On Saturday, May 14, EAA AirVenture Museum hosts “Hops & Props,” a new fine food and beverage-tasting event coordinated by EAA, The Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper, and Fox River Brewing Company that will benefit EAA’s youth education initiative.
Don't miss the opportunity to sample unique beverages provided by microbreweries and distributors from across the region, plus enjoy elegant hors d'oeuvres catered by the Supple Restaurant Group, and live entertainment provided by Pandora's Groove Steel Drum Band; Ethan Keller Band; Brothers of Other Mothers; and Lukas Larabee & the
Lifepartners. (read more)
The people at EAA AirVenture wearing pink shirts are more likely than not:
Don’t miss a
single issue
of EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine. Add
it to your membership today!
Q & A:
Question
of the Week
for
EAA Aviation Services:
I'm getting ready to buy an experimental amateur-built aircraft.
Do I need to hold a category and class rating?
Answer:
Categories and classes of aircraft are outlined in FAR 61.5. For amateur-built aircraft, FAA Order 8130.2F, paragraph 153b(17) says you must hold an appropriate category/class rating if you are flying any turbojet/turbofan-powered aircraft.
In addition, the FAA recently changed FAR 61.31, adding paragraph (b) that states you must hold an appropriate category/class rating when flying passengers in any experimental aircraft, including amateur-built aircraft. This new change to the category/class rating is outlined in
FAA Notice N
8700.42, dated April 21, 2005.
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.
May
2005
EAA Desktop Calendar
We received a lot of
positive feedback on Jim Koepnick's terrific photo that appeared in the April 2005
edition of Sport Aviation illustrating new technological
advances in the GA cockpit. So we decided to use it for our May 2005
wallpaper calendar. Get a copy for your computer desktop today
at the EAA website.
Bipartisan Reservations over User Fees Expressed at House Aviation Subcommittee Hearing
EAA and general aviation’s unified position regarding how to fund the dwindling aviation trust fund appeared to
win support versus creation of a user
fee-based funding mechanism during a House Aviation Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. (read more)
EAA Pioneer Airport Kicks Off 2005 Flying Season About 22 aircraft landed at EAA AirVenture Museum’s Pioneer Airport April 30-May 1 to help kick off the 2005 spring flying season. Members of the Wisconsin Wings of the Ercoupe Owners Club, the Piper Cub Club, and the National Aeronca Association flew in for the event.
Opening weekend also featured rides in EAA’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor, 1929 Travel-Air E4000, and Bell 47 bubble-front helicopter. Twenty Young Eagles also received flights over the two-day opening. (read more)
2005 EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame Nominations Sought The EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame Award,
among the highest Experimental Aircraft Association honors, will close nominations for its class of 2005 on June 30. Inductees are carefully chosen by a committee of their peers as being outstanding examples of people whose contributions have positively enriched the sport of ultralight aviation.
The induction ceremony will be held in the fall of 2005 at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. To request a nomination form, visit the
EAA website or contact Pat Heyer at 920/426-6507 or
pheyer@eaa.org. Nominations must be postmarked by June 30, 2005.
EAA Staffers Instruct New Light-Sport Aircraft DARs
EAA’s Earl Lawrence and Joe Norris taught the first class for light-sport aircraft designated airworthiness representatives (DARs) April 27-28, in Oklahoma City.
Earlier last month, the FAA authorized the training to create DARs for inspecting new and transitioning light-sport aircraft (LSA). The action removed a major roadblock in the implementation of the sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule.
The initial class included 23 students, 15 DARs already approved by the National Examining Board (NEB) and eight FAA staff persons. Students were primarily DARs who already had the amateur-built function code “46” and were adding 47 and 48, denoting experimental and special LSA, respectively.
A second LSA DAR course is tentatively scheduled for this month, with additional courses held as needed until there are sufficient DARs to handle the anticipated workload.
EAA Sport Pilot Tour Begins in June at
Marysville Fly-In EAA’s first Sport Pilot Tour begins June 3-4 at the EAA Golden West Regional Fly-In, Marysville, California. From there stops include St. Louis, Missouri, June 10-11; Franklin, Pennsylvania, June 17-18; and capped by EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005, July
25-31. EAA’s Sport Pilot Team will provide insights into transitioning, maintenance, medical considerations, and more, as people have the chance to see and fly sport pilot eligible light-sport aircraft. They’ll also receive tips on what to ask before buying an LSA. (read
more)
Southwest EAA Fly-In
Makes Final Preparations Organizers
for the 2005 Southwest EAA Texas Fly-In continue to make final preparations
for next week's event, to be held May 13-15 for the first time ever at
the Hondo Airport (HDO) in Hondo, Texas. The prime location is 50 minutes west of San Antonio on Hwy. 90.
