Flying the friendly skies... a little easier post-911?

[theHandpuppet]

I was perusing a thread on the science forum regarding an MIT student who won a top prize for inventiveness and one poster, after reading the articles, asked, "So...after 9/11, it is now EASIER to obtain a pilot's license?"

Here's the comment from Carl Dietrich, the inventive doctoral candidate:

Dietrich admits a flying car is not a novel idea, but he points to a confluence of circumstances that make the timing right for it to finally take off. “Since 9/11, for the first time, average door-to-door travel speed has really dropped substantially due to a combination of increased security measures at airports and more road traffic,” he noted.

He also calls Federal Aviation Administration regulations on light sport aircraft that went into effect in 2004 “a huge opportunity in general aviation.” The new regulations reduced the training-hour requirements for people seeking light-sport pilot licenses , and they reduced the amount of paperwork necessary to bring a certified aircraft to market.

Article in its entirety: http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-06SP.html

So my question to any pilots here is, do the FAA changes of 2004 actually make it easier for people seeking pilot's licenses and if so, how does that jive with our supposed increased security post 9-11? I realize that "light-sport" aircraft aren't 747s, but still, this seems odd to me at a time of supposed heightened security.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Especially after the crop duster scare

You would think they would be tightening the rules, not loosening them.

[Ecumenist]

2. Yes....

If you have your own feathers...

[theHandpuppet]

3. A little more explanation, please

This is a serious thread and even though my question may be naive, I would prefer some sober discussion. That's why I asked the question.

[Ecumenist]

8. Handpuppet....

I am being serious and sarcastic because I don't trust anything in the day and age with this bunch in power. I lost 4 friends on september 11th 2001 and have no real confidence in a regime that seems willing to do anything necessary to advance their agenda. I wasn't under the impression that I needed to answer in a manner that you find acceptable.

[theHandpuppet]

4. This is what I found via a Google search re: light sport aircraft

Light-sport aircraft, or LSA, is a classification of aircraft in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration defines a light-sport aircraft as an aircraft with a maximum gross takeoff weight of less than 600 kilograms (1320 pounds; with some exceptions for seaplanes), a maximum airspeed in level flight of 120 knots (222 km/h), either one or two seats, a fixed-pitch propeller, and a piston engine. These aircraft require only a sport pilot certificate, not a private or recreational pilot certificate as with other certificated aircraft.

The U.S. definition of an LSA is similar to most other countries' definitition of "microlight" or "ultralight" aircraft. These definitions are typically less restrictive, not limiting airspeed or the use of variable-pitch propellers. The FAA also has its own definition of ultralight aircraft which is much more restrictive and does not have an equivalent in some other countries. Please note that these requirements exceed the requirements necessary for an Ultralight aircraft in the United States and therefore many LSA-certified aircraft are too heavy to be flown under the rules governing Ultralights, although Ultralights can be flown under the rules governing Light Sport Aircraft.

Certain certificated aircraft, such as the original Piper Cub, meet the definition of light-sport aircraft, and can be operated by sport pilots.
Several designers and manufacturers of experimental aircraft kits are working to develop models that are compliant with the light-sport aircraft rules. Unlike traditional experimental aircraft, completed light-sport aircraft may be offered for sale.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. There's no threat. The license is very limited.

You can fly only a very small airplane for short distances, only during the day and only in good weather. The purpose of creating this license was to encourage people to get interested in flying -- you can do some basic flying at relatively low cost. And there is absolutely no threat to national security; these airplanes are so small and light that they could do very little damage to anybody but the pilot and the immediate area they landed on. It would be like attacking somebody with a go-kart. You could do a lot more damage with a minivan full of dynamite. Realistically, I doubt many people will get the license because it's so limited in what you can do with it, but general aviation (private airplanes) have never posed a significant threat. There are already thousands and thousands of them out there (and private aviation is a huge, though largely unnoticed contributor to local economies, btw), and even now there are a lot more security restrictions than there used to be. I don't see any problem with this at all.

[theHandpuppet]

6. Thanks!

Frankly, small aircraft scare the hell outta me. We've had three small plane crashes in this area in just the past week, all with multiple fatalities.

[lectrobyte]

7. Yeah but, How many people have been killed in car wrecks this week?