Gateway Flight — flight school, maintenance
• K & M Aviation Services
• Leading Edge Airfoils
• Missionary Aviation
• Powered Sport Flying magazine
• SRT Aviation FBO services
• Zero Breeze — off-grid air conditioner

ARTICLE LINKS:

• KR Aircraft (kit info)
• KR Gathering
• Midwest LSA Expo
• Aero Showcase (DeLand Florida)

Next Show
Fall 2022

Get full information on the brand-new Aero Showcase that follows on from the five-year-old DeLand Showcase.

Compress Post ...

Capitalism and competition are one thing. Government policies and actions are quite another. You already know this.

Sometimes, however, these two seemingly-opposite concepts aren’t so different. What does this have to do with Light-Sport Aircraft?

American pilots, like aviators in other countries, must obey regulations in the nation where they operate their airplanes. Yet the same requirement is not necessarily true for those who produce the airplanes we enjoy. Producers, it turns out, have choices.

The Airplane Factory’s newly-introduced, cantilevered High Wing seen in taildragger configuration. This larger “Mosaic LSA” has four seat capability.

Under an arrangement called reciprocity, manufacturers in certain nations (Note 1; see at bottom) can meet their local regulations and FAA will then accept such aircraft without them going through the American certification system. What results is a form of competition between government regulatory agencies.

European builders may be early users and beneficiaries but American companies could use reciprocity as well.

BRM Aero showed their new cantilevered B8 high wing model at the Rotax Fly-in 2021. It debuted to the public at Aero Friedrichshafen 2022.

Readers may remember that when Cessna was still promoting their ill-fated Skycatcher SLSA, they considered pursuing 1990’s-era Primary Category. It is significantly more costly than meeting ASTM standards, but allowed higher weights. Some in the company felt that achieving the more conventional certification might facilitate sales in Europe (Note 2).

If you are thinking that all this makes no difference to you, I get it. Government regulations make for some of the dullest reading imaginable. Yet in today’s thoroughly-regulated environment, a new aircraft cannot fly without the approval of some aviation agency… with one exception: Part 103 or other national equivalents. So, companies learn to comply with government regulatory systems as best they can. If it is easier to gain approval in one country and use that system to make sales in another country, most decision makers will follow the path of least resistance.

Brazil’s ANAC

Most pilots know Brazil is an active aviation state. The South American nation has famous producers like jet-maker Embraer plus numerous LSA producers (Seamax Aircraft, Scoda and their Super Petrel, Montaer).

Montaer builds the MC-01, featuring a roomy cabin able to expand into the new regulation.

Many readers may recall that Brazil has embraced Light-Sport Aircraft as a category and accepted ASTM standards in lieu of their own aircraft certification program. Brazil has enjoyed LSA almost as long as America.

As do many countries, Brazil closely observes what FAA does. Yet their regulators can run ahead of FAA when they see a path forward.

In July this year, Brazilian regulatory changes were approved for the expansion of Light-Sport Aircraft in Brazil. “The goal is to allow larger aircraft with other technical characteristics to also enjoy the advantages of this model,” noted Kleber Jesuino, a coordinator for the ANAC’s Department of Airworthiness, in a report to the ASTM F37 committee revising standards for Mosaic. ANAC is the Brazilian counterpart to FAA.

With an 1,800 pound gross weight, Outbound is well positioned to become a Mosaic LSA if the company chooses to pursue it.

“The new regulation, besides bringing Brazil closer to international standards,” said Kleber, “reduces regulatory complexity by allowing airplane with up to four seats and maximum take-off weight of up to 1,361 kilograms (3,000 pounds) to use LSA category consensus standards developed by ASTM International.”

He added that the new rules will reduce costs to get approval for new aircrat designs compared to Part 23-style type certification yet maintain an acceptable level of safety.

“In Brazil, the creation of the LSA category took place in 2010 with the publication of rules for design and manufacture, and the implementation of the rules for operation, maintenance, and instruction occurred in a staggered manner,” clarified Kleber.

Brazil has five domestic LSA models recognized by ANAC and another three in process, he reported.

