When is an LSA not an LSA ...

[Head in the clouds]

Not correct. See http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/rules/1998casr/021/021c42.pdf

 

Thread drift here, but according to AC 21-41(0), an LSA is ...5. WHAT IS A LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT?

 

5.1 A light sport aircraft (LSA) is a small, simple to operate, low performance aircraft.

 

With regard to the requirements of the CASRs, a light-sport aircraft is an aircraft, other than

 

a helicopter that complies with the following criteria:

 

(1) A maximum takeoff weight of not more than 600 kilograms or 650 kilograms for an

 

aircraft intended for operation on water or 560 kilograms for a lighter-than-air

 

aircraft.

 

(2) A maximum stalling speed in the landing configuration (VS0) of not more than 45

 

knots CAS at the aircraft’s maximum certificated takeoff weight and most critical

 

center of gravity.

 

(3) A maximum seating capacity of no more than two persons, including the pilot.

 

(4) If powered, a single, non-turbine engine fitted with a propeller.

 

(5) A non-pressurised cabin:

 

(i) For an aircraft operating over land, a fixed landing gear;

 

(ii) For an aircraft intended for operation on water, a fixed or repositionable

 

landing gear; and

 

(iii) For a glider a fixed or retractable landing gear.

 

(6) If the aircraft is a glider a maximum never exceed speed Vne of 135 knots CAS.

 

6. CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS FOR LSA

 

6.1 Types of Certificate of Airworthiness for LSA

 

6.1.1 There are 2 types of Certificates of Airworthiness for LSA, a Special Certificate of

 

Airworthiness for Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), and an Experimental Certificate for Light

 

Sport Aircraft.

 

ie. SLSA (factory built) and ELSA (kit-built, typically)

 

rgmwa

I've extracted the posts above from the 'Trailer a Drifter' thread. They were Off Topic there but I think they raise a point that needs some consideration as confusion is likely to be propagated well into the future.

 

What's below is what I think is the case but I may well be wrong about some of it.

 

Since the powers-that-be saw fit to lump all the powered fixed-wing recreational aircraft together into one category we need some new names for the different kinds of aircraft we have but which are in most cases being referred to as 'LSAs'.

 

Has everyone noticed that we have lost the two seat 95.25 450kg category that Drifters and Thrusters and Lightwings used to occupy ..? It's gone, finito! Now those aircraft are in 95.55 but, as some people have discovered with other marques, without the weight increase to 600kg that the CAO allows, because some of the aircraft are not Certificated to 600kg by the manufacturer.

 

So - for example, a Foxbat is an LSA if it's built in the factory. And if the factory decided to sell approved kits they would not be LSAs, they would be experimental LSAs ie ELSAs. ELSA kits do not have to comply with the 51% amateur built rule.

 

LSAs can be used for training but ELSAs cannot be used for general training in a school, only for the training of its owner(s).

 

See the description of what LSAs and ELSAs are in AC 21-41 here.

 

Note that LSAs can be any of the following -

 

5.2 The types of aircraft that may satisfy these criteria are:

 

(1) Fixed wing aircraft;

 

(2) Powered parachutes;

 

(3) Weight shift aircraft;

 

(4) Gliders;

 

(5) Balloons;

 

(6) Airships; and

 

(7) Gyroplanes.

 

If we refer to the CAO 95.55 under which some (i.e. those in sub-section (1)) of these types of LSAs operate in Australia we find that the LSAs are but are small part of the 95.55 aircraft we operate between us, the LSAs fit into Section 1.2 (g) and (h) but many of us are flying recreational aircraft that are now within 95.55 but are not LSAs because they fit somewhere into Section 1.2 (a) to (e).

 

(a) is 101.28 aircraft that also happen to fit the requirements of 95.55

 

(b) and © are 101.55 aircraft but only if they fit parts 1.1 or 1.2 of 101.55

 

(d) planes that fit the old 95.25 category (there's no link to them because 95.25 is gone) - that's the two seat Drifters, Thrusters, Lightwings etc

 

(e) this is the new place for the (non-GA) amateur built category which does require compliance with the 51% rule.

 

So what are these planes that fit (a) to (e) called? The GA version of the Amateur Built Experimentals are called ABEs in the USA so I can imagine that those in (e) above might be Amateur Built Light Experimentals (ABLEs) but other than that if you fly a Lightwing and someone asks what category of plane you fly ... hmmm at this stage you can really only answer that it's a '95.55' but that doesn't do much to answer the question for the general public. And neither does "Well, it's a 'sort of' LSA".

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

I've extracted the posts above from the 'Trailer a Drifter' thread. They were Off Topic there but I think they raise a point that needs some consideration as confusion is likely to be propagated well into the future.What's below is what I think is the case but I may well be wrong about some of it.

 

Since the powers-that-be saw fit to lump all the powered fixed-wing recreational aircraft together into one category we need some new names for the different kinds of aircraft we have but which are in most cases being referred to as 'LSAs'.

