Posted for "Justin Hawkins" <JustinH@lancair.com>:
EAA Asks Members to Urge FAA: Preserve Rights For All Homebuilders
February 28, 2008 - The rights and privileges enjoyed by homebuilders
over the past half-century have not only given citizens the freedom to
build and fly their own aircraft, they also led to innovations that have
found their way into type-certificated products and created an entire
industry of suppliers, designers, manufacturers, making all of aviation
stronger. Recent developments, however, have caused considerable angst
in the homebuilt community about whether or not that freedom will exist
in the same form after the FAA unveils its new policy regarding
amateur-built aircraft certification, which will occur later this year.
Any substantive changes could cause negative effects to ripple
throughout the homebuilt industry.
The FAA affirms that it wants to preserve the 51 percent rule and 14 CFR
part 21.191(g), the homebuilt aircraft regulations. The agency is
questioning whether "quick-build kits" result in aircraft that are
compliant with the original regulations, even though the agency has
consistently approved such aircraft.
To help the FAA have a better understanding of what it takes to build
even a "fast build" aircraft, EAA is asking homebuilders to write the
FAA and urge policymakers to maintain and protect the rights of ALL
amateur builders.
When the agency announced its intentions to re-examine 51 percent
regulations at EAA AirVenture 2006, it appointed an industry-government
aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) to come up with recommendations on
the amateur-building issue. (EAA's Earl Lawrence was ARC co-chair with
Dick VanGrunsven of Van's Aircraft.) FAA published those ARC
recommendations in the Federal Register earlier this month and also
announced a temporary suspension of amateur-built aircraft kit
evaluations, meaning it will not add any new kits to its "51 percent
approved list"
<http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/ultralights/amateur_built/kit_listin
g/Complete_mfr_model_listing/> until the new policy is published.
Not included in the ARC report was EAA's position, shared by the kit
manufacturers:
1. Protect the current rights of builders to build the
"quick-built" aircraft kits that FAA has included on the 51 percent
approved list, and that our members have been building over the last
decade. The FAA has to recognize that for more than a decade it has set
precedent regarding the various kits and practices that they have said
meet the standard. The FAA needs to honor its precedent and continue to
approve those kits.
2. Protect the 51 percent rule and with it, the builder's ability
to build an amateur-built aircraft of any complexity, power or size.
A Call to Action
With these points in mind, EAA asks its members to get involved and
write to the FAA.
If you're a homebuilder: Write and share your experience as an amateur
builder with those who are spearheading the new policy. Share with the
FAA your experience of building your aircraft, why you consider yourself
a true amateur builder in every sense of the word, and that you advocate
preserving the precedent established by the FAA when it approved today's
fast or quick built kits as 51 percent-compliant. EAA has provided a
sample letter <http://www.eaa.org/news/2008/public_comment_letter.pdf>
with topics for you to consider including in your letter to the FAA.
If you're not a homebuilder: We sincerely hope that this issue is
important to you, too. If you believe in the homebuilt movement and all
the innovation that comes from it, be ready to act when the FAA
publishes its new policy as to what qualifies under the amateur-built
regulations. Watch the EAA website for further details.
To learn more about this critical issue, visit
www.EAA.org/govt/building.asp <http://www.eaa.org/govt/building.asp> ,
plus explore the information located under the Amateur-Built menu in the
blue reference box on the left.
Justin Hawkins
Lancair Airframe & Technical Support
Lancair Int. Inc.
2244 Airport Way
Redmond, OR 97756
justinh@lancair.com <mailto:justinh@lancair.com>
541-923-2244 ext 121
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