Jabiru is another brand ready for Mosaic LSA. Sold in the USA as the J230, this model is a four seat model in Australia.

Since April 2021, “ANAC worked with national LSA manufacturers in a Joint Study Group to evaluate the current consensus standards accepted for the LSA category with a focus on expanding the regulatory model of this category in Brazil.” Four months later, in August 2021, the study group recommended expanding some technical characteristics in earlier regulations.

The ANAC-lead group issued a survey to assess the public’s view on the proposed changes. They report hundreds of contributions were received.

While full information has not yet been stated for Van’s Aircraft’s still-in-prototype RV-15, the size of the aircraft suggests it could be aimed at being a Mosaic LSA.

Kleber finished, “The regulatory changes for LSA in Brazil were treated with priority in the Agency.”

Yes, I guess that’s right. All this was concluded in the space of a few months. In that sense it hardly compares to Mosaic, which has taken years — although FAA’s rule tackled far more, one big chunk of which is now being removed to hasten completion.

Some Good News

Pilots are rather discouraged with FAA right now and that’s understandable. Many have been waiting for the right rules before they buy an airplane.

“FAA said the regulation text is being actively worked on and should be finished by September,” reported Roy Beisswenger, an ASTM F37 executive committee member on a teleconference call. That’s this September and represents a good improvement in the pace from what I heard at Oshkosh. [Update: For further clarification on this point see comments below.]

“They are just cutting out the drone stuff,” summarized Roy.

”Mosaic should be wrapped up by the end of 2024,” reported Roy after the meeting. If that happens we could see actual “Mosaic LSA” flying in early 2025.

Across the Pond

In one particularly illuminating meeting at Oshkosh 2022 — toward the end of a lengthy discussion regarding the future of LSA, FAA’s Mosaic program and delays, and other countries preparing regulations — an individual recognized by everyone in the room as someone with rare insight to the highest levels in the agency said, “People are starting to give up on the FAA and turning to EASA for modern and more quickly-expedited approvals.”

So it is good FAA has picked up the pace on Mosaic now that drone regulation will be split out and will proceed on its own parallel track. Let’s keep this in perspective: Mosaic’s year delay is less than we experienced with the SP/LSA rule that was announced three years before it actually happened.

Stay tuned… I will follow this as closely as I can over the next couple years.

LINKS:

• BRM Aero (B8 high wing)
• Jabiru J230 (designed for higher weight)
• Sling High Wing (four seat capability)
• Van’s RV15 project (big and backcountry capable)
• Montaer (designed for higher weight)
• Part 103 and worldwide equivalents (article)

(Note 1) A nation with a bilateral safety agreement with the USA can approve an aircraft according to their (usually rather similar) national regulations and then seek reciprocity for their CAA’s approval to be honored by FAA. This is well established. Countries seeking a BSA with the USA go through a lengthy, up to seven-year, process to assure regulatory systems are roughly in sync.

(Note 2) One of the reasons why Cessna may have sought extra weight was because their LSA entry had a confiningly-low payload. As designed, it was not optimal for flight schools. Weight exemptions — such as later won by Icon, TerraFugia, SkyRunner, and Vickers — had not gained approval when Cessna made their Primary Category decisions.

Compress Post ...

One of the most-read articles from my coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 was the news that FAA missed their deadline as originally projected and will be a year or more late with the Mosaic rule. Many were upset at that result; others thought it was “par for the course.”

The good news, as I reported in the article, is that what emerges in one year will be a regulation that might actually go forward. Let me explain a little more fully.

During Oshkosh 2022, I attended three meetings where FAA spoke. I also had one-on-one discussions with several knowledgeable people. What follows is a fusion of all those conversations. While I believe this information to be accurate, the situation is changing and more questions will arise. Please consider this a snapshot in time.

The Main Question — As some commenters to the earlier article said, FAA did specify a date when the Mosaic NPRM may be released: “August 2023.” This came directly from David Boulter who was selected by the FAA Administrator to answer an audience question; the comment was made in a public forum. Insiders with whom I spoke said his date may be optimistic, so “a year or more” is likely the best response.

