Q & A:
Question
of the Week Question for EAA Aviation
Information Services:
In the other LSA maintenance options section it states: The annual condition inspection on special light-sport airworthiness certified aircraft can be completed by:
- An appropriately rated mechanic that is an A&P
- An appropriately rated repair station
- A light sports repairman with a Maintenance rating
The question is that, as an A&P, may I perform annual inspections on vintage aircraft that fall in the LSA category because I do not have an
IA inspection authorization authority? I have a J-3C Cub and have to get an
IA to perform my annual inspections.
Answer: The certification of the aircraft does not change, even if it falls within the definition of an LSA and is being flown by a sport pilot. Thus, the Cub remains a standard category aircraft, and the maintenance and inspection requirements are unchanged. You will still need to use your IA to perform the annual inspections on the Cub.
As an A&P without IA, you will be authorized to perform condition inspections on aircraft certificated in the Special/light-sport aircraft (LSA) and Experimental/LSA categories. You are also authorized to perform condition inspections on experimental/amateur-built aircraft.
How can we help you? To ask a question regarding government issues, e-mail govt@eaa.org. If you have a question
about registration, airmen, aircraft and medical certification, safety
records, performance, or any other matter, e-mail infoserv@eaa.org.
We are pleased to provide this info to EAA members as a membership
benefit. To ensure that this service continues, renew your membership or
join EAA today by calling 800/843-3612 or 920/426-5912.
October
2004
EAA Desktop Calendar
William L. Skliar’s Explorer PG-1 Aqua Glider, or
Bayou Bird as it was nicknamed, first appeared in the May 1961 EAA Sport Aviation. The designer described the aircraft as a “boat-towed, two-winged, primary-class, water-ski seaplane glider.” Bayou Bird retired to EAA in 1970, where it was displayed at the museum It now shares a cozy spot in EAA’s Attic, next to another rare bird—a 1930 Peel Glider Boat.
Visit the
EAA website and choose one of five different resolutions to best suit your screen.
Lucky EAAers Anticipate Being a Part of Historic SpaceShipOne Flight
Attending EAA AirVenture 2004 was an especially smart move for seven EAA members, who next week will watch their EAA membership cards be part of the historic flight of SpaceShipOne, as the homebuilt spacecraft makes its attempt to capture the $10 million Ansari X Prize. The seven people were chosen from among the thousands of EAA members who entered the drawing at EAA Member Village during AirVenture 2004. On Sept. 29, the seven membership cards will be aboard the first scheduled Ansari X Prize flight into to suborbital space that launches from Mojave Airport in Southern California. (read more)
SpaceShipOne Featured on Discovery Channel The Discovery Channel will air a two-hour special “Black Sky: The Race For Space,” a documentary about Burt Rutan, Scaled Composites, and the White Knight/SpaceShipOne project on Sunday, October 3, at 8 p.m. ET. The program will feature extensive footage of the events leading up to and including the successful June 21, 2004, launch of the first privately funded space vehicle to reach 100 km altitude, or suborbital space with test pilot Mike Melvill at the controls. A repeat broadcast will air at 11 p.m. ET.
A second show, covering the anticipated X Prize flights scheduled for September 29 and October 4, will air on October 7 at 8 p.m. on Discovery. Please check your local listings to confirm the times.
VAA Director Alfred Kelch Passes Away
Al Kelch, past director of the Vintage Aircraft Association and former editor of Vintage Airplane, died September 21 after a short illness at the age of 86. Born in 1918, Alfred Kelch became enamored with airplanes and aviators at age 6 when his uncle Percy Bricker bought a war surplus Curtiss Jenny and flew it to Al’s hometown of Lake View, Iowa. Even uncle Percy’s crash landing of the Jenny didn’t dampen his enthusiasm, although little Al was perturbed with his uncle for wrecking “his” Jenny. (read more)
John and Martha King Visit EAA Headquarters
EAA welcomed John and Martha King to its Oshkosh, Wisconsin, headquarters on Monday, where the King Schools owners provided a customer service presentation and met with several EAA officials. John and Martha, who describe themselves as the "newest, lowest-time ultralight flight instructors in the country," are combining resources with EAA to create four new, comprehensive training courses for flight students and instructors. (read more)
EAA Director Scores Reno Win EAA Director Fred Telling took first place in the T-6 Silver Class at last weekend's
annual Reno National Championship Air Races held at Stead Field
Telling flew Baby Boomer an average speed of 217.320 mph to finish ahead of Bud Granley in
Lickety Split, 212.925 mph. Read more for the other class winners.
32nd Copperstate EAA Regional Fly-In October 7-10
The last regional fly-in of the 2004 flying season, the Copperstate Regional EAA Fly-In, is getting ready for its 32nd annual event, to be held October 7-10, at the Phoenix Regional Airport between Maricopa and Casa Grande. The Arizona Council of EAA Chapters have prepared a full slate of activities, including air shows at 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon Sunday; forums and workshops scheduled all three days; a special Family Day on Sunday; more than 500 aircraft on display including homebuilts, vintage, military, ultralights and light-sport aircraft; and more. Many aircraft will compete for judge’s prizes, which are awarded at Saturday night’s awards banquet at the Holiday Inn in Casa Grande. A limited number of tickets will be on sale during the fly-in. (read more)
EAA Ford Tri-Motor Makes Final
Tour Stop EAA’s Ford Tri-Motor 75th Anniversary tour
make's its final stop--at Kansas City, Missouri's Lee's Summit Municipal
Airport--this weekend, September 23-26. Then it's back home to Oshkosh
for a series of final "Fall Color" flights at Pioneer Airport (October
23-24). Come out and see one of history’s most significant aircraft.
