Buying used homebuilt: questions on ELSA

Martan wrote:
Lets say I buy a nice used Kitfox. Can I convert this to ELSA ?

It has less than 40 hrs on it and has no N number. It also
has a very simple panel, only the min VFR instruments, no avionics.

If I were to plunk down the cash, what would I have to do to
make it legal as an ELSA ?

Would I be able to modify the panel or make cosmetic mods to
the upholstery/seats etc, myself ?

Uh, the short answer is "that depends..."

Your question has been a recent topic on the Matronics Kitfox mailing
list:

http://www.matronics.com/archives/ar....digest.vol-ak

How does it have 40 hours on it but no N number? Was it built and
flown in another country?

Lets say I buy a nice used Kitfox. Can I convert this to ELSA ?

It has less than 40 hrs on it and has no N number. It also
has a very simple panel, only the min VFR instruments, no avionics.

If I were to plunk down the cash, what would I have to do to
make it legal as an ELSA ?

Would I be able to modify the panel or make cosmetic mods to
the upholstery/seats etc, myself ?

On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 12:53:03 -0400, Martan wrote:

Lets say I buy a nice used Kitfox. Can I convert this to ELSA ?

It has less than 40 hrs on it and has no N number. It also
has a very simple panel, only the min VFR instruments, no avionics.

If I were to plunk down the cash, what would I have to do to
make it legal as an ELSA ?

Would I be able to modify the panel or make cosmetic mods to
the upholstery/seats etc, myself ?

The FAA will convert current two-seat ultralight trainers to the ELSA
category. If you have the logbooks showing that this has been what the
plane has been up to, you should be able to do the conversion. I
personally think you'll have a problem with a Kitfox, vs. a traditional
ultralight trainer. I think the inspector will be skeptical, especially
where there's no definitive guidance yet.

If the plane does not quality under the ultralight-trainer conversion
loophole, you probably can't license it as ELSA. For a plane to be
licensed as an ELSA, the manufacturer has to *first* certify one example of
the design as a Special Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA, the ready-to-fly
category). Then to achieve an ELSA certificate for a homebuilt, the
builder must prove the airplane was built in strict accordance with the
manufacturer's builders' manual.

Since there are no aircraft yet certified as SLSAs, there's no builder's
manual to show compliance with. Even if Skystar does certify a Kitfox
model as SLSA, your airplane was built before the publication of the
approved construction manual. If Skystar does come out with an SLSA, bet
you dollars to doughnuts that it'll have a different model number than
existing aircraft.

If you do end up with an ELSA, what modifications you can do are still kind
of a gray area. The FAA says that an SLSA owner can avoid performing a
mandatory maintenance action by converting it to ELSA category, so that
implies that the owner of an ELSA is allowed to deviate from the consensus
standard used for its original certification.

Like Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft, Experimental Light Sport Aircraft
are not covered by Part 43, and the content of the annual inspection is
left to the DAR who certifies the aircraft. For Exp/Am-Built aircraft, the
DAR usually makes a note that an annual inspection to the depth and breadth
of that listed in Part 43 must be performed every year.

It's probable that ELSA aircraft will get the same notice...which would
free owners to perform whatever changes and modifications they desire.
However, it's possible that the FAA may require that the annual inspection
check the compliance of the ELSA with the consensus standard, and that any
deviations be signed off by either an A&P or a person with a
Repairman-Light Sport Maintenance certificate.

Obviously, there's a lot that has to get hammered out, here in the early
days....

Ron Wanttaja