EAA AOPA medical proposal

[FastEddieB]

These are nice, new, very modern, well equipped (did I say new?) aircraft, selling for a fraction of the price of their certified counterparts. Medical certificate notwithstanding, for a certain mission there will always be a market for them.

As a single, anecdotal data point...

...when I was shopping in 2006/2007, I still had a medical and had no intention of letting it lapse.

Yet I was still drawn to LSA's. Most non-LSA's were old designs - many tracing their roots back a half century or more.

And, personally, I was eager to escape from the world of Lycoming & Continental, again, proven but very, very old technology for the most part. And expensive. For instance, I can replace all 8 of my spark plugs for less than the cost of a single Champion for a Lycoming or Continental.

And, again just for me, having the option to go Experimental was HUGE. It's not for everyone, but for me it changed the entire ownership experience to something far more immersive, not to mention cheaper.

[Jack Tyler]

"Medical certificate notwithstanding, for a certain mission there will always be a market for them."

Paul, I agree. But the question was whether either 'driver license proposal', if approved, would hurt the LSA industry. My point was that those with the most skin in the game certainly think so.

[drseti]

Yes, Jack, they do think so. I only hope that doesn't cause the movers and shakers in this industry to take a stand against wider use of the DL medical. The proposals (either one) would, if adopted, be good for GA as a whole, and it worries me that self-interest often trumps the greater good. (Do I sound like a socialist? Must be my Berkeley upbringing...)

[designrs]

... LSA bigwigs (Hey! Some might be on ths board.) could never oppose wider use of a driver's license medical. Even those connected to LSA sales may not like the perceived business impact if the legslitation passes... but come on! ... they can't get up and oppose what they have been promoting all along.

It would be really, really interesting to see LSA stand it's ground after such legislation, should it pass. The RV-12 in particular would be an amazing case study as Vans is clearly well-established with or without the RV-12... a great model in itself, regardless of regulation.

[MrMorden]

... LSA bigwigs (Hey! Some might be on ths board.) could never oppose wider use of a driver's license medical. Even those connected to LSA sales may not like the perceived business impact if the legslitation passes... but come on! ... they can't get up and oppose what they have been promoting all along.

I think you underestimate the human capabilities for self-deception and hypocrisy.

If something is perceived to hurt their business, it is perfectly rational for them to oppose it. They may like the principle of expanded DL medicals, but for most people the need to feed their families will trump that principle. This is not a knock on these companies; people *should* promote what is in their interests. Which is why ALL pilots should vocally support expanded DL medicals!

[dstclair]

What Andy said.

If I could predict the market, I'd be retired and typing this from my winter home

We've beat this to death but there is a market for LSA for pilots that have (or the ability to pass) a 3rd class medical. Lot of examples on SPT and CTFlier. The size of the remaining market is the question. Perhaps, this facilitates the long predicted shake-up of the US makers?

Change also creates opportunity. What if this causes the ASTM committee to stop squabbling and agree on IMC standards for LSA? Maybe a brand new 110+ kts IMC capable aircraft with glass panels, autopilot, etc. becomes appealing. Or even better, come up with a standard for a controllable prop (like every other country that has LSA-like planes) and bump the cruise speed by 10 kts or so.

Personally, I'd rather see the law/regs just replace the 3rd class medical with a DL+AOPA/EAA annual medical training. Much cleaner.

[MovingOn]

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[designrs]

Personally, I'd rather see the law/regs just replace the 3rd class medical with a DL+AOPA/EAA annual medical training. Much cleaner.

THIS!
… maybe bi-annual, corresponding with your BRF, so pilots can decide to do them at the same time.
How many times do you really need to sit through a medical seminar?

[MovingOn]

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[designrs]

… online medical seminar... like they have for the SFRA.

[MrMorden]

I don't know, but I would do it every month if it would help pass this thing.

Careful what you wish for...FAA will make the briefing weekly if we let them!

I'd also like to see the max LSA speed go away. It's a dumb rule anyway, and after all, if you keep the stall speed and weight limits, the top speed becomes self limiting anyway. I'd love to see some really slick adjustable prop LSAs with 45kt stall speed and 150-160kt top speed. Or a single seat fireball at 200kt.

[MovingOn]

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[MrMorden]

I don't think anything about Sport Pilot or LSA is dumb. I think they did a pretty good job of coming up with a set of specifications, privileges, and limitations that allowed us to fly with no medical while limiting risk. Now, if they can expand that based on the demonstrated favorable results, that will be great. It's easy to criticize every decision made by someone else.

Agree to disagree on this. The LSA rules are like everything else designed by committee, IMO.

[MovingOn]

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[CharlieTango]

We don't have to rely on the govt to ground us when we get to old, we can ground ourselves.

There comes a time to give up driving, sky diving, skiing, scuba, ...etc. We don't rely on govt to stop us we rely on common sense.