< Back New LAA Inspectors - Umberto Izzo & Simon Boynett 26 Jan 2024 It is time to introduce you to two more new LAA Inspectors - Umberto Izzo and Simon Boynett, who both attended an LAA Inspector Assessment Day in December, with our Chief Inspector, Lucy. Umberto's experience is mainly in general aviation and microlight aircraft (metal, fabric and composites), either Lycoming, Continental or Rotax-powered. He is also IRMT-approved. He owns a share in Jodel 1050. Simon is a retired Licensed Aircraft Engineer with 44 years of experience working on Commercial Passenger and Cargo aircraft. He has a B1 and B2 CAA licence (Airframes, Engines and Electrical generation systems) B2 (Avionics, Auto flight, Auto land systems, Radio and Radar). In addition to this, he has an FAA issued A & P licence. He put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into building his own Vans RV 7, that he still loves to fly today as often as he can. Although retired, he still has aeroplanes and safety in his blood and looks forward to helping others to keep the high standards the LAA require, and to advise and certify Maintenance and Permit to Fly revalidation inspections. Next Previous

< Back LAA Training Day 30 Nov 2024 LAA Staff Training Day so LAA HQ will be closed. Next Previous

An Introduction to Permit Aircraft Avionics Price Member - £224, Non-Member - £244 (includes printed course material) Duration Arrival 09:00. Finish 17:00. < Back About the Course This course is an introduction to permit aircraft avionics. The course starts with explaining the LAA rules and guidance regarding avionics fit in your aircraft, discusses how to plan and install your avionics including panel design, explains how modern avionics connect with each other and the various protocols (electronic languages) that they commonly use. The course takes you through selection of your avionics including EFIS, ELTs and PLBs, Autopilots, Antennas, Transponders, Radios and Audio Panels including some of the more common options available, including redundancy options where applicabl The course also includes practical demonstration and practice in wiring the most commonly used avionics connectors, the ubiquitous D Sub connector, and provides advice on minimising interference and best practice for shielding connections. The course finishes with an introduction to avionics considerations for Permit Aircraft planning to apply for permission to fly in IMC or at night. Your Instructor Mark Castle-Smith Dates Sunday 19 April 2026 Times Arrival 09:00. Finish 17:00. Duration One day course Venue LAA HQ, Turweston Aerodrome, NN13 5YD Price Member - £224, Non-Member - £244 (includes printed course material) Booking Pls call the LAA on 01280 846 786 to enquire/book or email [email protected] . *Please note that payment is required when booking, to confirm your place. NO place will be held without confirmed payment* **Please note that your booking payment is non-refundable unless we can fill your place timeously or there are exceptional circumstances**

< Back Engineering updates in October 11 Nov 2025 The following documents have been issued/updated in the Engineering 'Info Library' during October. Continuing airworthiness information : Alert A-11-2025 - Eurostar control system rose joints Alert A-12-2025 - Aeroprakt windscreens TADS: Evektor Eurostar Vans RV-9/-9A Propeller type lists PTL/1 : Murphy Renegade 912 (new) Murphy Renegade Spirit (new) Vans RV-6 (up-issued) Next Previous

