Eight brand-new Sport Pilot Examiners were certified by the FAA last Saturday in Sebring, Fla., at the conclusion of the first-ever Sport Pilot Examiner/Sport Pilot Flight Instructor Examiner course. The examiners spent a busy week, studying the new regulations and practical test standards, taking flight tests and perusing the new examiner handbook. “They are a credit to the light sport aviation community,” said Marty Weaver, manager of the FAA’s Light Sport Aviation Branch. He said he also got lots of valuable feedback to help improve future courses. The first five experimental light-sport aircraft (ELSA) also were certified during the week. The next class will be held the week of March 21, in Sebring. Candidates are being selected now and will be invited by the end of February.
The first sport pilot examiners are: William Bardin, Sacramento, Calif., ASEL (airplane single engine land); John Beaman, Portland, Ore., WSCL (weight-shift control land); Roy Beisswenger, Greenville, Ill., PPCL (powered parachute land); Bob Bleadon, Selma, Ore., ASEL; Brian Carpenter, Corning, Calif., ASEL; Eric Johnson, Chandler, Ariz., WSCL; Larry Littlefield, Boyton Beach, Fla., PPCL; and Romke Sikkema, Sebring, Fla., ASEL.
