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What is a Light Sport Airplane?


The Aldera is a “Light Sport Plane.” To be very correct, the Aldera is a Special Light Sport Airplane, or S-LSA. The term “Special” in FAA lingo means that the certification process used to ensure that the Aldera meets rigid safety standards is different than those used in contemporary airplanes, like a Cessna 172 or Piper Archer.

The standards utilized in certifying the Aldera were developed over years of negotiations within the aviation industry and are, therefore, referred to as an “industry consensus standard.”

An international standards organization, known as the ASTM, structured the negotiations which involved not only airplane manufacturers, but also the FAA and aviation groups representing public safety.

Frequently referred to as the “ASTM” standards, the certification process is more correctly called the “ASTM Industry Consensus Standards.” These standards for an S-LSA airplane consist of five primary documents:

  1. ASTM F 2245 Design and Performance of a Light Sport Airplane

  2. ASTM F 2279 Quality Assurance in the Manufacture of a Light Sport Airplane

  3. ASTM F 2295 Continued Operational Safety monitoring of a LSA

  4. ASTM F 2483 Standard Practice for Maintenance of a Light Sport Airplane

  5. ASTM F 2339 Standard Practice for Design and Manufacture of Engines for Light Sport Aircraft

Any manufacturer selling a Light Sport Airplane should be completely conversant with all of the preceding documents. Many off-shore manufacturers will claim that their nations’ certification standards are the same as the ASTM standards and, therefore, their airplane can be sold as an S-LSA. This is not true. The ASTM Industry Consensus Standards are generally tougher than existing foreign and domestic standards for light airplanes.

The Aldera has been designed from the ground up to meet the ASTM Industry Consensus Standards. Additionally, the Aldera has been made “Canadian Tough” to meet the hard use airplanes receive in North America. But what is it that makes the Aldera a Light Sport Airplane, other than its design and certification process? The Aldera has been specifically designed to meet the definition of a Light Sport Airplane contained in FAR 1. That definition is as follows:

  • No more than two-place, that is a pilot and a passenger, no other seats.

  • Max speed at sea level, at max continuous power (this is called Vh) must not exceed 120 kts.

  • The airplane must have a maximum certified gross weight of not greater than 1,320 lbs. That can go up to 1,420 lbs. if the Aldera is equipped with floats.

  • The plane must have fixed landing gear, although landing gear that can be repositioned to allow amphibious operations is OK.

  • Any engine HP may be used, just so long as the Vh of 120 kts is not exceeded.

  • An LSA may not have an in-flight adjustable prop.

  • The airplane must not stall at a speed faster than 45 kts with the flaps retracted.

The Aldera has been designed to maximize its compliance with the preceding definition so that you get the maximum performance allowed by the FAR definition of a Light Sport Airplane.

 

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What does it take
to be a Sport Pilot?

Sport Pilot Certificate Privileges and Limitations

Maintaining
the Aldera

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