Greetings,
After a long and unusually hot summer, it looks like cooler temperatures and better flying weather have finally arrived. We held our first fly-in of the season at Pleasant Valley (24AZ) at the end of September. Although it was a bit windy, we had a great turnout, and it was good to see the airstrip being used again for a fly-in. The new windsock that Tommy Thomason and Jeff Wilson installed recently certainly got a workout! Thanks to Leanne Tawoda and Vern Lassiter for doing all the hard work organizing and managing the event. It was also great to see the community support for the event, which can be rare these days.
Our next fly-in event will be the Grapevine (88AZ) monthly camping weekend October 13 – 15. Remember to check the event calendar on the APA website and Facebook page for the latest information on upcoming events.
I also wanted to mention some important deadlines. First, the next APA Scholarship Program application cycle will close on 31 October. September is always a busy month for the APA scholarship committee and this past month was no exception. We held ten in-person information sessions at local colleges, high schools, and aviation organizations to ensure students are aware of our scholarship opportunity and how to apply. As we have seen over the past few years, the classes are at capacity which reflects the continuing interest in aviation career fields. While most of the students we talk to are interested in becoming professional pilots, we are also seeing growing interest in A&P/aircraft maintenance and air traffic control – which is encouraging. I you or anyone you know is interested in applying, please go to the scholarship page on our website - Scholarship Program (azpilots.org).
As Jim Timm reported last month, the FAA has released the long awaited Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSIAC) Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NRPM). This NRPM is very broad and will re-adjust the regulations related to Sport Pilot privileges, what will qualify as a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) and LSA maintenance. The NRPM public comment period has been extended an additional 90 days from 23 October 2023 to 22 January 2024. While most of the proposed rule changes are positive, there are some that are contradictory, such as medical requirements for flying at night and changes to the process for obtaining a Light Sport Repairman certificate.
If you are a Sport Pilot, a higher rated pilot flying under the Sport Pilot rule, a LSA owner/operator or someone that is certified as a Light Sport Repairman I would recommend you take some time to review the major provisions of the NRPM to determine if you would like to comment. This can be a daunting task since the basic document is 318 pages (!) and takes considerable time to plow through. However, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) has published a MOSAIC Study Guide which is much easier to navigate and allows you to focus on your areas of interest. You can find it at MOSAIC-NPRM-Study-Guide-Version-1.0.pdf (lama.bz). You can view comments already submitted and submit your comments via the FAA website at Regulations.gov.
Thank you for supporting APA’s mission through your membership and please feel free to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any comments, concerns, or questions.
Fly Safe,
Chris