I have been trying to decide on what to build and leaning toward legal ultralight to avoid registration. Part of that is because I don’t know what is involved.
If I go LSA it sure opens the doors to more options as far as airframes and engine choices. I am just afraid if I go legal ultralight I might not be happy with performance and also afraid it could come out overweight and not be legal anyway.

What is involved in going LSA? Where can I find the info?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Doug G

You can register a MiniMax as an Experimental Amateur Built EAB aircraft. You can fly it with a light sport pilot license under the light sport rules.

Taking pilot lessons, I feel, is required even if you are going ultralight. Might as well get your sport license anyway.

Registering it EAB is not terribly difficult, just paperwork and an inspection.

I started out planning to do ultralight but changed my mind and am going EAB.

The Experimental Aircraft Association has lots of info about EAB.
http://eaa.org

Yes, I will get some stick time before flying anything. I had a HiMax years ago before they cracked down on ultralights. I have not flown anything in about 22 or 23 years now.

Thanks for the info.

Quoted from Doug Green

Yes, I will get some stick time before flying anything. I had a HiMax years ago before they cracked down on ultralights. I have not flown anything in about 22 or 23 years now.

Thanks for the info.

When and where did they crack down on ultralights?

"When and where did they crack down on ultralights?"
Apparently I missed out on it too!

Ok, I have been out of flying for over 20 years. A few years after getting out I heard that they had cracked down on illegal ultralights.
I was flying a HiMax that was well over 254 lbs and was flying as an ultralight. It was never an issue. Some friends that were still active said that would no longer be allowed. I never checked into it any further because I was no longer flying.
Anyway, I was just under the assumption that they were checking in some way that they had not done before.

Hey, Are you the Greg Doe that has flown RC since way back in the 70’s?

LSA is not bad, but is a paperwork exercise, and includes an aircraft airworthiness inspection. I've done it. The EAA has many good resources. Make sure you take plenty of pictures of the build process and keep ALL your paperwork/records. You'll need your build log, receipts, plans, pics, etc....   There are some forms to fill out. I went thru a DAR, which costs money. DAR just does the inspection. You'll need to go see the FSDO for a (license to have the ability to do your own annuals), sorry I forgot what it's called. However, since you built it, and it's experimental, you have the ability to do your own annuals, once the paperwork is done and the FAA recognizes it.

There hasn't been any effort to crack down on illegal single seat ultralights that I'm aware of....or at least if there is nobody is talking about it.  The only "crack down" was the elimination of the two seat ultralight trainer exemptions so that it's near impossible to get any type of real ultralight training anymore.  

The basic assumption that "if it looks and flys like an ultralight, it is an ultralight" still seems to apply.  If anyone has ever been approached by the FAA and asked to prove that there ultralight is "legal" it hasn't been reported widely.

It is a pretty big thing to the FAA that in a very light single seat "vehicle" you aren't likely to kill anybody but yourself.  Part of that is just due to the very low mass and low speed inherent in a true Part 103 ultralight.  I think the tendency is that if it looks like it's an ultralight and only has one seat it probably is.  However it only takes one busy body complaining to the FAA or an FAA official who decides he should check your "ultralight's" weight to get you in trouble.  My advice would be make a game of carefully working out what your ultralight will really weigh and making sure it will make the legal limit.  That's a fascinating exercise in itself and not really that difficult.  If you don't want to play that game, really an amateur built Light Sport aircraft is not that bad a way to go.  It's just a bit more paper work and some pilot training that you really ought to get anyway.

Just my perspective, of course.

Tom

Thank You for the info guys!

I may have tore my mattress tag off!   Lighter aircraft always fly better its just the laws of physics.

Quoted from Tom

I think the tendency is that if it looks like it's an ultralight and only has one seat it probably is.  However it only takes one busy body complaining to the FAA or an FAA official who decides he should check your "ultralight's" weight to get you in trouble.  

Yes...and if that were to happen you would be the very first one to ever have that experience.

Doug, "Hey, Are you the Greg Doe that has flown RC since way back in the 70’s?" Yes.
I still fly RC and do a little racing. I'm Treasurer, and acting "Pres, VP, and Sec. in the Middle Tennessee Ultralight Group. Thirty years ago I made some fiberglass parts for TEAM, and flew two different Mini Max's. I had the great privilege of getting to know a number of folks in the ultralight community. About 4 years ago I bought a "lightly" damaged Part 103 legal model 1030 Mini Max. Short story is I repaired it, and have been flying it for a couple of seasons. My Max is over weight, but I have no worry that anyone is going to weigh it. My advice to anyone building an "ultralight" is to work to keep it light, but don't fixate on the 254 number. Once you get it flying, obey the rules, and don't do anything to draw attention to yourself, and you'll be fine. Right now the FAA is far more concerned with idiots with drones, and laser pointers to worry about ultralights.