This license significantly reduces operating costs for pilots but those primarily experienced in ultralight will have to pay some transitional fees.  The EAA offers free pilot registration services, however pilots who’s aircraft do not meet the standards set forth by FAR Part 103 will be required to transition their license and aircraft to Sport Pilot/LSA status.  A one time cost will be incurred in order to participate in the FAA Sport Pilot tests, aircraft inspection and numbering.  Once the aircraft has become registered, the home state of residence will be informed of this and may charge sales or property tax levies.  Maintenance requirements will subject the newly registered aircraft to participate in relative seminars in order to perform annual condition inspections for safety compliance purposes.

The EAA is actively working to help members make this transition from Ultralight to Sport Pilot as efficiently as possible.  You can find a Volunteer Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) who will help you inspect your aircraft when the time comes.

The benefits of the Sport Pilot license cannot be underestimated.  It gives the pilot so much more freedom and lowers operating costs.  This is definitely an opportunity not to pass up.

For licensing information, please do not hesitate to call or email us; we can help you realize your dream!

The bill, which was approved 409-11, would require all pilots who fly for a passenger-carrying airline to have an Air Transport Pilot certificate, effectively raising the number of flying hours an entry-level airline pilot must have from the current 250 hours to 1,500 hours.

The bill allows the FAA to credit course work at specific flight training schools toward the requirements for receiving an Air Transport certificate. The schools had expressed concern that would-be pilots would skip the schooling to concentrate on accumulating flying time.

The sponsors of the bill, Reps. James Oberstar (D-MN) and Jerry Costello (D-IL), have said that by boosting the experience required to become a pilot, they hope to indirectly increase the salaries of regional airline pilots. If airlines have to pay higher salaries to attract more experienced pilots, that will increase the overall caliber of pilots in the profession, they reasoned.

The bill also requires the Federal Aviation Administration to update rules governing how many hours airlines may require a pilot to fly before the pilot is permitted rest. Airlines would also have to put in place fatigue risk management plans — programs that use scientific research on fatigue to assess pilot hours and alert airlines to schedules that are likely to induce fatigue.

FAA would also be required to ensure airlines conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening of prospective pilots, create mentoring programs between experienced pilots and newly hired pilots, and provide remedial training for pilots who have performed poorly on skills tests.

Pilots would also have to be trained to recover from a full stall. Until recently, training at many airlines have emphasized avoiding conditions that lead to a stall, with little hands on experience in how to recover from one.

“This is the strongest aviation safety bill considered since the creation of the FAA in 1958,” Costello said.

John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said the bill “raises the safety bar for all U.S. airlines.”

Elizabeth Merida, a spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association, which represents most major carriers, said FAA and airlines are already to working to address the issues covered in the bill. She said airlines would like to see “further refinements” in the bill.

A spokesman for the Regional Airlines Association didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The last six airline accidents in the United States all involved regional air carriers. The National Transportation Safety Board has cited pilot performance as a contributing factor in three of those accidents.

Pilot unions and such prominent pilots as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the captain that guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency landing in the Hudson River in January, have warned that lower pay and more difficult working conditions are driving better-qualified pilots away from the profession, especially at regional airlines. Through increased partnerships with major carriers, regional airlines now account for half of domestic flights.

The impetus for the bill was Continental Connection Flight 3407, which crashed on Feb. 12 near Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. All 49 people aboard and one man in a house below were killed.

Testimony at a May hearing revealed the flight’s captain and first officer made a series of critical errors leading up to the crash. The flight was operated for Continental Airlines by regional carrier Colgan Air Inc. of Manassas, Va.

Documents released by NTSB show the 24-year-old co-pilot earned less than $16,000 the previous year, which was her first year working for the airline. On the day of the crash she said she felt sick but didn’t want to pull out of the flight because she’d have to pay for a hotel room.

The flight’s captain didn’t have hands-on training on a key piece of safety equipment that played a critical role in the last seconds of the flight, when the plane experienced an aerodynamic stall. He also had failed several tests of his piloting skills before coming to Colgan.

A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate.

Source

“We look forward to serving owners and operators of the large fleet of King Air 200 aircraft in the Mid Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States and in Canada,” said Ralph Lintelman, Manager, FlightSafety LaGuardia Learning Center.

