Editors Note: EAA members and attendees who have questions regarding aviation, AirVenture or EAA, feel free to drop them off at the AirVenture Today office just north of the control tower, or e-mail asktom_airventure@hotmail.com and Tom will attempt to answer them. Please be sure to include your name and where you are from.

Q: I am a certificated pilot being unfairly grounded by the current sport pilot medical Catch-22. Fit pilots are not being allowed to fly using their driver’s license as a medical just because they have had a medical denied at some point in their past (with me, it dates back to 1980). When will someone with a little authority step up to bat and help us secure our right to fly again?

G.A., Lowell, Mass.

A: Well, I have as little authority as anyone. But Ron Wagner, manager of EAA field relations and sport pilot expert, knows some stuff. Your problem, he says, is a legal issue. The FAA cannot permit someone to fly who has previously been denied a medical certificate. What you have to do is get a provisional medical, then let it expire. This will clear your record, and you can apply for a sport pilot certificate using your driver’s license. "EAA continues to work toward streamlining this process," Wagner said.

Q: Why do you suppose there has been a decline in the number of helicopters at Oshkosh? Not that I want to see a stampede, because being a rotorhead is a rather exclusive thing, but, well, there used to be a bunch.

D.E., Long Beach, Miss.

A: A stampede of helicopters? There’s a mixed metaphor. The future of helicopters is up in the air. Geoff Downey, rotorcraft chairman, points out that helicopters represent only a small percentage of the aircraft market. They are expensive, compared to fixed-wing craft, he said, and insurance is more costly, too. However, they provide what advocates call "a magic carpet ride." There are about 25 of them at AirVenture this year. The record is 54. There are copters that currently are being constructed, and new, single-seat designs might make this kind of aircraft more accessible to more people, Downey said.

Q: I have a private pilot certificate, and I am considering downgrading to sport pilot. All I do is local flying on weekends, and I know I need a plane that meets the sport pilot criteria. Can I downgrade?

J.C., Little Rock, Ark.

A: That, says Ron Wagner, manager of EAA field relations and sport pilot expert, can easily be done. Let your medical expire and continue to get flight reviews. After your medical expires, you can apply for the sport pilot certificate.

Q: I heard there is a motorcycle here at AirVenture powered by an aircraft engine. Is this true, and if so, where is it?

P.A., Naperville, Ill.

A: You are correct, and it is dandy, all shiny metal and metallic blue. You will find it at the Rotec exhibit in the North Aircraft Display area. A seven-cylinder rotary R-28 engine producing 110 hp and 165 foot-pounds of torque powers it. It is not just some fanciful one-shot construction, but there is a real plan to manufacture and sell these vehicles. It also will be on Thunder Row in Sturgis, South Dakota, for the big motorcycle rally. It was designed by Dave Cupery and John Levey, who are A&P mechanics, and Mike Wehrle, who for 30 years has been designing motorcycles. Cupery said the vehicle, which can go into production in January, is expected to sell for a range of $50,000 to $100,000. Take a look at page 18 of this AirVenture Today issue for a photo of this motorcycle.

Q: Can you please ask Beau in the next tent to mine to stop snoring?

A.R., Auburn, Calif.

A: Sure, I can ask, but as my beloved spouse could tell you, asking won’t help. Oh, sure people will tell you that there are cures, but I believe the only way to stop a snorer from snoring is to keep him or her awake for the rest of his or her life. Bear up. AirVenture’s almost over.

Q: Can an A&P mechanic certificate a two-place ultralight currently flying under an FAR 103 exemption as a sport plane?

J.S., Marietta, S.C,

A: In a word, no. However (there’s always a "however," isn’t there?), you can get an EAA Ultralight Transition Kit at virtually any EAA sales place. The kit includes everything you need to make that transition. The final step is an inspection by a designated airworthiness representative (DAR). The deadline for doing this is January 31, 2008.