Hi Larry -

If you study the the statistics available at the Air Safety Foundation
(asf.org), you will find that there are very few medically-related
accidents. Furthermore, sport pilots must self-certify their medical
fitness prior to flight.

We should support these new rules to revitilize general aviation in the
United States. As you may be aware, we are running out of pilots. My
employer (a large regional airline) is currently offering employees a
$500 reward for anyone that we refer who makes it through training! I
believe that the number of student starts per year is down about 25% in
the past 10 years (this is from memory).

Why are we in a pilot shortage? For one, flying has become very
expensive (a rich man's sport) and therefore cost-prohibitive for most.
The new sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rules will change that. I
believe that flying can be safe AND affordable.

Regarding the new ASTM consensus standards - these standards were
developed by the industry to establish a level of safety without FAA
involvement. The traditional FAA certification process was very
lengthy and expensive. Now manufacturers of light-sport aircraft all
have a common standard to meet (and in the future can undergo an audit
to substantiate their level of quality) and they don't have to spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars (and lots of time) to reinvent the
wheel with each new airplane (and all of the bureaucracy that goes with
it).

I don't think these rules have anything to do with military pilots.
The military has plenty of money (yours and mine) to pay for flight
training.

The new sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rules will be the RENAISSANCE
of general aviation!

http://www.SportPilotTalk.com

GeraldZ


Larry wrote:
Why is the FAA so supportive of this class of flying? Older pilots?
passenger allowed? more skill required in bad weather? less reliable
powerplants? no FAA medical exam? Less stringent certification of LSA?
I can only surmise that the FAA, EAA and MAYBE a need for grooming
future military pilots (where ever they go) endorse this effort. I am
only concerned about safety and why we even consider this class of
flying. Freedom yes but the FAA/EAA says "become a pilot faster,
easier, and cheaper than ever before". This scares me and I worry about
safety. Maybe I am wrong in my thinking.

Larry/PP