Installation of FlightSafety’s King Air 200 flight simulator at the LaGuardia Center has been completed. It is expected to be qualified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration in December, 2009 and training is scheduled to begin later that month for Part 91 and Part 135 flight operations. FlightSafety will also use the simulator to conduct King Air 90 and King Air 100 differences training. Pilots will also benefit from FlightSafety’s simulator flight debriefing system.

The simulator is equipped with FlightSafety’s new VITAL X visual system. It features realistic, detailed, high-resolution views designed to enhance safety. Combined with the latest state-of-the-art high resolution projectors, VITAL X reproduces day and night scenes accurately for all kinds of weather. These systems feature continuous global high-resolution satellite imagery and environmental conditions that accurately represent complex scenes during all phases of flight from taxi and takeoff to landing. The simulator also features electromechanical instrumentation and a KLN 90 B global positioning system.

The LaGuardia Learning Center currently offers training programs and flight simulators for the Hawker Beechcraft 1900C and 1900D aircraft as well as the Shorts 360. In addition, it is one of FlightSafety’s Centers of Excellence for Aircraft Dispatcher Training, offering a wide variety of both initial and recurrent programs.

FlightSafety has been the authorized training provider for aircraft offered by Hawker Beechcraft Corporation for over 30 years. FlightSafety offers type specific training for pilots and maintenance technicians of Hawker Beechcraft aircraft at its Learning Centers in Atlanta, Georgia; the Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington area; Houston, Texas; Lakeland, Florida; London Farnborough in the United Kingdom; Long Beach, California; Paris-Le Bourget, France and Wichita, Kansas and at New York’s LaGuardia Airport starting in December 2009.

FlightSafety International is the world’s premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations. We provide more than a million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals. FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.

For more information: FlightSafety.com

Instruction rates can fluctuate from as low as $35 per hour up to $65 per hour.  Aircraft rentals can range from $75 to $150 for training purposes and getting the requirements met for your minimum flight time can be costly if you do not choose a quality training organization.

Minimize your out of pocket expenses by flying low cost aircraft, being fully prepared for your lessons (maximizing training sessions) and studying before/after each flight.

To learn more about how we can help you get a pilot’s license, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We have been receiving significant interest in Light Sport flight training and rental options.  TAA can fulfill all of your flight training needs.

If you are interested in a leaseback please contact Nathan Zimmerman for details.

U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) introduced Thursday a bill he says is designed to boost the sales of general aviation.

Called the General Aviation Jobs Act, the bill would extend the current bonus depreciation allowance for another two years and shorten the recovery period for noncommercial aircraft property from five to three years.

The current depreciation tax provision is set to expire by the end of the year.

Tiahrt said extending the depreciation period will help promote sales in the industry by making the purchase of business aircraft less costly for companies.

“With the aviation sector taking such a hard hit in recent months in Southcentral Kansas, Congress should pass this market-driven approach to stimulate our economy in Kansas,” he said in the written statement.

Source ]]> http://sportcruiserpros.com/?feed=rss2&p=546 0 http://sportcruiserpros.com/?p=539 http://sportcruiserpros.com/?p=539#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:54:40 +0000 Nick Melillo http://sportcruiserpros.com/?p=539 Have you ever considered learning to fly but thought that it was too expensive of a hobby, or that getting a pilot’s license was too time consuming?  Think again!

With the CZAW Sportcruiser and our exclusive partnerships with flight training schools across the country, we can provide you with licensing and aircraft ownership solutions that are not only economical, but also functional and help to lower your out of pocket expenses.

The CZAW Sportcruiser is an airplane that is very affordable and practical for aviators of all experience levels.  A wide range of avionics systems can be fitted on this aircraft, so that the owner can personalize it to themselves without sacrificing performance.  Only burning between 4 and 4.5 gallons of fuel per hour, this plane makes trips even less expensive than traveling by car!

The CZAW Sportcruiser is one of the most affordable and economical aircraft available on the market today.  Don’t hesitate to learn more about this beautiful airplane by contacting us today for more information and a demo flight!

POC – Nathan Zimmerman (336) 369-2812

In my early 20’s I had a passion; a deep longing to become a pilot. But though I had the desire, I didn’t have the considerable resources necessary to pursue pilot training. From where I stood then, looking over the airport fence, my dreams seemed unachievable. LSA have since brought new opportunity to those who dream of flying, making their dreams more affordable and achievable than ever before. This new frontier and rapidly changing business environment is also presenting new opportunities for those of us in the business of helping others’ dreams of flight come true.