BRS Deployment Saves Couple in California
A 65 year-old flight instructor and his wife successfully deployed their Cirrus SR22’s Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) parachute on September 19 near Stockton, California, allowing the aircraft to float safely down where it landed in a tree in a San Joaquin County walnut orchard. William Graham and his wife, Barbara, were enroute from Redding, California, to San Diego, ironically after giving a seminar to fellow aviators on how to use Cirrus' parachute system in the event of an emergency. Polic reports said Graham’s aircraft encountered a storm system and entered a spin at approximately 16,000 feet. Moments later, the pilot radioed that he had turned off the engine and deployed the plane’s emergency parachute. Both walked away from the incident without apparently suffering any injuries to themselves and only minor damage to their plane. BRS President & CEO Mark Thomas was thrilled to hear the news of this happy ending. “Improving aviation safety is the prime objective of BRS and saving lives is our most gratifying accomplishment,” he said. “Our system works, and we want to continue to do our part to make aviation safer for everyone who wants to fly.” There are now Actual documented uses of these systems are credited with saving the lives of 169 people. For more information on BRS, visit
www.brsparachutes.com.
Second RV-10 Makes First Flight
The world’s second RV-10 (and the 3,823rd completed RV airplane) made its first flight on August 31. Van’s Aircraft built the new four-place aircraft, N220RV, as a demonstration and research airplane. Unlike the first RV-10, which has a 260 hp Lycoming IO-540 installed, this one is powered by a six-cylinder, 210 horsepower IO-360 Continental. “We wanted a four-seat aircraft with a performance range comparable to our two-seat airplanes,” explained Van’s CEO Dick VanGrunsven. “To do that, we calculated we’d need between 210-260 horsepower. Our first prototype met our expectations very well and the new airplane, with the 210 horsepower, has actually exceeded our performance estimates.” Early test flights achieved a top speed of 197 mph and a 186 cruise at 75 percent power. Empty weight for the 260 is about 100 pounds lighter than the 540, so useful load increased to 1200 lbs. Van’s has sold about 280 RV-10 kits since it began taking orders in August 2003. The first customer-built versions are expected to appear at fly-ins in 2005. For more information, visit
www.vansaircraft.com or e-mail
info@vansaircraft.com.
Zenith Aircraft Offers New Demo Video
Kit manufacturer Zenith Aircraft Company has created a new 45-minute video with product information, construction techniques, customers testimonials, and plenty of footage showing the Zodiac XL, STOL CH 701, and STOL CH 801 aircraft in action. The video is available on DVD or VHS. The DVD includes a menu-driven interface with bonus material featuring builder-submitted photos and an interview with aeronautical engineer Chris
Heintz, “We think our prospective customers will enjoy watching this video and will learn a lot about the company and the aircraft they are considering building,” said president Sebastien
Heintz. For ordering information, visit the Zenith
website.
Cirrus, CEO Honored at Home
Cirrus Design Corporation and its CEO/co-founder Alan Klapmeier received an award from the Minnesota Department of Transportation this week for the company’s contributions and advancements to aviation. “Cirrus has become a major force in the aviation world and has raised the bar on general aviation technology and safety,” said Lt. Gov. Carol
Molnau, who presented the award. Added State DOT-Aeronautics Director Raymond
Rought, “Cirrus Design Corporation has helped put Minnesota on the world’s aviation map. They have clearly demonstrated the importance and value of general aviation to this state and nation. We are excited to have Cirrus leading the way in general aviation here in Minnesota.”
Sporty's 20th Christmas Ornament Features Piper Aztec
Sporty’s Pilot Shop’s 2004 crystal Christmas ornament is now available. The custom-etched 20th ornament features the classic Piper Aztec twin with a colorful ribbon to use for hanging. The limited-edition ornaments come in an attractive gift box for $24.95. Order item #9833W through
www.sportys.com or by calling
1-800/SPORTYS.
To ensure that you continue to receive EAA e-hotline, please add ehotline@eaa.org
The Discovery Channel will air a two-hour special “Black Sky: The Race For Space,” a documentary about Burt Rutan, Scaled Composites, and the White Knight/SpaceShipOne project on Sunday, October 3, at 8 p.m. ET. The program will feature extensive footage of the events leading up to and including the successful June 21, 2004, launch of the first privately funded space vehicle to reach 100 km altitude, or suborbital space with test pilot Mike Melvill at the controls. A repeat broadcast will air at 11 p.m. ET.
The last regional fly-in of the 2004 flying season, the Copperstate Regional EAA Fly-In, is getting ready for its 32nd annual event, to be held October 7-10, at the Phoenix Regional Airport between Maricopa and Casa Grande. The Arizona Council of EAA Chapters have prepared a full slate of activities, including air shows at 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon Sunday; forums and workshops scheduled all three days; a special Family Day on Sunday; more than 500 aircraft on display including homebuilts, vintage, military, ultralights and light-sport aircraft; and more. Many aircraft will compete for judge’s prizes, which are awarded at Saturday night’s awards banquet at the Holiday Inn in Casa Grande. A limited number of tickets will be on sale during the fly-in.
