Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Phil J wrote in
:

On Jan 6, 12:43�pm, Jay Maynard
wrote:
On 2008-01-06, Phil J wrote:

It really sucks that they set the LSA gross weight limit so low.
�One of the goals of the LSA category was to encourage more people
to learn to fly, and make it less expensive.. �By setting the
weight limit so low that there are hardly any older certified
airplanes that qualify, they seriously diminished the effect of the
regulation. �I wish they had just limited the category to
two-place, non-retractable, fixed- pitch propeller aircraft. �I
don't see why they even needed to include

weight in the reg.

Well, they had to draw the line of "light" somewhere. Should a
Stearman wi
th
an STCd 600 HP engine qualify?

Jay Maynard, K5ZC � � � � � � � � �http://www.conmicro.c
omhttp://jmaynard.livejournal.com� �
�http://www.tronguy.nethttp://www.hercules-390.org� � � � � � � (Yes,
that's me!)

My first gut reaction to this question was to think "Well, no, a plane
like that shouldn't be allowed'. But then I wondered, well why
exactly shouldn't that plane be allowed as an LSA? If it is flown
under the LSA flight restrictions, why not? What is the harm?


Because more would crash if it was an LSA.



Bertie

I suppose this airplane would require a high-performance endorsement
even for a PPL. OK, I can see the restriction on engine horsepower.
But I've never understood why they added such a restrictive weight
limit, which eliminated airplanes like the Cessna 150/152. That just
seems like it should be an LSA-allowed airplane. I think the goal of
getting more people into aviation would be better served if they
broadened the scope a little to allow those thousands of slightly
heavier certified airplanes as LSAs. As it is, there aren't very many
places you can take lessons for a Sport Pilot license right now, and
LSA rentals are equally scarce. But if the field were opened up to
planes like the 150/152, there would be a lot more possibilities, and
probably more people signing up for lessons. And that was supposed to
be the whole point of the LSA category.

Phil