The new program applies to small (less than 12,500 pounds) type-certificated aircraft built before 1980. It allows ordinary maintenance personnel to validate that low-risk replacement parts are suitable for installation on aircraft, without the need for extensive engineering analysis or complex and time-consuming design and production approvals from the FAA, according to officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association, who spent years advocating for the new program.
Experimental Aircraft Association
EAA’s Sport Pilot Academy returns in 2023
The all-inclusive and immersive program aims to help student pilots earn their sport pilot certificate in as little as three weeks, according to EAA officials.
Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight returns to Oshkosh
One of the most emotional and poignant moments of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh returns in 2023 as 100 Vietnam War vets will take a Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on July 28 as part of AirVenture’s annual salute to veterans.
Task-based experimental flight test guidelines published
The task-based Phase I flight testing program is an alternative to the standard 25 or 40-hour flight testing requirement for amateur-built aircraft, replacing the hours-based test period with a list of tasks to complete, according to officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association.
New flying club at KALN
Flight instructors Don Hill and John Harding are forming the flying club, which will have its first meeting March 9, 2023, at St. Louis Regional Airport.
EAA hosts inaugural Learn to Fly Week in May
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) will hold its inaugural Learn to Fly Week May 15-20, 2023, with five days of free webinars, as well as in-person Flying Start events.
Repair work continues on EAA’s B-17
Aluminum Overcast had been in Punta Gorda, Florida, since March 2021, when a routine pre-flight inspection revealed a crack emanating from the left sheer web, which is a secondary support structure for the wing. The only way to repair that is by removing the wing.
FAA rescinds controversial flight training policy
The FAA has published a Notice of Policy in the Federal Register confirming that letters of deviation authority (LODAs) are no longer required for most flight training in experimental aircraft where the use of the aircraft is not being compensated.
300 new pilots and counting…
“The cost of flight training can be a barrier for many aspiring pilots, so EAA working with the Ray Foundation helps break down the barrier and make the goal of becoming a pilot even more attainable for future generations,” says Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programming. “We’ve found that more than 80% of Ray Aviation Scholars are completing their pilot training, which is the complete opposite ratio of those who would start flight training on their own, so this program’s outcomes are having a direct, significant effect on the pilot population.”