Erik needs to build time and is considering a cheaper path:

I just got my private and am working on my instrument rating now but of course I need to get PIC too. Does PIC time in an LSA count as regular PIC time towards things like commercial and CFI ratings?

Erik, you’re in luck. As far as the FAA is concerned, PIC time is PIC time, and the fact that it’s being logged in a Light Sport aircraft is irrelevant—you’re the pilot in command. You may need to log additional time to meet some of the specifics; for example, a Commercial certificate requires 10 hours in a complex aircraft and 10 hours of instrument training.

I’ve actually heard a story about a similar time-building concept: a young pilot bought a multiengine ultralight (I think it may have been a Cri Cri) and built a ton of time while burning 2 gallons an hour. If you think out of the box when it comes to your training, you can save a lot of money and still meet requirements.

Tags: workaround

John writes asking about the W in the A.R.R.O.W. acronym:

With regards to the acronym “ARROW” for required documents: Where in the FARs is the specific requirement for the “W”? I realize the requirement would be indirectly there because of the requirement for the AFM. But the acronym would be rather lengthy if we listed all the required components of the AFM.

If you’re reading this post, and haven’t started flying yet, here is something you should know about aviation: we have a acronym and mnemonic for EVERYTHING.  Especially when it comes to remembering lengthy regulations.  In this case, ARROW is the acronym used to help remember the required basic documents and paperwork that must be on board every airplane to be legal.   To review:

A - Airworthiness Certificate

R - Registration

R - Radio Station License (not required in the U.S.)

O - Pilot Operating Handbook

W - Weight and Balance

John’s question is simply, “Can you show me in the regs where it says we need the W?”  Sure John, I’d be happy to help.  I do want to point out though that acronymns and mnemonics are not officially recognized.  They are not endorsed by the FAA.  We use them in the training community simply as a memory aid and device.  Maybe sometime, a long time ago, some instructor decided that “ARO” wasn’t as easy to remember as “ARROW”.

There are actually a couple of places where  we can find this requirement though.  The most common one most instructors point to is…

1) FAR 91.103 - Preflight Action.

This regulation details the information that pilots are supposed to become familiar with  before each and every flight.  Of course, we have another mnemonic (RAWFAT) to help us remember the gist of these requirements:

(I have place an asterisk by the ones that are only required for flights not in the immediate vicinity of the airport)

R- Runway lengths (every flight)

A - Alternates *

W - Weather *

F- Fuel requirements  *

A - ATC delays *

T- Takeoff/landing distance data (every flight)

Let’s look at the last one - T.  If you are required to know your takeoff / landing distance data for each and every flight, it is somewhat implied that you are going to have to know your weight and balance as your performance will vary, obviously, with changes in the aircraft’s gross weight.  In fact, 91.103(b)(2) states that if for some reason you are flying an older airplane, for which there is not the standard  takeoff and landing data tables than:

(2) For civil aircraft other than those specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, other reliable information appropriate to the aircraft, relating to aircraft performance under expected values of airport elevation and runway slope, aircraft gross weight, and wind and temperature.

2) FAR 91.9 - Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements.

This regulation states pretty clearly that yes, we need an approved airplane flight manual but also:

..no person may operate a civil aircraft without complying with the operating limitations specified in the approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual…

In every limitation section of a Airplane Flight Manual (or POH) you will find a section detailing not only the max. and min. weight limits but also the center of gravity limits.  So again, this implies that if you are required to operate within these limitations than you will have to complete a weight-and-balance calculation prior to every flight.

3) FAR 43.5 - Approval for return to service after maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration.

This regulation states that if any major repair work has been done on your airplane and that repair work results in a change or alteration of the limitations of the airplane.  That information must be entered in the airplane flight manual (AFM).  That is why you see all those updated weight and balance forms in the aircraft’s AFM.  It’s required.

I hope this has helped answer your question about why the “W” is in “ARROW”.

Fly Safe.

Tags: FAA, FARs, Preflight

We have been receiving a lot of Sport pilot and LSA-related questions lately. Ken has two more:

“If I get my PPL, can I count my hours in a non-LSA aircraft toward a SP CFI?”

And, a more general question, “Is there some common reason why schools and FBOs seem very cold to the suggestion of having an LSA craft in their fleet?”

Ken, I’m going to answer your questions out of order, because the second one actually has a lot of depth to it. As you probably know, Sport pilots can ’self-certify’ their medical fitness—simply being healthy and possessing a valid driver’s license is enough to legally carry a passenger in a light sport aircraft. Somewhat understandably, insurance companies are not too excited about this. Where there was previously some level of oversight in the form of an FAA-approved medical examiner, there is now what you could describe as an honor system. That seems to be part of it; it would be difficult for clubs and FBOs to insure pilots who hold only a Sport certificate.

What you may not realize, however, is that Light Sport Aircraft are also self-certified, in a way. A light sport manufacturer abides by FAA regulations and requirements, but there is no FAA certification process to ensure that the aircraft are being built to those standards. It’s not as if there are LSAs falling out of the sky because of this, but there’s a reason that a Sting Sport costs significantly less than a Bonanza or a Cirrus. This is probably the biggest hurdle for FBOs, as getting hull insurance for Sport aircraft is also quite expensive. Despite these problems, there are many clubs and schools, at least in the Northwest, that do offer Sport training and rentals, but there are likely to be more restrictions.

With that out of the way, I’ll dive into (and expand, for other readers) your first question:

Can normal non-sport aircraft time count towards an SP-CFI (Sport Pilot-limited flight instructor) rating?

Simply put, yes, but it’s a little more awkward than that. First of all, the flight experience requirements depend on which type of SP-CFI you wish to become. This is about as easy as it sounds. If you don’t plan on teaching in a powered parachute, don’t read that section of FAR 61, Subpart K, which discusses the various SP-CFIs. For our purposes, we’ll assume you’re going to be flying airplanes, in which case you need to simply log at least 150 hours total flight time, 100 hours of which is to be as PIC and 50 hours of which is to be in a single-engine airplane. Of that time, only 15 hours must be in an LSA. Your logbook could contain 50 hours of glider time, 100 hours of helicopter time, or any combination of flight time that adds up to 50 hours of SEL/SES and 100 hours of PIC in a powered aircraft.

Tags: Light Sport, LSA