Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/307497
6 Vol.3 No.5 / May 2014 NEWS FROM HQ THE FAA ANNOUNCED on April 2 that it would begin a rulemaking project that would consider allowing private pilots to substitute the medical requirements of a third-class FAA medical certifi - cate with a valid driver's license. "EAA's decades-long ef orts on this issue, on its own and in association with organizations such as AOPA, are beginning to pay of with steps such as today's FAA announcement and the proposed General Aviation Pilot Protection Act (GAPPA) in both houses of Congress that is gaining signifi cant momentum," said Jack Pelton, EAA chairman of the board. "We are eager to see the details of what they are proposing and evaluate their signifi cance. EAA will support this rulemaking initiative as well as legislative solutions to expand the freedom of fl ight for our members and all aviators." Over the past quarter century, EAA has made numerous pe- titions and requests to FAA to extend medical self-certifi cation to an even greater population of aviators. Most recently, EAA and AOPA joined forces in a March 2012 exemption request to FAA that would expand use of self-certifi cation for recre- ational fl ying, based on the outstanding medical incapacitation safety record established over the past decade by pilots fl ying light-sport aircraft. This petition is still awaiting formal FAA action, despite more than 16,000 comments submitted in over- whelming support of the measure. The FAA's announcement may indicate a willingness to extend the privilege beyond that requested in the EAA/AOPA exemption request, although the agency noted that it is still considering that request. Over the past four months, Congress has also expressed interest in expanding medical self-certifi cation through the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act. First introduced in the House last December by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) and Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), the bipartisan measure now has more than 86 co-sponsors. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate last month by Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and now has eight co-sponsors. More than 35,000 letters supporting the measure have been sent to members of Congress by EAA members through EAA's Rally Congress system. FAA's Move Toward Rulemaking on Medical Certifi cation 'A Good Initial Step' ULTRALIGHT PILOTS are encouraged to participate in EAA's Ultralight Flying Video Showcase. Do you have a video that captures the freedom and fun of fl ying ultralights? If so, EAA wants you to share it with the world! Upload your video to YouTube and send us the link by midnight, July 1, 2014, to be entered in EAA's Ultralight Flying Video Showcase. Once you've uploaded your video to YouTube and shared the link with EAA, your video will be added to a separate playlist on EAA's YouTube channel , where others will have the opportunity to view and "like" your video. The play list, which can be viewed here , current- ly has several uploaded videos available that may give participants some ideas of what they want to submit. When all entries are submitted, a panel of judges from EAA will choose the top videos to be showcased in the Fun Fly Zone at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. Videos will be judged based on cre- ativity, overall quality, and the number of "likes" they receive on YouTube. EAA welcomes the submission of videos that record any form of ultralight fl ying, including light planes, pow- ered parachutes, weight-shift trikes, homebuilt rotorcraft, hot-air balloons, powered paragliders, and experimental light-sport aircraft. For the showcase, EAA will also accept videos that have already uploaded to YouTube. If your video is chosen as one of the fi nalists, EAA will contact you directly to arrange for the submission of a high- quality version of the video (480 pixels or higher). We will also provide the ba- sic legalese at that point to ensure EAA has the rights to publish the video. Enter EAA's Ultralight Flying Video Showcase E A A E X P _ M a y 1 4 . i n d d 6 EAAEXP_May14.indd 6 5 / 5 / 1 4 3 : 1 4 P M 5/5/14 3:14 PM