Sport aircraft registration

promod69camaro · #1 12-03-2006, 04:57 PM

Hi all. I am new to this site and I appreciate that you are helping to educate the rest of us on sport flying. I do not have a pilots liscense at this time, but I am seriously exploring it. My father and mother are both sick. They live on a 1400 acre farm about 200 miles from my home and in the middle of nowhere. They have to come to Dallas to use commercial airlines, so that is not an option.
I am having to commute to them on weekends to help take care of the farm. I can not move closer to them because of what I do for a living. So I am in a pickel of needing to be at two places at the same time.
I was wondering if a person could get a RV-4 registered as a light sport aircraft. The plane weight is about 900 lbs, and the stall speed is about 48 mph. The light sport rules state the plane must weigh 1320 lbs or less, and stall at 45 kts or less. Looks good so far. It will exceed the cruise speed listed, but some lsa kits are able to exceed that speed also, so I don't know how the FAA looks at this.
I know the RV-4 its a two seat aircraft and that the light sport limits the weight of the plane to 1320 lbs, essentially limiting the plane to one person. My wife would never go up with me anyway because she thinks private aircraft are dangerous and more of a risk than she wants to take. I consider private flight safer than driving in Dallas traffic.
From what I understand, I could take a week off and get all my sport pilot training in that one week, and be ready or close to ready for examination. I was thinking I could hire a RV instructor for flight training after completing the sport pilot course, and practice weekdays until we are both comfortable with my operation of the aircraft. Once checked out, I could fly to my fathers when ever necessary under the sport pilot rules.
I am sure there are some real disadvantages to what I have proposed, the worst being once registered as a lsa, a plane can not be reclassified. So it would essentially be a single person plane because of the 1320 lb weight restriction. But I like the RV much better than some other kit planes that are lsa legal. And there are enough RV's out there that I can find a nice example that is affordable. I do not have money to purchase a new plane, or time to build one, at least right now.
Thanks,
Mike

arffguy · #2 12-03-2006, 05:13 PM

I hate to rain on your parade but the general consensus around here is that you will have a hard time convincing the FAA to certify an RV-4 as a light sport aircraft. Look for some of the archives, it's been mentioned before. If you wanted to change your mind and build an RV-12 then that may be an idea too. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

jclark · #3 12-03-2006, 09:03 PM

As the old expression goes ... "that dog won't hunt". The RV4 is a plane already and it is a known quantity that FAR EXCEEDS the speed requirements. Now if you took that airframe and YOU found a VERY LOW HP engine and modified everything to fit within the parameters and THEN you appealed to the FAA to get this NEW plane so certified then you got a shot. But then again if THAT was feasible, Van would not have gone to all the trouble to design and build the RV-12!

Sounds like you are trying to go Sport Pilot and thus LSA plane in order to save time. In the end you MIGHT be better off to put the intense time (and $$$) in and get a private pilot certificate and fly a traditional plane. There are plenty out there that will do 120kts (max for LSA) and there are plenty of RVs out there that will do 1/3 more.

James