Armstrong/Isaacs Bursary Winners of 2026 Bursaries below. Five bursaries of up to £1,500 are offered every year to support young pilots already in PPL training. To qualify for these bursaries you must be under 30, are required to already have reached ‘first solo’ standard, have completed a minimum of five hours solo training and have gained the necessary medical and ground qualifications to continue your training. Rose Solley (above - left) A flight in my Grandfathers Jodel D117 was where it all began for me. I was lucky enough to have that first trial experience of flying when I was 12, followed by my first lesson when I passed my GSCE at 15. Because I loved my initial experience so much I was determined to find a way to fulfil my dream of being a pilot. Knowing that gaining my PPL would be a costly challenge I knew it was going to take a long time to complete. Coming from a farming background and enjoying working with livestock, I was able to get a job at our neighbouring dairy farm. This gave me flexibility with working hours and also the finance I needed to fund my PPL, the journey so far has taken 5 long years and the LAA Armstrong Isaacs bursary will enable me to complete the challenge I set myself of becoming a female Pilot. Iain Kirkham (above - right) I began my passion for flying at a young age, taking every opportunity to fly with my dad in his Escapade and more recently his Sling 2 taildragger. At first, I found flying an aircraft to be both intimidating and exciting but also rewarding as well as giving a sense of freedom and this motivated me to obtain my PPL. During the holidays whilst studying for an Engineering degree, I decided to start my PPL training in a Sonaca S200 at Blackbushe airport. I am now aiming to complete my solo x-country which has been delayed over the past two months due to bad weather and thanks to the LAA bursary I hope to complete my PPL training in the next few months. After my PPL I intend to become a member of the LAA and do a taildragger conversion course so that I can fly the Sling 2 taildragger and go touring in an aircraft that I helped my dad to build. I would like to thank the LAA and am very grateful for the opportunity the LAA has given me enabling me to pursue my passion and love of flying. Kate Lee (below - left) I am an Aerospace engineering graduate and have just started my PhD looking in to sustainable aviation solutions. I am passionate about combining my interests in sustainability and aviation and am focussing my current work on some of the challenges associated with developing hydrogen gas turbine engines for planes. I was fortunate to start working towards my PPL whilst completing an internship at Kemble airport. I love the feeling of freedom of being in the air, and find it very motivational for my work, as it’s a feeling I believe as many people as possible should be able to experience. The bursary should ensure I’m able to complete my PPL course this year before my theory tests expire! I’m very grateful to the LAA Armstrong/Isaacs Bursary for this support in realising my goal of completing my PPL. Armstrong/Isaacs bursaries are funded from the Armstrong/Isaacs Fund, which is based on a major donation from David Armstrong, who was a founder member of the original ULAA in 1947, a lifelong member of the LAA’s predecessor the PFA and the latter’s chairman from 1960 to 1964. His legacy, co-named with that of aircraft designer and builder John Isaacs, has, since 1998 enabled many young prospective pilots to gain their PPL.

