Sport Pilot Airplanes - Homebuilt?

Ron Wanttaja wrote in
:

How will the FAA determine if a particular homebuilt fits the
requirements? If I build an RV-3 and license it as a "Fly Baby"
(perfectly legal...I can name it whatever I want) with a "Wanttaja
C-85 engine" (looking suspiciously like an O-320 with a new data
plate...again, perfectly legal), and put in the logbook that it stalls
at 39 knots (it's a single-seat airplane....who can contradict me?)
will I be able to fly it without a medical?

Good scenario, and one *I* would be happy to approve. However, part of
the two things I believe you left out are weight and max cruise speed, both
of which I believe you would exceed by a wide margin.

Personally, I think they should have specified the stall speed at whatever
they wanted, and left the cruise speed out. That would have left plenty of
room for innovation. But, for shame, they didn't ask me! [And apparently
ignored my comments when I offered them anyway. G]

-----------------------------------------------
James M. Knox
TriSoft ph 512-385-0316
1109-A Shady Lane fax 512-366-4331
Austin, Tx 78721
-----------------------------------------------

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 13:03:00 -0500, "James M. Knox"
wrote:

Ron Wanttaja wrote in
:
How will the FAA determine if a particular homebuilt fits the
requirements? If I build an RV-3 and license it as a "Fly Baby"
(perfectly legal...I can name it whatever I want) with a "Wanttaja
C-85 engine" (looking suspiciously like an O-320 with a new data
plate...again, perfectly legal), and put in the logbook that it stalls
at 39 knots (it's a single-seat airplane....who can contradict me?)
will I be able to fly it without a medical?

Good scenario, and one *I* would be happy to approve. However, part of
the two things I believe you left out are weight and max cruise speed, both
of which I believe you would exceed by a wide margin.

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 13:03:00 -0500, "James M. Knox"
wrote:

Ron Wanttaja wrote in
:

How will the FAA determine if a particular homebuilt fits the
requirements? If I build an RV-3 and license it as a "Fly Baby"
(perfectly legal...I can name it whatever I want) with a "Wanttaja
C-85 engine" (looking suspiciously like an O-320 with a new data
plate...again, perfectly legal), and put in the logbook that it stalls
at 39 knots (it's a single-seat airplane....who can contradict me?)
will I be able to fly it without a medical?

Good scenario, and one *I* would be happy to approve. However, part of
the two things I believe you left out are weight and max cruise speed, both
of which I believe you would exceed by a wide margin.

Empty weight for an RV-3 is about 800 pounds...quite reasonable to assume
the gross weight is less than 1232 lbs.

As far as max cruise...heck, it's a single-seat airplane. How are they
going to *prove* it exceeds the limit? Who ever heard of a "Fly Baby" that
can exceed 100 MPH? :-)

Ron "Man, we got 50 MPH tailwinds from all direction up there!" Wanttaja