Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021

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GAHorn
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Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021

Post by GAHorn »

AOPA, EAA, and others are pushing for pilots to join and support an effort to create and pass the “ Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021”.

These organizations are crying “Wolf” , in my opinion, but I think we should discuss the subject.

These orgs are making the argument that FAA is acting counter to its own mandate to improve flying safety with flight training by qualified instructors, and their argument is that a LODA (letter of deviation authority) required to provide instruction in some categories of aircraft such as warbird, experimental and primary category aircraft…is an erroneous regulatory over-reach. (“Primary” is an almost unused category and is not the “Standard” category most of us operate.)

This controversy arose out of a Florida operators’ selling “flight instruction” in Warbirds…. as a Ruse… the reality being that they were selling Rides in Warbirds under the disguise of calling it “flight instruction”….. the problem being that whether or not an instructor were truly qualified to provide safe and meaningful instruction in an aircraft which may or may not be maintained in the same manner as a rental aircraft should be maintained …. was being used as a way to work-around such legal niceties.

The crash of the B-17 “Nine-O-Nine” comes to my mind as an example of trusting people paying to ride in an airplane with was improperly maintained and flown by careless individuals, and while FAA regulatory opinion has sometimes been overly-enthusiastic and in error I believe EAA and AOPA are reacting with a kneejerk in an equally careless and misguided widespread solicitation of uninformed supporters.

That’s my initial thought… Conversations and opinions are welcomed…. please be courteous and respectful of others.
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dstates
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Re: Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021

Post by dstates »

I believe that requiring a LODA to receive flight instruction in your own aircraft, independent of category, is absurd. I also feel that requiring an instructor to get a LODA for giving instruction in an aircraft owned by the student is also absurd. The FAA director admitted at Airventure that it is a loophole closing paperwork exercise.

I do believe that selling rides under the veil of instruction should be better controlled, but leave the average aircraft owner wisely trying to get instruction out of it.

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Re: Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021

Post by Jr.CubBuilder »

GAHorn wrote: This controversy arose out of a Florida operators’ selling “flight instruction” in Warbirds…. as a Ruse… the reality being that they were selling Rides in Warbirds under the disguise of calling it “flight instruction”….. the problem being that whether or not an instructor were truly qualified to provide safe and meaningful instruction in an aircraft which may or may not be maintained in the same manner as a rental aircraft should be maintained …. was being used as a way to work-around such legal niceties.
Seems like this is something that could be addressed with existing regulation if the FAA had staffing and desire to be pro-active.
GAHorn wrote: The crash of the B-17 “Nine-O-Nine” comes to my mind as an example of trusting people paying to ride in an airplane with was improperly maintained and flown by careless individuals, and while FAA regulatory opinion has sometimes been overly-enthusiastic and in error I believe EAA and AOPA are reacting with a kneejerk in an equally careless and misguided widespread solicitation of uninformed supporters.

That’s my initial thought… Conversations and opinions are welcomed…. please be courteous and respectful of others.
Not familiar with details around that crash, and now my curiosity is slightly piqued. What would regs would for profit rides in an old warbird fall under? I'm guessing the plane was in that restricted experimental category requiring an LOA for flights outside a certain radius of its home airport?
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