Night IFR Certain LAA types can be cleared for flight at night and/or under IMC (instrument meteorlogical conditions) - commonly referred to as 'Night/IFR' for convenience. The special Night/IFR requirements and process are detailed in technical leaflets TL 2.27 and 2.28, linked below, which are additional to the standard requirements applicable to any LAA aircraft. The special requirements involve the aircraft being of a type that demonstrates flight handling broadly in accordance with CS-23 subpart B (some types, including the RV-6 and RV-7, have a restricted aft cg limit to meet the pitch stability requirements), and each individual example must have a special IFR flight test to confirm it matches the first one tested. For a night clearance, the aircraft must also undergo a night test to check its lighting and general suitability for night flight. The aircraft must have accumulated enough flying hours in VFR to prove its reliability, and it must have an engine of a type accepted as being likely to be as reliable as a certified engine (for example we accept ‘clone’ Lycomings even though not certified). The propeller must be rain-proof, i.e. have hardened leading edges, and the aircraft must have an effective carb ice prevention system. The aircraft’s panel must have at least two independent attitude indicators, with either separate power sources or back-up internal power. If two EFIS are used to provide attitude information, with no other attitude instrument, then the two EFIS must be of different manufacturers so as to avoid the risk of simultaneous failures. There must be pitot heat, an alternative static and an OAT gauge. If the essential systems are relying on electrical power, the electrics must be designed to avoid being vulnerable to any single component failure, and if there is a single alternator there must be enough battery capacity to keep the essential systems running for an adequate time (at least 30 mins) before the battery goes flat. If two radios are fitted, they must not be both vulnerable to failure if any single component fails (e.g. must not be both fed through a single avionics master switch with no back-up power available). LAA does not specify what navigation or radio equipment is fitted, but as with a certified aircraft, the equipment fit determines what type of airspace can be used. An autopilot is not required, but certainly helps reduce pilot workload in sustained instrument flight. Non-certified equipment, including EFIS and autopilots, alternators, etc, are permitted, subject to the usual LAA checks. The aircraft has to be inspected initially and annually by an inspector with a special ‘night/IFR’ endorsement on their LAA inspector approval, and the aircraft is checked to have been built to an appropriate level of quality for a night/IFR aircraft. For example, quality of its instrument wiring, electrical power supply wiring, etc, are checked which are much more critical than in an aircraft only flying day VFR. The ASI and altimeter must be regularly calibrated, the battery must have a regular capacity check and the radios checked regularly by a qualified radio engineer. The aircraft must have an accepted pilot’s operating handbook and an acceptable maintenance schedule, and be maintained to that schedule. The application process involves not only a night/IFR inspector but also a night/IFR assessor who is one of a small band of LAA volunteers qualified to assess the design aspects of the aircraft’s systems and who compiles a technical report about the aircraft and if he is happy with it, includes a recommendation to remove the day-VFR only restriction. The report includes details of the aircraft’s systems, the special flight test reports, inspection reports, maintenance schedule and POH, a photo of the instrument panel and an electrical load analysis. This report is sent to LAA Engineering who checks through it and all being well, issues the aircraft new paperwork with the day and/or VFR restriction removed and replaced by limitations allowing IFR and/or night flight. All LAA night/IFR aircraft are restricted to not fly in the vicinity of thunderstorms and, for IFR cleared aircraft, take-off and landing in visibility less than 1500m is prohibited. The aircraft may not be operated in IMC below 500 ft agl for a precision approach, or 600 ft for a non-precision approach, or approach system limits, whichever is the greater. The pilot qualification for flying an LAA night/IFR aircraft at night or in IFR is the same as for flying a certified light aircraft at night or IFR. Aircraft types that have been successfully cleared for night/IFR flight include the RV-6, -7, -8, -9 and -10 (nosewheel and tailwheel variants – some with cg range restrictions), Europa and Cozy. Several of the modern lightweight 600 kg types have failed to comply due to low stability margins making them OK for day VFR flight but not suitable instrument platforms for night or IFR. Whilst a very few Rotax powered aircraft have been be to be cleared, most of the thirty or so LAA aircraft that have successfully transitioned are powered by Lycoming or Lycoming-clone engines. PROCESS SUMMARY LIST OF TYPES PERMIT IFR FEES NIGHT IFR INSPECTORS FAQs POH LITE TEMPLATE (PowerPoint File) NIGHT IFR PILOTS ACCEPTED INSTRUMENTS TL 2.27 - PROCEDURE FOR APPROVAL & TL 2.28 - ASSESSMENT OF AIRCRAFT LAA/MOD15 APPLICATION FORM

