Sport Pilot Talk

We are upgrading ELT on my Sting. Getting rid of AmeriKing , which we cannot find batteries for ( and also I know that AmeriKing is having issues with FAA ) and replacing it with ACK.

The new ELT is on the list of TL Ultralight's approved equipment so we don't need a LOA for that but , my mechanic says , because the new ELT is slightly longer and thus needs a new bracket and consequently needs to be installed in a different location , will need a separate LOA for the bracket and the location change ...
He literally told me " if you don’t want to deal with all this crap , switch to ELSA " ...

I know he knows his stuff (he has been working Rotax/Ultralights since the late 90s ) but to me it seems that since the new ELT is already on the list of approved equipment , doesn't it automatically imply that he is allowed to make whatever changes are necessary to mount the new ELT ( within reason ) ?

Man , the more I deal with this stuff , going the ELSA route seems and more appealing …

I would check with Bill, and see if there is already an approval and drawings for the ACK ELT installation.

3Dreaming wrote:I would check with Bill, and see if there is already an approval and drawings for the ACK ELT installation.

My ELT installation was for the ARTEX ELT 345.
Flight Design had my LOA, in hand, within a week. Lockwood did the install.
Excellent unit, very competitive price, same ELT Phil Lockwood installs in his AirCams, which are all over the world.

Very happy with unit.

Hi Warmi,
Since your aircraft didn't come with that ELT you either need an individual LOA or ther company needs to issue a fleet wide LOA. Either way you need the paperwork.

Yeah, we gonna follow up with Bill C and see if he has some pre-cooked paperwork for the bracket and installation - pain in the behind , if you ask me, but you got to do what you got to do ..

Thanks guys.

Warmi wrote: Man , the more I deal with this stuff , going the ELSA route seems and more appealing …

The more I read through the all the threads on this site, the more I'm getting the feeling that if I ever someday got a plane, it would have to be ELSA, and get the certificates to do the inspections and repairs my own. All of the odd regulations and extra costs for SLSA seems tough.

Same here.

Don’t complain - the LSA universe is the “Wild West” of aviation and we are getting off “easy”.

WDD wrote:
The more I read through the all the threads on this site, the more I'm getting the feeling that if I ever someday got a plane, it would have to be ELSA, and get the certificates to do the inspections and repairs my own.

I think it’s a great way to go.

Small correction: there is no “certificate” needed to do maintenance and repair on an E-LSA, just for the ability to do one’s own Annual Condition Inspections. Anyone can work on an Experimental in general.

FastEddieB wrote:

WDD wrote:
The more I read through the all the threads on this site, the more I'm getting the feeling that if I ever someday got a plane, it would have to be ELSA, and get the certificates to do the inspections and repairs my own.

I think it’s a great way to go.

Small correction: there is no “certificate” needed to do maintenance and repair on an E-LSA, just for the ability to do one’s own Annual Condition Inspections. Anyone can work on an Experimental in general.

I agree 100% with everything Eddie said. Going ELSA was the best thing I ever did to/for my airplane. Others have different needs and opinions of course.

Also agree you don't need a repairman certificate for anything except the condition inspection.

If one is not worried about a slight decrease in resale value or limiting potential resale to a smaller market, go for it. The market will always be smaller for those wanting E-LSA over Certified.

MrMorden wrote: Also agree you don't need a repairman certificate for anything except the condition inspection.

Am I also allowed to rebuild the engine as well? What are the limits?

WDD wrote:

MrMorden wrote: Also agree you don't need a repairman certificate for anything except the condition inspection.

Am I also allowed to rebuild the engine as well? What are the limits?

In the eyes of the FAA rebuilding is a very specific term to describe something that is returned to new limits by the manufacturer or someone under their direction. I do believe you would be allowed to overhaul the engine, but once again specific requirements must be met to call it an overhaul. You certainly could do an IRAN on the engine, (inspect and repair as needed).

WDD wrote:

MrMorden wrote:Am I also allowed to rebuild the engine as well? What are the limits?

The short answer is, yes, you can.

Experimental only requires a certificated person to sign off on the Condition Inspection. E-AB/Exhibition/Restricted/etc.. it's an A&P, ELSA you can have an LSRM do the CI. Also with an ELSA, you also have the option to get your LSRI and do the CI. So, once a year, a person with the appropriate certification has to look at the airplane an deem it airworthy in order to fly another 12 months.

Outside of that annual CI, anyone can do anything to an Experimental aircraft. Rebuild engines? Yep, that too.

However, what you can do, does not always equate to what's wise to do.

smutny wrote: So, once a year, a person with the appropriate certification has to look at the airplane an deem it airworthy .

Well, technically, no. An SLSA, ELSA, E-AB, etc. can never be airworthy. By definition, airworthy means the aircraft complies with its type certificate, and is in a condition for safe operation. Unless certified, an airplane doesn't have a type certificate, thus isn't airworthy. But, it must still be in a condition for safe operation.

Conclusion: experimentals and LSAs can never be airworthy, but must be safe.

Corollary: certified aircraft can never be safe, but must be airworthy.

Sigh... did it again. One of these days I'll correctly state that.