Light Sport ?

[BQuad]

Anyone know of good Light Sport CFI's in Anchorage? Are there any Light Sport DPE's in Anchorage? Is it possible to go out of state for checkride?

Why not PPL? I don't mind the extra training, but medical may require special issuance, and light sport will likely satisfy 90% of my needs while building time for the first few years, and it doesn't rule out upgrading to PPL later on.

I talked to Rick Reuss since they have a Taylorcraft, but he does not instruct Light Sport, though I still may see if I can go for a ride in the T-Craft. I am not opposed to looking for my own plane to train in. Also would save a ton of $$$ since I won't be tempted to look at the more expensive planes!

Thanks for any info!

[gbflyer]

Pretty sure any CFI can do it??? Not sure about the check ride, but I think DPE's can do that, too. Now GETTING them to do it is another thing. Most stories I hear today are 60 hours to a private ticket. I guess people don't learn as quickly anymore, or maybe the CFI's feel too much heat from liability issues. I'm no CFI, so I can only speculate.

Consider going south to one of those outfits where you leave in a couple of weeks with a license, then head back north and find someone to fly with you. Doesn't have to be a CFI, there's lots and lots of very good pilots out there with tons of experience that will share with you. Many times the lack of a requirement for their signature in your logbook will spur them to your aid. :-). Right, wrong, or indifferent, that seems to be the way of things more and more all the time.

LSA is a good way to go, however don't bank on it being much less costly. It's an expensive habit any way you cut it.

[BQuad]

Yes it does seem any CFI "can" do it. Thanks, only place I've seen that has it listed is Kirst Aviation in Fairbanks.

I know a good group of pilots I can fly with and learn from but want to be able to do tail wheel and float rating and make sure there is someone here to work with for those and continued training if I go out of state. I know I'm not done learning just because I have my ticket.

Only thing a little cheaper would be a smaller plane and less gas, but that isn't the motivator for going Light Sport.

[Float Pilot]

Any CFI can teach light sport. If they do not know that, well they should not be a CFI.
When I had my PA-11 I taught Light Sport and was listed.
The problem was finding a DPE. While you would think it was automatic for a DPE who can do a PPL to do a LS, it is not.... The FAA in their infinite wisdom lets DPEs do testing for categories under which they are certified.
So my DPE, who was the AOPA DPE of the year, never had Light Sport listed on his certs. And since the DPEs have to pay for their own training, he was not going to bother adding it...

You would think that you could then have an FAA examiner do a LS check-ride. Of course I would then point out that it has been 12 years since I had one say he or she was available for a regular SES check-ride. ( They get paid the same no matter what they do or do not do)

There is a need for Light Sport DPE's , enough that a friend of mine in Idaho managed to get himself listed as a Light Sport DPE.

While the FAA acted like they were all behind the Light Sport idea, I always get the feeling they hope that nobody will really go that route so the rating can die a slow death.

[Mr. Pid]

I think it's fair to say that most LSA participants back into that category from 1st/2nd/3rd class certs in order to avoid getting their medicals. Ther can't be much of a market to train guys for LSA from the start.

[rppearso]

I am learning that the FAA is actually pretty reasonable its the other fellow aviation people out there that are really paranoid, and this is coming from a guy that is probably certifiably paranoid. As long as a CFI or mechanic is not pencil whipping something or totally incompetent and they are doing their due diligence they are not going to get slapped.

The FAA wants to make sure your safe and your not just slapping things together and rolling up in a welfare plane with duck tape holding things together. The paranoid is what fuels the cost over runs in my opinion.

[SKoerber]

Float Pilot is right on. The DPE is the problem. Another issue is max gross weight. My initial student pilot certificate was for light sport. I bought a Taylorcraft BC-12D with that in mind. As I went through my training it became evident that with the max gross weight of 1200 pounds I would be unable to load me, a pilot examiner and enough gas to do a check ride and stay under max gross. So I did an the STC that increased gross weight to 1500 pounds and got my private pilot certificate. If you do go the LSA route keep that in mind. As noted earlier, most people probably back into sport pilot from other classes.

Be aware the FAA is going through a rule making process called the "Private Pilot Priveleges Without a Medical Certificate" project. After two years they are responding to AOPA and EAA petitions. Both houses of Congress also have introduced legislation to essentially do away with medicals for most recreational type private pilot activities. In response to congressional heat they have begun the process. The rule is supposedly written but of course nobody knows what it is. Public comment period is supposed to begin in the fall. Which of course would be now. They are clearly dragging their feet. I'm not holding my breath--I just renewed my medical yesterday.

Here's the link to the AOPA article: http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...s-medical.aspx

[BQuad]

Thanks SKoeber, that in fact is one of the reasons also I was considering Light Sport for now, I can begin training and building hours now and see what becomes of that rule. Thanks for the thought on useful load.

[jim in anchorage]

Float Pilot is right on. The DPE is the problem. Another issue is max gross weight. My initial student pilot certificate was for light sport. I bought a Taylorcraft BC-12D with that in mind. As I went through my training it became evident that with the max gross weight of 1200 pounds I would be unable to load me, a pilot examiner and enough gas to do a check ride and stay under max gross. So I did an the STC that increased gross weight to 1500 pounds and got my private pilot certificate. If you do go the LSA route keep that in mind. As noted earlier, most people probably back into sport pilot from other classes.

Be aware the FAA is going through a rule making process called the "Private Pilot Priveleges Without a Medical Certificate" project. After two years they are responding to AOPA and EAA petitions. Both houses of Congress also have introduced legislation to essentially do away with medicals for most recreational type private pilot activities. In response to congressional heat they have begun the process. The rule is supposedly written but of course nobody knows what it is. Public comment period is supposed to begin in the fall. Which of course would be now. They are clearly dragging their feet. I'm not holding my breath--I just renewed my medical yesterday.

Here's the link to the AOPA article: http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...s-medical.aspx

The movment to drop the 3rd class medical has been going on for years http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...ent?highlight=

[BQuad]

Just an update on Sport Pilot Examiners.

I called the Anchorage FSDO and there are in fact 2 DPE's qualified to do Sport Pilot Check rides in the Anchorage/ Valley area, they are not on the FAA Sport Pilot list found on the FAA website, but they are DPE's the FSDO has authorized to checkride Sport Pilots. One is Ray Hodges in the Valley, I can't remember who the other was.