A New Option

When I first began considering purchase of an aircraft for flight training, standard category aircraft were the only option of which I was aware. Purchasing a Piper or a Cessna 172, as I was encouraged to do, is well-worn path and seems the clear choice for flight training professionals with years of experience owning and operating the established brands. There is comfort in having an aircraft which is a known commodity, with a large pool of qualified pilots and maintenance technicians. There are plenty of used aircraft on the market and, if you purchase wisely, you can expect your acquisition and direct operating expenses to be in line with other schools operating on your scale.

On the other hand, there is nothing about owning a Cessna which will distinguish your school from your competitors’. As a new school, you will have the same service and opportunities to market but will not have the economies of scale, brand recognition, and corporate knowledge of a larger, more-established organization. LSA can help a new school overcome these barriers to entry but they provide challenges all of their own. Lets look at some of the challenges and opportunities for flight schools using light sport aircraft.

Purchase Cost

Want to open a new Cessna Flight Center? Be prepared to pay $280K each for a couple of planes plus $14K for each plane’s first year of insurance. As a new business, you need some serious capital to break into the market with new standard-category aircraft. You’ll need to drive utilization up quickly to generate the revenue to pay for these costs. The recent economic down-turn has seen significant decreases in business for established flight schools so competition will be fierce. A new LSA, on the other hand, is easily less than half the cost of a new Cessna 172 and, since insurance is generally a percentage of insured value, it should also be less than half the cost.

You might argue that a 172 and a LSA are “apples and oranges” and the 172 is more expensive because it’s worth the price; and you may be right. If your goal is to be competitive in the instrument training market, there is no point in paying “1/2 price” for an LSA when only a certified aircraft will do. However, if being competitive in primary flight training is your goal then you don’t need the capability of a 4-place aircraft or IFR capability. Spending additional capital on an instrument-capable aircraft will make your school less competitive in the primary training market because you will have to charge your primary students for capability beyond what they need.

Another consideration is that the $100K plus that you spend on a new LSA will buy a used standard-category aircraft in very good condition and it will be instrument capable as well. However, acquisition costs don’t tell the entire story; you must weigh maintenance, fuel, and marketing costs in the balance as well. That used aircraft will have much higher maintenance costs and fuel expenses and it will blend in with the other aircraft at your airport to the point that it is virtually invisible.

Operating Expenses

In every part of the LSA aircraft, operating expenses are considerably lower than comparable standard-category aircraft. Here are a few examples. The recommended engine oil for our LSA costs almost $3/quart; standard-category aviation-grade oil: about $7. Our spark plugs cost less than $3 apiece so we can afford to change spark plugs regularly (though it’s not required) while spark plugs for a Cessna 172 cost in the neighborhood of $25 apiece. Our Rotax engine has a sealed electronic ignition with no moving parts to wear out so it normally needs no repair for the life of the engine. The sealed-beam landing light in a Cessna costs approximately $50 and is certified for only 25 hours operation! Compare this to a LSA with new-technology halogen landing lights and LED position lighting and another cost advantage is crystal clear. I was with a student the other day performing airwork maneuvers and watched the fuel flow meter typically hovering between 3.0 and 3.5 gph. Our aircraft typically burns about 5.5 gph on cross-country flights compared with about 8.5 gph for the 172 I fly. When fuel costs go up this becomes a huge advantage. Clearly, in an environment of rising fuel and supplies costs, the LSA is the best option. For all these reasons and more, there isn’t another flight school in Atlanta which can come close to offering the same low hourly rates as does Atlanta Sport Flight.

Comfort

Still, there are those people who feel they will be more comfortable in a “large” Cessna or Piper aircraft. In terms of weight, those aircraft are certainly larger. In fact they feel like large trucks after flying our CZAW SportCruiser. But they are not more comfortable! I am 6′4″ tall and find the CZAW SportCruiser more comfortable for several reasons. First, the increased cabin width of 46″ compared to the 172’s 42″ gives me much more shoulder room. The SportCruiser has a relaxed, reclining seat position compared to the Cessna’s very upright position and I find that the head room and leg room are similar. The SportCruiser definitely has the better ventilation from large vents near your knee. I keep these partially closed because they offer too much air whereas I need the Cessna’s wing root vents full-open to provide adequate ventilation. Combine these features with an unobstructed from beneath a fighter-style canopy and the SportCruiser easily provides the more enjoyable cockpit environment.