The Big Split

What many have not understood is that the original Mosaic was one big ball of regulation. We are focused only on the parts that apply to us and that is perfectly normal. However, Mosaic touches on a wide range of aircraft from warbirds to drones… and us.

Remember, this started during the Trump administration when the directive to federal agencies was essentially, “If you want a new regulation, get rid of two first.”

When Congress granted FAA their budget request almost five years ago, it came with strings attached. FAA was to incorporate into the airspace vehicles I’ll call multicopters and drones (yes, I know other names are used). By multicopters I mainly mean manned or crewed aircraft where by drones I mainly mean autonomously flown, no human pilot on board. This distinction is important relative to FAA’s delay announcement at Oshkosh 2022.

As recent controversy about Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight (BVLOS) shows, FAA’s task of incorporating these new flying machines into the U.S. airspace is not easy. Lots of diverse opinions have been offered. Some arguments were raised by extremely wealthy corporations that have many millions to spend on lawyers and lobbyists.

Then we have the Special airworthiness category… us.

Special — as opposed to Standard category, type certificated aircraft — are the other half of the Mosaic puzzle. Those eVTOLs or multicopters, or tilt-wings that have a human pilot on board are less difficult to incorporate. As industry expert Roy Beisswenger recently wrote to FAA (about BVLOS), “when pilots are on board, they have skin in the game,” literally. A drone, even if live-remotely-piloted, has no skin in the game. That’s an enormous difference.

FAA faced the facts and made a decision. They needed to split uncrewed aircraft from crewed aircraft. If they did not separate them, the difficulty in devising good rules for drones would hold back their ability to move forward with Mosaic as applied to crewed Special airworthiness aircraft… us.

LSA program manager John Stoll briefed manufacturers and other interested persons. John is a pilot and a homebuilder, so he understands the recreational flying community.

So, a year’s delay or more stinks but at least our part of Mosaic — with its coming benefits to pilots and manufacturers — can get completed. Yes, it will take FAA time to separate the two in their internal planning and rule writing but I’ll bet the ASTM group will swiftly adapt. A great deal of the needed standards are complete and any necessary changes will be made swiftly — if enough people help. Remember, the ASTM F37 LSA committee is basically a volunteer group. You can join and help, and get a vote in how things work. It’s very democratic. FAA sits on the committee, too, but the whole of the agency gets only one vote, the same as you. Interested parties, please go to ASTM’s F37 website.

Pilots do need to keep in mind that while we wait on FAA’s effort to split the drones from the Specials, industry must also respond. ASTM is charged with preparing standards that match the regulation’s requirements. Manufacturers must create aircraft for the revised regulation.

More privileges will be given to pilots and manufacturers, but that means those groups must stand up and take responsibility for more tasks.

More good news

One of the most common questions I have been asked is basically this:, “I have a Sport Pilot certificate or I am using my Private or better to use the benefits of Sport Pilot (namely, the driver’s license medical). Will I able to fly a fill-in-the-blank legacy GA airplane?”

This is a valid question. While prices on a used Cessna 172 or Piper Cherokee have soared higher in the last couple years, they still represent an economical way to own an airplane. Others may be interested in a kit-built plane somewhat larger or faster than today’s LSA. More used LSA are coming to the market with lower prices but they are being snapped up by buyers almost as fast as they come on the market.

The Short Answer from FAA — Privileges for Sport Pilots are likely to increase as well. More than one FAA official stated this at Oshkosh 2022.

In addition, FAA has become comfortable with the endorsement process as used for Sport Pilots flying LSA. This means that a Sport Pilot can get further training — to fly into Class B airspace as one example — and his or her instructor need only correctly endorse their logbook; no test is required. This implies that a Sport Pilot who demonstrates the necessary skills may be permitted to upgrade to more seats or retractable gear. This is a very positive development and we hope it finds its way into the NPRM.

So, we will get our larger, faster, more capable LSA, which will cost more. Yet existing LSA meeting today’s parameters can continue without interruption. Some of these are quite affordable and don’t need to become bigger or faster to accomplish their mission. Thus, we keep what we have and we get new, more functional aircraft …a kind of eat your cake and keep it, too proposition.