 

Has everyone noticed that we have lost the two seat 95.25 450kg category that Drifters and Thrusters and Lightwings used to occupy ..? It's gone, finito! Now those aircraft are in 95.55 but, as some people have discovered with other marques, without the weight increase to 600kg that the CAO allows, because some of the aircraft are not Certificated to 600kg by the manufacturer.

 

So - for example, a Foxbat is an LSA if it's built in the factory. And if the factory decided to sell approved kits they would not be LSAs, they would be experimental LSAs ie ELSAs. ELSA kits do not have to comply with the 51% amateur built rule.

 

LSAs can be used for training but ELSAs cannot be used for general training in a school, only for the training of its owner(s).

 

See the description of what LSAs and ELSAs are in AC 21-41 here.

 

Note that LSAs can be any of the following -

 

5.2 The types of aircraft that may satisfy these criteria are:

 

(1) Fixed wing aircraft;

 

(2) Powered parachutes;

 

(3) Weight shift aircraft;

 

(4) Gliders;

 

(5) Balloons;

 

(6) Airships; and

 

(7) Gyroplanes.

 

If we refer to the CAO 95.55 under which some (i.e. those in sub-section (1)) of these types of LSAs operate in Australia we find that the LSAs are but are small part of the 95.55 aircraft we operate between us, the LSAs fit into Section 1.2 (g) and (h) but many of us are flying recreational aircraft that are now within 95.55 but are not LSAs because they fit somewhere into Section 1.2 (a) to (e).

 

(a) is 101.28 aircraft that also happen to fit the requirements of 95.55

 

(b) and © are 101.55 aircraft but only if they fit parts 1.1 or 1.2 of 101.55

 

(d) planes that fit the old 95.25 category (there's no link to them because 95.25 is gone) - that's the two seat Drifters, Thrusters, Lightwings etc

 

(e) this is the new place for the (non-GA) amateur built category which does require compliance with the 51% rule.

 

So what are these planes that fit (a) to (e) called? The GA version of the Amateur Built Experimentals are called ABEs in the USA so I can imagine that those in (e) above might be Amateur Built Light Experimentals (ABLEs) but other than that if you fly a Lightwing and someone asks what category of plane you fly ... hmmm at this stage you can really only answer that it's a '95.55' but that doesn't do much to answer the question for the general public. And neither does "Well, it's a 'sort of' LSA".

The above categories are all - rather roughly - recreational aircraft.

 

The distinctions within that overall description arise because of the different ways that the design quality and build quality are handled.

 

Prior to the advent of LSA category, aircraft that were commercially manufactured had to have their design certificated by a National Airworthiness Authority (e.g. CASA, EASA, FAA, etc) as complying with an acceptable design standard (e.g. FAR 23, JAR-VLA, CS-VLA, BCAR-E etc) AND they had to be built under a Production Certificate (or equivalent) issued by a National Airworthiness Authority. The analogy is a motor vehicle that has an ADR compliance plate. This is consumer protection before the event.

 

This is the situation for aircraft that have a Type Certificate. How do you find this? Go look for a Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) on the relevant NAA website. (See attached example). RULE 1: If if ain't got a TCDS, it aint Type certificated.

 

LSA category aircraft are commercially-manufactured products whose design and manufacture is NOT under the steely-eyed scrutiny of a NAA; instead the manufacturer must make a declaration that each aircraft he builds complies with design and manufacture standards specified by a separate body, the US Association for Testing of Materials (ASTM). If the declaration turns out to be incorrect, the manufacturer may be charged with fraud. This is of scant comfort if you happen to be the injured party. LSA aircraft do NOT have a Type Certificate. What they have is a piece of paper from the fox, stating that the hen-house is perfectly safe.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

The above categories are all - rather roughly - recreational aircraft. The distinctions within that overall description arise because of the different ways that the design quality and build quality are handled.

 

Prior to the advent of LSA category, aircraft that were commercially manufactured had to have their design certificated by a National Airworthiness Authority (e.g. CASA, EASA, FAA, etc) as complying with an acceptable design standard (e.g. FAR 23, JAR-VLA, CS-VLA, BCAR-E etc) AND they had to be built under a Production Certificate (or equivalent) issued by a National Airworthiness Authority. The analogy is a motor vehicle that has an ADR compliance plate. This is consumer protection before the event.

 

This is the situation for aircraft that have a Type Certificate. How do you find this? Go look for a Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) on the relevant NAA website. (See attached example). RULE 1: If if ain't got a TCDS, it aint Type certificated.

 

LSA category aircraft are commercially-manufactured products whose design and manufacture is NOT under the steely-eyed scrutiny of a NAA; instead the manufacturer must make a declaration that each aircraft he builds complies with design and manufacture standards specified by a separate body, the US Association for Testing of Materials (ASTM). If the declaration turns out to be incorrect, the manufacturer may be charged with fraud. This is of scant comfort if you happen to be the injured party. LSA aircraft do NOT have a Type Certificate. What they have is a piece of paper from the fox, stating that the hen-house is perfectly safe.

I forgot to add: See http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_93274