Sport Pilot Talk

One of the coil failures I worked on was on a Jabiru J230 that was assembled by the guys in Shelbyville. The problem appeared to be inadequate cooling air flow. The Jabiru baffling included a tube that directs air onto the coils, if it is not aimed correctly, the coils get hot. This happened several...

I have personally worked on a couple engines with Honda Ignition coils that failed due to heat.

Ethanol has been shown to cause 2 stroke oil to phase seperate from gasoline. If you must run gasoline with ethanol, it is best to use an oil injection system, which completely eliminates the problem. Pre-mixed fuels with ethanol should not be stored for long periods, unless the fuel container can b...

Didn't drop off the face of the earth, just extremely busy with the school and shop. I work with up to 20 students at a time, sign off 4 or 5 checkrides a month, and maintain/inspect a bunch of airplanes!

Thank you Paul, and thank you for all that you have been doing to support the Sport Pilot community.

Good point Tom. As of April 2, the training is required for the x-country endorsement, just like a Private Pilot. No time has ever been been specified, only that the training is received and logged when flying an aircraft with a Vh over 87 knots.

You can fly a C172 - Recreational Pilot, unless you are unable to qualify for a third class medical. I instruct in an Aeronca Champ. I believe the Aeronca is the perfect example of what FAA had in mind. Low, slow, simple, can't cause much damage. The Champ has no guages, no electrical system, no fla...

Exactly my point. I agree that an hour is vital. The pilot that is willing to make foolish decisions because of his avionics will most likely not benefit all that much from a single hour of hood work. It is the attitude that needs to be changed. I train instrument pilots daily, and I find that most ...

Unfortunately, one hour of 180 degree turn training is unlikely to save the life of a Sport Pilot that is foolish enough to be flying around in what would have to be much lower than legal conditions. Our hope is that a pilot that is flying with minimum training, and probably no recurrent training or...

Paul, I agree 100% with your policy of including instrument training in your course. The FAA requirements are certainly minimums.

The requirement for instrument training was withdrawn from the final rule change. Look at the Federal Register. Volume 75, No. 20, page 5205, section II, "Summary of Final Rule":

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-2056.pdf

Where is it published in the Federal Register and what procedures are used for aircraft not equipped for instrument flight? The link below is to the current Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.1.2&a...

No instrument training is required for the Sport Pilot rating, regardless of aircraft speed. Only 2 hours of prep are required. 2 hours of instruction in the 60 days prior to a checkride is usually not sufficient for most 20 hour students to be ready for a checkride, in my experience.

I have been providing accelerated training for about 4 years now with a great deal of success. I've had three folks finish this month with less than 10 days in training. With 5000 hours of flght instruction under my belt, I've got it down to a science. I train in an Aeronca Champ, no glass or gadget...

I've been providing accelerated training for Sport, Private and Instrument for years now tiht great success. I dare say that the intensively trained pilots are better than the once every 2 weeks pilots. I've had 4 sport pilots finish this month, each took less than 10 days, scored 90+ on their writt...