Maintenance

Availability of maintenance is a big factor deterring flight schools from entering the LSA market. When we began service, there was no Rotax-qualified mechanic on our airport. We solved this problem by sending a A&P qualified mechanic to school to be certified to maintain Rotax engines. A mechanic can be certified for a cost of approximately $1,000 depending on travel and hotel expenses and this investment quickly paid dividends for our school. Since we opened our doors, five A&P mechanics (that I know of) have been certified in our area and more are sure to follow. Maintenance availability has not been a problem, especially when considered in the light of the much lower maintenance requirements of our LSA relative to competitive standard-category aircraft.

An additional risk in purchasing an LSA is that many of the available aircraft do not have a long service history, so problems with the design may not have had time to manifest themselves. The Zenair CH601 seems to be a case in point, having had structural problems with its wings. This risk is by no means confined to LSA though. Consider the well-known problems with the Beechcraft Bonanza’s tail or the flight characteristics of the Piper Tomahawk, for example. In fact, though LSA aren’t manufactured in accordance with Standard Category Airworthiness requirements, as the placard famously says, it is still designed and manufactured to high standards of its own. Cessna’s difficulties bringing its own LSA to market bear out the truth that LSA are rigorously tested and the skill of the engineer rather than the size of the company is what ultimately creates a safe aircraft design. When we have had questions about the maintenance of our aircraft, I was able to talk directly to its designers to get my questions answered. Can you call Cessna or Piper and get such service?

Insurance

Acquiring insurance is one of the major hurdles for any new flight school, and particularly for a school using LSA. My initial attempt at making LSA training available at our airport was to offer an LSA for lease-back to a long-established flying club of which I was a part. Being already established, the club also had an established relationship with an insurance broker. But this broker was not familiar with LSA and was unable to arrange insurance underwriting, so being established was, in this case, an obstacle. By starting my own school, I had the freedom to shop around for insurance and find a broker with the experience to meet my insurance needs.

Of course, getting insurance involves much more than finding the right broker. Among other things, an underwriter has to be comfortable with the aircraft and those who are flying it. Is the aircraft well-built and maintainable and does it have a safe operating history? How does the underwriter know that you have the experience, expertise, and finances to establish a safe operation? These questions are hurdles that you, the prospective flight school operator, must answer. Ultimately, LSA will establish a track record which will allow insurance underwriters to better predict and price their risk and operators will gain the experience to operate them more safely. Presumably then, insurance will be more easily attainable.

Marketing

Marketing is one area in which the LSA flight school has a much easier time. Before starting Atlanta Sport Flight, I talked with several LSA flight school owners and always asked about their marketing strategy. The typical answer is “We don’t do any marketing. People just want to fly the aircraft.” I don’t recommend this as a marketing strategy, however I have seen the truth behind this statement in that our aircraft attracts a crowd everywhere it goes. Combine this instant attraction with training costs approximately half that of our competition and marketing becomes a much easier task. This is extraordinarily important to a new flight school which must develop a whole new revenue stream. How would we garner this attention if we were flying used, standard-category aircraft? It would be a much more expensive and time-consuming task.

Inertia – The tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest.
It seems to me that the attitude of the flight training community toward LSA is “Why?” Why should they invest in new aircraft which they have no experience flying or maintaining when they have invested so much time and capital in their old way of doing business? Why should they offer a new service or certificate which costs less if students will still train longer and pay more money for the old service? These are good questions and contribute to the tendency of established flight schools to keep doing primary flight training in their old aircraft. Personally, I hope that they keep those blinders on for a long time and leave the new opportunities to the rest of us!

As LSA flight training becomes better established and LSA move into the mainstream of primary flight training, bringing LSA into the flight training environment will become easier. In effect, it will eventually become another well-worn path which is much easier to follow. But along with the security and predictability of following this path will come increased competition and fewer opportunities for new schools like our own. Right now a window is open for flight training professionals to lead the way in taking advantage of the new opportunities which LSA afford. Until larger, established schools overcome their inertia, a window is open for those who are willing to think outside the box to create new business models and open the door to flight to a whole new group of people who, like myself, never thought flying was achievable for them.