Registration weight

[40m]

Upon registering where the pilot is going to be flying under LSA rules is 1320 part of the aircraft registration or simply the weight and balance?

[Rick Bosshardt]

There are two things in play; the Pilot, and the Airplane.

The pilot, who is either a Sport Pilot or a Private Pilot: Either one is good to fly an LSA plane. If flying an LSA plane, the pilot needs no medical of any kind. And, the Sport Pilot is the one restricted to daytime VFR and staying out of Class B airspace. If his CFI signs him off for those, then he can fly night VFR or in Class B.
For those of us in the West with big mountains, there is also a Sport Pilot restriction of flying no higher than 10,000 msl, or no higher than 2,000 agl above terrain, whichever is higher.

The plane itself is certified as a Light Sport; either S-LSA (special LSA, although this is really the basic LSA category; I like to call it Standard LSA), and E-LSA, or Experimental LSA. Virtually all Carbon Cub SS's were converted at time of Certification by their new owners to E-LSA. It will say that on the Airworthiness certificate.

The E-LSA allows a few things. An E-LSA is still limited to 1320 lbs max gross, and the W&B in the POH will reflect that, as well as in the Operating Limitations. BUT, the 902 lbs EMPTY weight restriction that the S-LSA has, is eliminated. An E-LSA can have any empty weight. Of course the more it is, the less Useful load you have.

Other benefits include the owner being able to take a 16 hour FAA (or FAA approved) course, and to take a test, and then apply to the FAA for a license to do his/her own annual condition inspections, and to work on the plane. This license is limited to his/her plane only.
It also allows installing bigger tires, additional avionics, and make other changes, without FAA approval.

Finally, there is some gray area on E-LSA's, as the aircraft falls both into the LSA regs, but also in the Experimental regs. There is a specific section of the FAR's that pertain to Experimental aircraft, and E-LSA is one of 8 or so different types of Experimental aircraft, of which the EAB (Experimental Amateur Built) is the most prevalent and most popular out there. Some of the Experimental regs conflict with the LSA regs, and thus the gray area.

Hope that helps!
Rick