Light Sport/ Rotax Courses

[RGaines]

While waiting for the finish kit I am looking at the courses for Rotax and Light Sport Repairman.

The West Coast group that does the Light Sport Repairman calls it an Inspection course. Does that mean we can inspect but not work on our airplane? There is also a 120 hr LSA maintenance course but it sounds like it is for A&P. Can any A&P work on or sign off work done on an E-LSA? The charge for the two day course seems quite reasonable.

Local Rotax course is also very confusing. There is a level 1 course for two days that seems like it allows you to check the oil, change the filter and check fluids. It is expensive. The level 2 course allows you to remove some components and send them off to be repaired. This is also two days and is also expensive. Both of these classes include a history of Rotax and the theory behind Rotax. Sounds like fluff to me. How much of this do we need? Can any A&P work on/sign off a Rotax engine in our E-LSA.

I know a lot of you have experience with this. Any ideas about what we need would be great. I have done a lot of work on our RV-6A (purchased flying) and have a good relationship with the A&P on the field.

Thanks

 

[mcjon77]

There are two Light Sport Repairman Courses and ratings:
16 hr (2 day) Light Sport Aircraft Repairman-Inspection
120 hr (3 week) Light Sport Aircraft Repairman-Maintenance

the 16 hr LSA Repairman-Inspection course is held all over the country and gives the user the right to perform the annual condition inspection on his E-LSA. An ELSA doesn't require any special ratings to perform repairs/maintenance on the aircraft, but you do need the Inspection rating to perform annuals. If you are only concerned about working on, and doing the annuals for your RV-12, this is the only course you "need".

The 120 hr LSA Repairman-Maintenance course is only given by Rainbow Aviation in California (although Rainbow does hold one of these seminars in September at EAA headquarters in Oshkosh). The holder of this rating is authorised to perform annual inspections on BOTH ELSAs and SLSAs. In addition, this Repairman can service an repair SLSAs (e.g. CTSW, Remos G3). You do not have to be an A&P to take this course. In fact, in most circumstances, an A&P can do anything on an LSA that a LSA Repairman-Maintenance can do.

The LSA Repairman-Maintenance cert ONLY authorises him to repair SLSAs, NOT standard catagory aircraft that fit the light sport qualifications (e.g. Piper J3 Cub, Ercoupe, Taylorcraft). For that, you still need an A&P. As stated in the previous paragraph no special certification is needed to repair ELSAs, so an LSA Repairman-Maintenance could repair an ELSA RV-12 as well. Then again, so could some guy off of the street.

As far as the rotax courses go. One guy who did the full 3 week LSA Repairman-Maintenance course reported that, in addition to receiving his Repairman certificate, he also received a Rotax Level 2 maintenance certificate, so he can now go on directly to the rotax heavy maintenance course (I am assuming after the stated 2 years required experience working with rotax engines).

Hope this helps,

 

[RGaines]

Rotax Course

Thanks. Do you know if we need a course from Rotax or does the Light Sport Repairman course cover that?

 

[craigvince]

Thanks. Do you know if we need a course from Rotax or does the Light Sport Repairman course cover that?

The "LSRM" course (120 hours) only covers level 1 of the Rotax course. There are 4 or 5 levels total. Level 1 includes regular maintenance items, like oil changes, carb balancing, etc.

 

[mcjon77]

The "LSRM" course (120 hours) only covers level 1 of the Rotax course. There are 4 or 5 levels total. Level 1 includes regular maintenance items, like oil changes, carb balancing, etc.

Thanks for the clarification on the Rotax levels received. The guy I spoke with said he recieved a "Level 2 service" rating. It was kind of confusing to me since the "service" level is level 1 and the "maintenance" level is level 2. I ASSumed he meant "Level 2 maintenance". I guess he actually meant 'Level 1 service".