Pilots will get more privileges and mechanics will be allowed to work on more aircraft after they obtain proper training. Neither is ELSA going away with its advantages.

It’s all good — except for the wait that just got longer. At this time, I don’t see any new-style LSA on the market before about spring 2025.

My Advice — Go buy and fly a present-day LSA. You can always sell it later and buy your new dream machine. You have 157 model choices today, some quite affordable, with a growing number of used, reduced-price LSA — and you do not need to wait long to purchase one. Go! Fly! Now!

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Many of you have been asking about FAA and their Mosaic regulation. Let’s jump right into it.

Following is what I’ve learned even before the “Meet the Administrator” session that has become a staple of AirVenture thanks to excellent coordination by EAA’s professional advocacy staff.

At AirVenture 2021, Flight Design USA’s Tom Peghiny (on right edge) met with FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. Earl Lawrence is on the left facing away from the camera. Both have since left FAA.

That Administrator session is on Thursday. I will attend and perhaps learn more, but here is info direct from FAA contacts, speaking about actions that are already on the public record.

We will hear no Mosaic NPRM announcement at Oshkosh.

We may hear about work on the new regulation but the rule will not yet be published in the Federal Register as an NPRM or Notice of Proposed Rule Making.

As regular readers (or YouTube viewers) know, Mosaic is not being created solely for Light-Sport Aircraft. The coming rule encompasses warbirds, homebuilts, LSA, and Unmanned Air Systems (UAS). The latter includes all manner of electric and/or hybrid aircraft. Incorporating these very diverse segments under one regulation was a big undertaking. Evidently it proved too big.

A couple months ago a big split was decided. The task of drafting regulations for such different aircraft is a large project, affecting many other regulations and touching different pilot communities.

Unmanned UASs — often called drones — are those intended for autonomous flight, that is, without human crew on board. Similar aircraft may also involve crewed flight (see this article about Lift’s Hexa), but the big split involves crewed versus uncrewed.

The Good News — UAS will now apparently be removed from Mosaic as we have come to know it. In my view, this is a longer term good thing because it will allow FAA rule writers to complete work long underway and significantly completed. On the industry input side this includes ASTM standards; the LSA F37 committee has been laboring for many months. Their hard work is recognized as valuable. The more challenging job of incorporating uncrewed aircraft into the national airspace can continue on a parallel track, but if delayed, that work would not also slow regulation change for LSA and other crewed aircraft. (“Crewed” v. “uncrewed” is the clear distinction here but also the present politically-correct language.)

The Bad News — Because Mosaic has previously included both crewed and uncrewed aircraft, separating them will take more time. It could take another year before FAA is ready with Mosaic for only crewed aircraft. It will take even longer for the uncrewed aircraft but those aircraft are not our focus. (Blending crewed and uncrewed into one regulation met the then-Trump rules aimed at reducing regulation.)

The Good News — I learned that all the statements made so far (see these articles) remain largely on track. What I have been writing about Mosaic and what FAA has said by explicit statement all still applies. We still expect multiple benefits: higher aircraft weight, faster speeds, single lever control props, hybrid and electric, Special LSA gyroplanes, aerial work privileges, retractable gear, and more seats. (We still lack information about pilot privileges under Mosaic, so we still don’t know what size aircraft someone holding a Sport Pilot certificate will be permitted to fly.)

Last year’s FAA industry briefing. This will be repeated but “not too much has changed.”

The Bad News — Some LSA-friendly FAA personnel in high places have left the agency. New people in their positions are much less aware of this sector. Even if very capable, it will take time for them to comprehend Mosaic. Rule writers have had to submit briefing papers to bring these people up to speed.

Another matter I will be tracking is the BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line Of Sight) recommendations by an industry group (see this article). I will attempt to find out more about this and the concerns it introduces about in-flight conflicts with such as delivery drones …but Mosaic is my primary focus.

Look for more after Thursday’s “Meet the Administrator” talk and following Wednesday’s FAA Industry Briefing. Isn’t this fun?

Seriously — I’ll get back to cool airplanes tomorrow!

This video recorded late fall 2021 is still largely what we expect for LSA in the Mosaic regulation..

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