Sport Pilot Talk

owenstrawn · Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 20

Surely nobody thinks they can learn to maneuver by reference to instruments in only one hour. Certainly the FAA doesn't think so. No, the point of the 1 hour requirement is not to teach but to demonstrate. Not "will you", not "can you", but "why not?"

FSing will teach you that if you keep your cool you can survive. This is actually a bad thing, because it will not teach you how hard it is to keep your cool. 1 hour or 40 hours or 4000 hours of FSing the most complicated manuevers you can think of at your desk, you simply will not ever lose your balance.

But in only 1 hr under the hood you will at some point lose your balance. You will panic, and you will resolve not to ever get caught out that way. Of course you eventually will, but at least when you do you will understand just exactly how much danger you are in.

CharlieTango · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:05 pm Post subject:

owenstrawn wrote: ...the point of the 1 hour requirement is not to teach but to demonstrate. Not "will you", not "can you", but "why not?"...

i don't agree

doesn't sound like the faa agrees ""Lawrence said. "It addresses a safety issue. A leading cause of private pilot accidents involves pilots unexpectedly flying from VFR conditions into low-visibility conditions. In such unfortunate scenarios, some familiarity with instrument-only flying could prove highly beneficial to the sport pilot."

II.B.5. Require 1 hour of flight training on the control and
maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments for
student pilots seeking a sport pilot certificate to operate an airplane
with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS and sport pilots
operating airplanes with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS
(Sec. Sec. 61.89, 61.93, and 61.327)
Current regulations require student pilots seeking a sport pilot
certificate to receive and log flight training in the control and
maneuvering of an aircraft solely by reference to flight instruments.
This training must be received before conducting a solo cross-country
flight or any flight greater than 25 nautical miles from the airport
from where the flight originated. It also must be received prior to
making a solo flight and landing at any location other than the airport
of origination. These requirements are detailed in Sec. 61.93 and are
applicable to persons seeking a student pilot certificate to operate
any category and class of aircraft. That section, however, does not
specify any minimum flight training time to meet these requirements. In
addition, current regulations for the issuance of a sport pilot
certificate do not require an applicant to receive flight training on
the control and maneuvering of any aircraft solely by reference to
instruments.
The FAA is concerned that persons exercising student or sport pilot
privileges in airplanes with a maximum airspeed in level flight with
maximum continuous power (VH) greater than 87 knots calibrated airspeed
(CAS) may inadvertently encounter conditions less than those specified
for VFR operations due to their greater speed and range. Operators of
these aircraft are more likely to encounter instrument meteorological
conditions than operators of other categories of aircraft. In order to
enhance the ability of these pilots to appropriately react to the
possibility of encountering instrument meteorological conditions and
the potential consequences of attempting continued visual flight rule
(VFR) flight in instrument meteorological conditions, the FAA is
proposing to require persons operating an airplane with a VH greater
than 87 knots CAS to receive and log 1 hour of flight training on the
control and maneuvering of an aircraft solely by reference to
instruments.
The FAA recognizes that persons may currently be authorized to
operate aircraft with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS. To provide those
persons with a reasonable period of time to obtain this training, the
agency is proposing that the training be completed by 1 year after the
effective date of the final rule. This training would include straight
and level flight, climbs and descents, turns to a heading, and recovery
from unusual flight attitudes. Due to the slower speeds and limited
capabilities of categories and classes of aircraft other than
airplanes, the FAA is not proposing that this requirement be extended
to operators of those categories and classes of aircraft and airplanes
with a VH less than or equal to 87 knots CAS. The FAA notes that for
training to be conducted solely by reference to instruments in visual
meteorological conditions, it must be conducted with a view-limiting
device.