Sometimes good things are worth waiting for.  Sometimes they are even worth a ton of patience and endless conversations with the great folks at the Nashville office of the FAA.  But the FAA didn't start this story, the EAA did.

Many years ago, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and some other public (non-government) organizations joined with the FAA to work out a new category of aircraft regulations.  The new regulations created a new pilot's license (Sport Pilot) with a training regimen and testing that is significantly different from the tradition Private Pilot license or the recent and unsuccessful Recreational Pilot License.  The pilot with a Sport Pilot license (or operating as a Sport Pilot) is restricted to flying Light Sport Aircraft (plus some other types according to training and rating, such as gyrocopter, balloon, airship, and glider).  But what is a Light Sport Aircraft?  For a typical aircraft, it means an aircraft that can fly very slow, can't fly faster than about 150 miles per hour, can't be heavier than 1320 pounds, plus several other significant restrictions.  But that's not all!  The aircraft can be manufactured according to specifications different from the FAA set used for all American aircraft since the 1950s.  The maintenance of the aircraft is done to special rules.  Finally, the people authorized to inspect the continued airworthiness of Sport Aircraft can be certified differently from the traditional aircraft repairmen or "A&P Mechanic."

This is about my adventures to earn the coveted "Repairman Lightsport-Inspection" Certificate from the FAA.  This is one of two special Repairman Certificates for Light Sport issued by the FAA, admittedly the less rigorous one.  The other certificate "Repairman Lightsport - Maintenance" requires about 120 hours of instruction (less for non-airplane type maintenance) and allows you to maintain any Light Sport aircraft for hire, as well as sign off on annual inspections.  The Inspection rating allows me to perform annual inspections on experimental Light Sport aircraft I own, and only required 16 hours of classroom training.  Since this is only for my experimental aircraft, by definition I can do all the maintenance whether I have the Repairman certificate or not.  It's basically all about doing my own annual inspection.

My new Inspection certificate is a huge twist on the existing ability of experimental aircraft builders to perform maintenance and inspection on experimental aircraft they build.  First, I don't have to build the aircraft I'm inspecting!  However, the certificate is only good the the aircraft I own, so if I buy a different Experimental Light Sport aircraft I must apply to the FAA for an amended certification.  My aircraft serial number and N number is on the certificate.

Knowing that aircraft can be mechanically complex, you may ask "Why would you want to do your own inspections?"  Well, inspections by mechanics cost a significant amount of money and time.  You have to give your aircraft to the mechanic, sometimes for several weeks, and the final bill may be a minimum of $400 or more.  I don't have to pay somebody and I get to take the aircraft out of service at the most convenient time for me.  Taking the class for inspections makes me a better aircraft builder and maintainer as well.  In a practical sense, since the plane is experimental, I may do an inspection directly after performing significant modifications or changes (for example, I will be re-covering the wing this year).  This is one of the best times to check all the systems.

I picked up on the Repairman course in Ohio from the Challenger II group on Yahoo (FlyChallenger).  I think I heard about it around January, 2008.  The course would be held March 8, 2008, in Columbus, Ohio (Saturday and Sunday).  The instructor would be G. Michael Huffman of Sport Aviation Specialties in Jacksonville, Florida.  The course fee was about $350, with a discount for EAA members.  My adventure started with the trip to Columbus on Friday.  A massive snow and ice storm hit that day, dropping ice as far South as Louisville, Kentucky, and heavy snow and ice from Cincinnati to Columbus.  My ten hour drive took me through a twelve mile stretch of glare ice highway that was littered with cars and eighteen-wheelers that had slid off the side of the road.  I witnessed an aggresive SUV driver rotate his truck several times and fall off the left side of the highway into the ditch several hundred feet ahead.  Once I pulled off the highway in Columbus, it was barely possible to push through the deep snow to my hotel.  Few roads had been plowed and the snow was still dropping heavily.  I had dinner in the restaurant next door just before they closed early (they were closed the next two days).

The next morning snow was still falling.  I got up early, planning to take an hour to cover a normal ten-minute drive to the class.  I ran late.  With a few other out-of-state attendees, though, I think just about everyone made it.  Here are some pictures of the classroom and my car in the hotel parking lot early Saturday morning.

After I thawed and the class got rolling, Michael led us through a tremendous amount of material.  He is the most knowledgeable aviation instructor I have ever seen.  Seriously.  While covering the incredible scope of the course, we were treated to interesting stories about corrosion factors in real-life situations, aircraft structures and materials, joining techniques, covering techniques, aircraft hardware (bolts, rivets, etc.), aerodynamics, and so on.  He brought a wide variety of subjects to life and related them well to the core concern: aircraft safety.  By the end of the course I realized that this is the only course I would ever take that would be worth a drive through such grueling snow and ice.  I think everyone else had the same attitude, you can see it in our class picture.

In addition to Michael's fine lecture, Power Point slides, and class handouts, we performed several lab exercises on Sunday afternoon.  These supported many of the things we learned about hardware, safety wire, proper control system construction, ELT testing, fabric painting and testing, engine checks, and so on.  This was followed by a test on the material presented over the weekend.  A passing grade was required to get a certificate of completion for the course.  This certificate, in addition to some other paperwork, was our ticket to getting the Repairman Certificate from the FAA.  I must say that the sponsor of the class was a fine host under difficult circumstances.  I jumped in my car after passing the test and made it home in only 5 hours thanks to the sunny weather and nicely plowed roads that day.

You might think that would be the end of my adventures on the "road" to my Repairman Certificate.  Well, this Light Sport stuff is three years old, but still new to many of the FAA Flight Standards District Offices.  Especially the one in Nashville.  I was on the phone several times a week for many weeks to arrange an appointment to clear the final paperwork.  I think I talked to at least five people there, some several times.  I finally got my appointment May 7.  Now if you need to work with the Nashville office, talk to David Alderman.  He's been through the process at least once now.

Should you decide to get your Repairman Lightsport - Inspection certificate, please consider taking Michael Huffman's class.  And try not to do it during the winter where the snow storms hit!

-- Walter Lounsbery, 5-19-2008