In a message dated 4/18/04 5:59:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time, rhartwi...@juno.com writes:
> Chuck, > I will admit that I have not downloaded and read all 2704 comments on the > FAA site, but as suggested I have re-read the proposed rule. Your > argument pointing out problems with "Sport Pilot" is well stated, but you > don't mention the time and money it would take to initiate your > alternatives. There are many of us who would like to be able to take our > wives/friend to a fly-in breakfast a couple of times a month--and maybe > spend a nice quiet Saturday morning visiting small airports around the > state. There are a lot of people who: --Do not have the $5000+ dollars > (OK--I haven't priced it lately.) to get a Private Ticket. > --Cannot take a passenger in their ultralight. > --Have medical conditions which make them ineligible for medical > certification, but have nothing to do with safety in a "Sport Aircraft". > Dick Hartwig > *************************************8 Dick, Initiation of alternatives..... There is already an alternative for the pilot without medical to be able to fly powered aircraft. And, those aircraft capabilities and Private pilot privilages are far greater than that of proposed Sport Pilot. In fact, that Private Pilot Certificate is internationally recognized and accepted by the ICOA......unlike Recreational Pilot or the proposed Sport Pilot. It is not uncommon for these pilots and aircraft to fly coast to coast and even around the world. Unlike Sport Pilot, these FAA certificated Private Pilots may fly at night, above 10,000 ft.and into any airspace. They do not have speed limitations nor weight limitations. The training hours required for a new student is only 10 as opposed to 20 for Sport and 30 for Rec. Pilot. AND, if already a Private Pilot ASEL, the minimum transition hours is only 3. AND is applicable to a Bianual Flight review which would be needed for anyway for a Private Pilot ASEL to operate under Sport Pilot ......as well as a specific Make and Model endorsement. Since this is the KR message boards, it is unfortunate, but the KR does not fit into the Sort Pilot category. It is too fast. The stall speed is too high. And retracting gear or an inflight adjustable prop is out of the question. Fortunately, with a Private Pilot Glider Certificate, there are none of those limitations. And, to obtain that certificate, one never need to get into an enginlesss aircraft if you don't want to. In fact, overall, the training would cost much less in a motorglider than a "standard" enginless glider. This Alternate is the Least expensive of ALL alternatives due to the decreased minimum requirements and gives the greatest privileges. Here is an example of a training site located in high density Los Angeles area. Training could include flight through class D, C, and B as well as forays into Class A at the student discretion. The costs are located at this web site also. Considering that in some areas, like Southern California, Ultralight training is $90/hr, I'd consider this a bargin. http://www.lasoaring.com/pages/2/index.htm. As for other means that the FAA has to implement a "No-medical", They could simply use the decreasing privileges technique and apply to it to Rec. Pilot. That is, Rec. Pilot WITH medical may fly into "congested" and controlled airspace, Rec pilot without medical may only fly in E and G and not over congested areas. Chuck
