Question for Greg Gremminger

[Brad_King]

Will a factory stock RAF meet the ASTM light sport stability standard?

Brad King
N6372K
Mad Max II LTC

[Chuck Roberg]

With Greg going to Oshkosh, your going to have to wait a while for his answer.

It was mentioned during one of the Mentone forums, that a RAF equipped with the stabilator, did pass the inital tests for the ASTM standards. Nothing else was mentioned as to when, where and how.

[Dean_Dolph]

Chuck, with my hearing I can never be sure what was said! But I don't believe it was said who performed the testing. In fact, until a third unbiased party performs the test(s) on any machine that claims to meet the standards, they are all suspect in my mind. Skeptical? Well, yeah! I know that we have had individual owners perform the statics and I feel that they are telling the truth as they see it when they say they pass the tests. But I still would like third party confirmation.

Everyone needs to remember that the only machines that have to meet the standards are the ones that will be sold as LSA. And that ain't gonna happen soon since the FAA in their infinite wisdom decided not to include the gyro on the rule. I'm still trying figure that one out.

The FAA has made it clear that the gyro's safety record has to improve or 'else'. Then when industry standards are created that should do that very thing they take a wait and see attitude before including the gyro in LSA. Someone want to try and explain that one to me? I might not be swift enough to understand but I would appreciate someone trying. I had a timing conflict at Mentone and couldn't make Marty Weaver's forum or I would have asked that very question.

But, the gyro manufacturers do not have to wait to be included in the LSA rule to perform the testing and it will be interesting to see who is the first to perform and document the tests. Also, since the standards are available this means that the backyard builder now has something to measure against and they don't have to wait for the government to say it is okay to do so. Greg G. has asked any and every one to perform the static test and feed the results back to him. This will help prove the tests or provide info for tweaking the standards. The dynamic tests ARE NOT to be performed unless the machine passes the static tests and then they are to be conducted only by a very experienced pilot.

Brad, I would say you are in a unique position to perform these tests on the Butterfly machines.

[Chuck Roberg]

Dean you are correct. It was not mentioned "who" did the testing.