www.PSFmagazine.com | September-October 2019 | 11 10 | September-October 2019 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft by Dan Johnson And now for 2020... FAI Young Artists Contest 2020 Theme Announced: “Flying Yesterday And Tomorrow” The dream to fly is thousands of years old. Ancient stories from around the world tell us of those who wanted to take flight. Their stories of successes and failures started to become reality in the late 1800s, when men and women used the growing technological know-how to build the craft that, up until then, had only been possible in our dreams. Early balloonists excited the world with flights covering 25 miles in under three hours. Now, they have the option of taking a few hours journey or one of thousands of miles over many days in balloons specially designed and equipped to go long distances. Gliders have increased distances and heights as well. While the first glider pilots jumped their gliders from hills and mountains, today’s gliders are towed high into the air and can travel for hundreds of kilometers or more. The first airplanes were made of cloth and wood, and those early crafts were powered by engines that produced around 12 horsepower. Today, metal and composites are the materials designers use to make flight faster and safer. In fact, some modern racing planes’ engines produce over 3,500 horsepower, and a modern commercial airliner with multiple engines creates over 95,000 horsepower! While the physics of flight remains the same, the technology is always advancing. Each generation has learned from those that have come before, adding to what is possible while holding true to the love of flight that is in the heart of all aviators. The dreams of flight have become the reality of today’s sports aviation. The hang gliders, balloonists, racers, and aerobatic pilots fly above us and show what is possible today. What does the future hold? Where will the young aviation dreamers of today lead us? It is time to get out your favorite artist supplies and give free rein to your imagination to create your work that combines the flights of the past with the dreams of the future in this year’s “Flying yesterday and tomorrow” art contest. In order for your school or child to compete, contact the United States National Aeronautic Association at https://naa.aero. Below: Quanjie Dai (USA) Left: Karin Saruwatari (Japan) Right: Yanina Rakova (Belarus) Below: Daniela Hyksova (Czech Republic) Update on the FAA’s Plan to Change Light Sport Aircraft Regulations Many have asked about progress on faa’s proposed rewrite of the Light Sport Aircraft regulations. Following a lengthy teleconference at the end of June 2019, lama, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, provided another update. The update to industry covered a lot of ground but here we’ve tried to make it a quicker read. Two key points: First, faa is in the early stages of this rulemaking; at least minor changes are certain. faa itself does not know all the specific details of the proposed rule at this time. Secondly, the steps reported here come from actual rule writers but their effort has support from top faa leadership. Driven by a Congressional mandate, we know this will go forward. LSA Is a Success Story For 15 years Light Sport Aircraft and their producers have proven themselves, lama argued. faa concurred; the agency has often referred to the safety record as “acceptable,” reasonably high praise from regulators. “A lot of [the rule change] is based on the [generally positive] experience with lsa,” faa noted. They also said the revised regulation will be “less prescriptive, more performance-based.” This is seen as a deregulatory effort by the agency. Regarding the much-anticipated max weight increase, faa refers to a “Power Index.” This term means a formula-based method to replace maximum takeoff weight in the definition of a lsa, involving wing area, horsepower, and takeoff weight. faa is also looking at up to four seats, “ for personal use and for flight training.” Airspeeds — referring to maximum horizontal and never-to-exceed speeds (Vh and Vne) — may be higher than in the current rule, but will still be limited. Neither will faa be prescriptive about (that is, tightly defining) power plants. The 2004 version of the lsa rule prohibited electric motors because rule writers wanted to discourage turbine power and therefore specified reciprocating engines, which knocked out electric. faa will now consider both electric and hybrid.
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