October 20, 2013
In the middle of Arizona desert, there lived a man, Mr.X. Not a unabomber or a pedophile, just a regular kind of working man. Mr.X had an illegal airplane, a very small one, which he bought for $6,000. He wasn't a drug traffiker. But the U.S. Government decreed that his airplane should not exist. Not for any reason related to public well-being, but simply because it could.
American airplane pilots and owners reading this have probably already guessed what was up. Mr.X did not register the little tube-and fabric airplane by the 2010 deadline, when it became impossible. Well, okay, you can still register it in the "Experimental Exhibition" category, I think, maybe. Then, all you need to visit a Casa Grande fly-in is a fax from your local Flight Standards District Office. It's a category in which people flying jet fighters register. Still... Isn't it kind of... excessive? Maybe something they do in a police state where citizens must register motorized bicycles.
P.S. I probably should mention that I did not buy Mr.X's little airplane. The truck, from the cab of which the picture was taken, is carrying a different, fully legal airplane that was based on the same airfield.
Personally, I do not see anything wrong with an illegal airplane, as long as it's not used to commit crimes against persons or property. But I do not live in the middle of Arizona where I could get away with it.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at
06:38 PM
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Post contains 246 words, total size 2 kb.
Posted by: Frank Ch. Eigler at October 21, 2013 08:06 AM (r3xW2)
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at October 21, 2013 09:17 AM (RqRa5)
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at October 21, 2013 09:20 AM (RqRa5)
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at October 21, 2013 09:23 AM (RqRa5)
Posted by: topmaker at November 01, 2013 04:20 PM (2yZsg)
Since ultralights have very different characteristics than conventional airplanes, flying them without instruction is extremely dangerous, even for pilots experienced in wide variable of aircraft. And they can kill you just as well as a fall from a 10 story building. So, the cut-off of instruction pretty much made the ultralight industry to collapse. Companies that sold 200 ultralights a year in 1980s now sell less than 10.
Again, from the point of view of FAA, nothing too wrong is happening. An individual who wants to provide instruction only needs to apply for so-called "Letter of Deviation", obtain the 2nd Class medical certificate, and pass a Certified Flight Instructor checkride. Piece of cake. It's not like they made it impossible.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at November 01, 2013 08:12 PM (RqRa5)
Do you think it was intentional or simply "looking out" for everyone?
Posted by: topmaker at November 02, 2013 12:03 PM (2yZsg)
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at November 02, 2013 02:37 PM (RqRa5)
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