The FAA recently released AC 90-116, the Additional Pilot Program (APP) for Phase I flight testing, of homebuilt aircraft, which allows homebuilders to have a qualified additional pilot on board during Phase I flights.
Before this program, builders were only permitted to have “required crew” aboard for initial flights, which usually meant that every Phase I experimental-amateur built (E-AB) aircraft was legally required to be flown solo, according to officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association.