E10 Mogas From 1st September 2021, the government mandated that all regular grade unleaded petrol must contain up to 10% ethanol, rather than up to 5% as previously. In the autumn of 2021, most filling stations around the UK re-marked their E5 petrol pumps to show that they now supply E10 specification fuel, and started receiving tanker-loads blended with up to 10 percent ethanol content. For the automotive world this means reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which is better for the environment, and, arguably in terms of eco-desirability, a small further reduction in the reliance on fossil fuel. The automotive industry had been preparing for this change, and people with road vehicles registered after 2002 should be able to switch to E10 without noticing any difference. Unfortunately, the additional ethanol content is bad news for aviation users if we were to ignore the change and start putting E10 in our aircraft regardless. Ethanol is a powerful chemical solvent which can attack components including rubberised gaskets and fuel pipes, older lacquered carburettor floats and composite or plastic components in some newer fuel systems. The doubling of the concentration of ethanol in E10 compared to E5 makes it much more likely that problems will be experienced if these parts are not designed to be ethanol-proof. Ethanol also has an affinity for absorbing water, which over time can then become acidic, attacking metal components in the fuel system and engine. Even if there was a practical way to do so in the volumes of fuel we use in our aircraft, we cannot safely remove the ethanol content from the fuel because the ethanol acts as an octane enhancer, so the washed-out fuel would be left with a reduced octane value, likely to cause detonation problems. Another issue is that ethanol-blended fuel has a lower energy density than petrol, so to develop full power from our engines using an E10 fuel, we may need to richen the fuel/air mixture, for example using a bigger carburettor jet size. Owners of Rotax and Jabiru engines are probably already aware that many of these engines are supplied as being able to use E10 fuel – though with Jabiru engines, in particular, it’s far from straightforward because some of the earlier engines require cylinder head modifications and reduced compression ratio if they are to avoid detonation issues when using any form of Mogas. Jabiru also say that Mogas of any type should not be used in commercial flight schools and only at the owners own risk. Even with a supposedly E10-compatable engine, the chemical compatibility problems with fuel system components are such that the LAA does not at present approve the use of E10 Mogas in any LAA amateur-built or vintage aircraft. For factory-built microlights and factory-built gyroplanes, where LAA is not the approving authority but only renews the CAA’s Permits to Fly, owners need to refer to the TADS for the types for details of the approved fuel types, and monitor the service bulletins from the approved manufacturers for news of any updates. Where we need to be particularly careful in reading-across from (hopefully) a trouble-free transition to E10 in automotive use is the big difference between our petrol cars and the way our aircraft engines are configured. Our cars generally have submerged fuel pumps in their petrol tanks and a sealed fuel system. In our aircraft we have an open-vented tank and usually a fuel pump several feet away, often mounted in a hot area of the engine bay near to the engine exhaust, dragging the fuel through a fairly convoluted pipework system, a filter and fuel selector – all features encouraging a vapour lock - and then to make matters worse we want to climb up to altitude and operate in reduced atmospheric pressure. Modern petrol cars have a fuel injection systems rather than carburettors, a circulating fuel system designed to purge any vapour forming in the fuel line, and an ECU that monitors the engine’s parameters constantly and adjusts the fuel mixture strength and ignition timing to prevent damage to the engine – and if all else fails and the engine should ‘pink’, we can hear it from the driver’s seat and drop a gear to lighten the load. Because of the much higher background noise level in our aircraft, detonation cannot be heard and the pilot’s first indication of a problem may be when the first piston crown disintegrates, or a valve head departs its stem. In conclusion - E10 is presently not approved for use in any LAA aircraft. ‘Hoping for the best’ and using E10 fuel in your aircraft regardless could risk ruining the fuel system components, fibreglass tanks falling to bits, engine failure through contamination of the fuel or ruptured fuel pump diaphragms etc, or more serious engine damage. For most of our engines, UL91 Avgas is the best choice, but 97 octane E5 Super Unleaded remains an alternative to the now-obsolete E5 spec Mogas.

Continuing Airworthiness Information One of the key strengths of the LAA's system is that we can monitor the fleet centrally and keep track of airworthiness incidents from around the world. Where necessary, we can then let our owners know, to help them keep flying safely. A full listing of Airworthiness Alerts, Technical Service Bulletins and Mandatory Technical Directives can be found below: ALERTS, TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS & MANDATORY TECHNICAL DIRECTIVES

Light Aviation Magazine 2016 Click on the links below to open each issue of Light Aviation Magazine from 2016 January 2016 April 2016 July 2016 October 2016 February 2016 May 2016 August 2016 November 2016 March 2016 June 2016 September 2016 December 2016

LAA Member Discounts

Light Aviation Magazine 2020 Click on the links below to open each issue of Light Aviation Magazine from 2020 January 2020 April 2020 July 2020 October 2020 February 2020 May 2020 August 2020 November 2020 March 2020 June 2020 September 2020 December 2020

LAA are proud to announce our Rally 2026 sponsor Camping and Accommodation Camping passes, which cover the duration of your stay, are available upon arrival, at a cost of £65 . There is a discounted price of £55 if bought in advance and the cut off date is Wednesday 26th August to allow us to get your permit posted to you on time. Camping permits bought in advance will be posted to you in July. If you fly in and wish to camp under the wing, this is free. Camping facilities, providing basic amenities, including hot showers will be available on site. There is ample ground for caravans and mobile homes. The campsite will be open from midday Thursday 28th August and close on Monday morning 1st September. Please note entry to the Rally Exhibition Site is charged separately. Prices are for the duration of your stay. On site catering and bar will be available in the Exhibition area during event opening hours and evening food, bar and entertainment will be provided by Leicestershire Aero Club in the evenings.