Sport pilots can fly at
AirVenture under ultralight procedures
By David Sakrison
Sport pilots who have not
yet received the ground and flight training required for operating at
towered airports will be able to fly to and from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
this week only, under a temporary exemption granted by the FAA last
Thursday. The exemption requires sport pilots operating in the Oshkosh
Class D airspace to stay within the AirVenture ultralight traffic
pattern or follow the Ultralight/Homebuilt Rotorcraft Arrival/Departure
Procedures contained in the FAA’s AirVenture 2006 Oshkosh notice to
airmen (NOTAM). This exemption is valid only through Sunday, August 30.
Randy Hansen, EAA’s
government affairs director, asked the FAA for this exemption in June.
In his request, Hansen noted many people have earned the sport pilot
certificate under the less than 2-year-old rule, but they have not yet
had time to complete the training required to operate at towered
airports. He also noted EAA members have been safely operating
ultralights without radios in and out of AirVenture for more than 15
years in compliance with the AirVenture NOTAM.
In granting the exemption, John Allen,
acting director, FAA Flight Standards Service, recognized the importance
of EAA as "a significant contributor to the dissemination of
information and safety in this new area" [the sport pilot rule].