Daily air shows will be headlined by Debby Rihn-Harvey, the highest-ranking female aerobatic competitor on the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships for the past seven years;
Randy Harris and the Skybolt 300; Ron Cain and his De Havilland DHC 10-22 Chipmunk; Paul Fiala in his Barnstormer; and Jan Collmer in the Fina
Extra. Forums and workshops, aircraft judging, and a special tribute
flight to Canard aircraft at 12 noon on Friday, May 13, are just a few
of the other special events in store for attendees. For complete fly-in
information, visit www.swrfi.org.
Special Guests Burt Rutan, Bertrand Piccard
to Appear
at Lindbergh Foundation Hangar Party
The Lindbergh Foundation hosts a very special aviation event on Friday, May 20, when Burt Rutan and Dr. Bertrand Piccard appear at the “Legends of the Sky: Stories of History-Making Aircraft and Their Pilots” hangar party at the Golden Wings Museum, Anoka County Airport
(ANE) in Blaine, Minnesota. Host Erik Lindbergh, grandson of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, will be joined by co-emcees John and Martha King of King Schools, Inc. (read
more)
First Quarter GA Numbers Show
Sharp Industry Increases
First quarter general aviation shipments increased 15.7 percent while industry billings for new airplanes jumped 14.1 percent,
reports the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). “Strong industry billings speak for the overall health of the general aviation industry and importance of private aviation as part of the world’s transportation system,” said Pete
Bunce, GAMA president and CEO. Compared to the first quarter-2004, piston-powered shipments worldwide increased from 394 to 432, and turboprops nearly doubled from 34 to 57. Business jets saw a 21.1 percent increase from 114 to 138. For
more information, visit www.GAMA.aero.
Oregon Aero Offers High-G Safety Seats for RV-10
RV-10 builders now have the option of installing front seats that address safety and ergonomic issues, while effectively integrating design, cushions and restraint systems.
Oregon Aero’s High-G Safety Seat passes FAA’s 19G/1500 lb. lumbar load survivability sled crash test by working with restraint systems to help protect occupants involved in survivable accidents.
The High-G Safety Seat can be purchased directly from Van’s Aircraft, Inc. For more information visit
www.oregonaero.com, or www.vansaircraft.com.
Special Price Lock Offered for Bearhawk
Quick-Build Kit
AviPro Aircraft, Ltd.’s 4-place Bearhawk quick-build kit is now available in two separate, affordable packages. Purchase either a complete fuselage, with all the quick-build components, or the quick-build wings, including main tanks, struts, etc. Take delivery of the second half of your kit up to 18 months after the first half and avoid any price increases. It makes no difference whether you order the wings or the fuselage first. Fuselage kit is $13,539 (plus crating) and the wing kit is $16,211 (plus crating). For more information, or to arrange for a demo flight, call 602/971-3768, e-mail
info@bearhawkaircraft.com, or visit
www.bearhawkaircraft.com.
Sporty’s Offers Backup Electric Attitude Indicator
In response to FAA Advisory Circular AC 91-75, which allows and encourages the installation of a backup attitude indicator in place of a turn coordinator, Sporty’s now offers a backup electric attitude indicator with inclinometer.
The easy-to-install device weighs less than four pounds and fits in a standard 3-1/8” opening. The electric attitude indicator is backlit and comes with a 2-year warranty for less than the cost of a hand-held GPS.
“This product is the culmination of 14 years of work by Sporty’s,” said Hal Shevers, Sporty’s Founder and Chairman. “We believe in it so strongly that we’re installing one in all eleven of our IFR
airplanes." The electric attitude indicator is available in 14v or 28v for $1595 from
www.sportys.com, or by calling 1-800-SPORTYS.
Power Flow Short Stacks
For Piper PA-28, Grumman AA5
Piper PA-28 and Grumman AA5 owners can now equip their aircraft with Power Flow short stack exhaust pipes. Sold as standard equipment on tuned exhausts systems, short stacks alter the cowl profile and significantly diminish profile and weight of the original exhaust duct. Short stacks offer many of the performance-enhancing qualities of the earlier models of Power Flow Exhaust Systems, while making it much easier to remove the lower cowling. Order as an optional alternative on a new tuned exhaust system or purchase separately for retrofit on existing systems. It adds $400 to the price for a PA-28 install, $450 for the Grumman. Second generation tuned exhaust system retrofits run $595 for each. For more information, visit
www.powerflowsystems.com, call 386/253-8833; or e-mail:
info@powerflowsystems.com.
First Hummingbird Lands in
Australia
Vertical Aviation Technologies, Inc., Orlando, Florida, delivered its first Hummingbird helicopter kit to Australia on April 18. Assembly on the future demonstrator has begun by a professional build center and Hummingbird Helicopters Australia. The Hummingbird is the only four-place helicopter available in kit form based on an FAA-certified design. Useful load is 950 lbs and standard range is 375 miles. An auxiliary fuel system adds another 150 miles making this helicopter ideal for the Australian outback. Priced new at $170,000 complete includes the engine, Hummingbird carries a 1000-hour warranty. For more information, e-mail
sales@vertical-aviation.com, call 407/322-9488, or visit
www.vertical-aviation.com.
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