Search Results for : MG 21

The FAA has published a glut of rule changes affecting CFR Part 1, 11, 61 and 91 regulations that affect, among other things, pilot privileges across a wide range of activities. But for owners of Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft, the best news is the rescinding of the so-called LODA rule. Recall that in 2021, the FAA changed its stance on owners getting flight instruction in their own homebuilts, which resulted in the need for a “letter of deviation authority.” The FAA, to its credit, quickly came up with a system to issue LODAs to owners and flight instructors, but the underlying requirement flew in the face of precedent.

The FAA takes this explanation further in today’s ruling published in the Federal Register and to become effective December 2, 2024. “Previously, §§ 91.315, 91.319, and 91.325 generally prohibited flight training, checking, and testing when compensation is provided. In 2020, the FAA issued Warbird Adventures, Inc.

 
In the previous article, I explained how high levels of flight activity can make access more affordable and, for most people, how that would likely be achieved only through some form of shared ownership/use. The use of the term “shared ownership/use” is deliberate because not everybody really wants or feels the need to “own” something they use but, perhaps, believes that there is no other realistic or safe alternative.
This article is based on a close examination of the reasons people give for not being open to any form of sharing and looking at how those barriers might be removed. It will also try to address the second, less discussed, part of affordability, which is “accessibility” to shared use aircraft. There is little benefit to being able to afford what does not, essentially, exist. A good, but somewhat parallel, example of this has been the original iteration of Light Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot Licenses.

Like X (formerly Twitter), my favorite fall airshow has altered its name. Actually, it changed subtly over 16 years of operation but is now called the Midwest Aviation Expo, or MAX.
The major airshows have changed, too. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was formally just “Oshkosh,” unless you live in Oshkosh, in which case it’s merely “EAA.” In Lakeland, Florida, Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo is widely known simply as “Sun ‘n Fun.” Few pilots will use the longer title.
MAX is Midwest Aviation Expo. Maybe it took 16 years, but that is one snazzy, snappy marketing handle for the main event of the light aviation crowd. The big shows apparently like long, descriptive, all-inclusive names, but “MAX” handily outshines them, IMHO.
MAX 2024
A few aircraft vendors who committed to exhibit space have challenges arriving each year. That happens at the big shows, too. MAX follows AirVenture by a month and the huge Wisconsin event strains both staff energy and company finances.

I was inspired to write this article by a comment made on a previous article I wrote on MOSAIC. I had indicated that MOSAIC had the potential to bring new aircraft to market at half the price of current legacy offerings. The commenter made the point that even at half the price, this would still not make it inherently “affordable” to most people.
This topic will be covered in two articles. The first will discuss how shared ownership is able to bring down the costs of accessing an airplane and thus, making it potentially more affordable to a wider pilot demographic. The second article will detail two proposals on how some form of shared ownership could be expanded into a regional or national model.
How the Numbers Add Up
Affordability is really not a single quantifiable number that can be used to judge a product. There are simply too many other factors such as income, lifestyle and geographical location that have to be taken into account while, of course, no two people see their life priorities the same way.