Left to right, Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, Nicholas D. Viscio, Nick Viscio and Mark Bayer, and Marie Visio in the front comprise the Blue Heron Light-Sport Aircraft team.
Some buyers are unsure how to weigh the decision between ultralight and the new light-sport aircraft. While Heldeberg Designs works on their statement of compliance to new ASTM consensus design standards, here’s some advice to Blue Heron owners from Heldeberg Designs:
“Single-seat, FAA Part 103-compliant aircraft (e.g., the Spirit 103) will have to do nothing. Part 103 will continue on in its current form.
“Older 2-seat ultralights will have to transition from the current exemption-based coverage granted by EAA, ASC, and USUA, to Light- Sport [Aircraft]. These aircraft will have to be inspected in order to receive an N-number as an Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft (ELSA). This will apply to all 2-place powered parachutes that were purchased before the new rule became effective, and provides for a 2-year transition period. This process will require owners to register their aircraft with FAA, and then have them inspected by an LSA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) in order to be qualified as an ELSA aircraft.
“If you are a Heldeberg Designs customer, or just a prospective customer, rest assured – we will help you through the transition to Sport Pilot in every way. Our commitment to quality is not just in the way we make our planes, but in the relationships we build with our customers.”
As a sign of their commitment to developing a Special Light-Sport Aircraft, Heldeberg has assembled an “LSA Team,” says Nick Viscio. They brought in dealer Mark Bayer and Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Kochersberger and Nicholas D., form the engineering side of the team. If you feel like you know the name Kochersberger, it may be because he was selected as the pilot for the Wright Flyer first flight recreation at the Kitty Hawk dunes in December 2003.
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