< Back Spaces left on the 'Caring for your Gypsy Major Course' 26 Sept 2023 We have a few remaining spaces on the following LAA workshop: Caring for your Gipsy Major - Basic Course Date: Tuesday 3 October 2023 Time: 9.45am - 5.00pm Cost: £120 for members/£140 for non-members Booking deadline: Thursday 28 September Please click here to send an email if you are interested or call the office on 01280 846786. Next Previous

< Back ROTAX® Service Bulletins – Inspection of the Propeller Gearbox 2 Dec 2025 Inspection of the propeller gearbox of ROTAX® 915 i and 916 i(Series) Aircraft Engines ROTAX has issued new Service Bulletins regarding the inspection of the propeller gearbox on ROTAX® 915 i and 916 i (Series) aircraft engines. These bulletins below outline the required inspection procedures, affected serial numbers, and any necessary corrective actions. · ASB-915 i-021R1 / ASB-916 i-009R1 · ASB-915 i-021iS R1 / ASB-916 i-009iS R1 Compliance with these bulletins is important to ensure continued airworthiness and safe operation of your aircraft. ASB_915 i-021R1_916 i-009R1 .pdf Download PDF • 1.31MB ASB_915 i-021iSR1_916 i-009iSR1 .pdf Download PDF • 85KB Next Previous

Certification & Approval Having worked out a promising-looking layout, initial three-view and performance and weight specifications, now is the stage where the hard work begins of transforming concepts to working drawings. Essential decisions have to be made about types of material to be used, the structural arrangement, exact choice of powerplant and so on. You’ll probably need to make a cockpit mock-up to check the ergonomics and control system arrangements, and maybe build a flying radio controlled model of the design to give faith in the handling characteristics. With the basic geometry laid out, stress calculations and assembly drawings come next, then drawings of individual piece parts. Keep an up-to-date tally on weights. As the drawings get more detailed you must re-evaluate whether you are going to meet your original targets in terms of weight, strength and aerodynamic cleanliness, whether you need to re-visit your original assumptions or re-design from scratch. Is there a way that the part or assembly can be made more easily, more cheaply, lighter, stronger, more fatigue or corrosion resistant ? Fewer parts and fewer joints generally means fewer problems and less weight. Can you use off the shelf parts rather than having to make them specially ? Are there other aeroplanes around that have already solved a particular problem in a clever way ? Will the aircraft be easy to inspect in service, easy to repair if it gets damaged ? Can it be broken down for transportation ? If the handling isn’t quite right when the prototype is test flown, does the design make provision for ‘tweaks’ to put it right ? Does the design include reserves of strength to cope with weight growth in service and more powerful engines, or is everything pared down to the minimum ? Downloadable Spreadsheets Technical Leaflets Design Tutorials

< Back Gyroplanes to join the new online Permit Revalidation System 17 Jun 2025 The new online Permit Revalidation system has been in place for fixed-wing aircraft on the LAA fleet since 15th April 2025 and now it is time to add Gyroplanes, both amateur-built and factory-built. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that gyroplane Owners and Inspectors will be able to use the online Permit Revalidation system from 22nd July 2025! The Permit Revalidation Process for gyroplanes will follow the same three steps as for fixed-wing aircraft, shown in the graphic below. The only differences will be small changes to the questions in line with the requirements for gyroplanes, such as asking about the rotor and rotor-head. Where do I find more information? If you are a Gyroplane Owner or Inspector, then please talk to your friends that own and inspect fixed-wing aircraft, as many of them will have been through this new process. There is lots of information to help you: Technical Leaflet 2.00 – Revalidating an Aircraft’s Permit to Fly , will be updated on 22nd July to include information regarding gyroplanes A detailed step-by-step video guide is available on the LAA’s YouTube channel, called ‘ Online Permit Revalidation Explained .’ A list of Frequently Asked Questions is available on the LAA website. Again, these will be updated on 22nd July to include Gyroplanes For more information, click HERE . Note: the 22nd July is a hard deadline, so LAA Engineering will not accept applications made under the old system from that date. Changes to Permit Revalidation Fees for Gyroplane Owners From 22nd July, Permit Revalidation Fees for gyroplanes will be based on Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW), rather than Factory Built Gyroplanes always having a fee of £323. This is in line with the charging regime for fixed-wing aircraft. The current charges are as follows: Up to 450kg - £241 451-999kg - £292 1000kg & above - £323 Note: For FBGs - if the last Permit revalidation was not administered by the LAA, an extra fee of £155 applies Next Previous

< Back Francis Donaldson is awarded the Honourable Company of Air Pilots Sword of Honour 22 Sept 2023 This year’s Sword of Honour – which recognises an outstanding contribution to General Aviation – goes to Francis Donaldson. For more than 30 years, as Chief Engineer of the then Popular Flying Association and then Light Aircraft Association, Donaldson has recommended the issuing of permits to fly for more than 3,000 aircraft and overseen the engineering and handling reviews of around 200 different types. He stood down from his role at the beginning of 2022 but has remained involved as a consultant. Few people have been more influential to the progress and development of light aircraft in the past three decades, with an encyclopedic knowledge backed by real world engineering and flight testing expertise. Press release - Air Pilots Trophies and Awards 2023 (2) .pdf Download PDF • 167KB . Next Previous

< Back The online Permit Revalidation System is live for Gyroplanes! 22 Jul 2025 We are pleased to announce that the online Permit to Fly revalidation system went live today for gyroplanes, both home-built and factory-built! Step-by-Step Video Guide, FAQs and Crib Sheet The step-by-step guide to the new online Permit Revalidation system in the form of an ‘ Online Permit Revalidation Explained ’ video can be found below. This was written for a fixed-wing example, but the majority of questions are the same for gyroplanes and the process for gyroplanes has the same three stages as for any fixed-wing aircraft. We have also compiled a list of ‘ Frequently Asked Questions ’ for you, which are found below. The ' Crib Sheet ' for Inspectors referenced in the video is formally called the ' Airworthiness Review Reference Guide ' and is available HERE . There is a version of the crib sheet for homebuilt gyroplanes, entitled ARR-REF (HOMEBUILT GYROPLANE) and a version for factory-built gyroplanes, entitled ARR-REF (FB GYROPLANE). The Check Flight Schedules for both homebuilt and factory-built gyroplanes have now been combined into a single check flight schedule for gyroplanes, entitled CFS-1 (GYRO). This is available HERE . Previous check flight forms for homebuilt and factory-built gyroplanes are now obsolete. The Permit Flight Release Certificate (PFRC) is now a separate document, where it was previously contained within the application form for revalidating a Permit to Fly. It can be found HERE . Key Considerations There are a few key considerations to ensure a Permit to Fly revalidation under the new system goes smoothly: Please make sure you know your username and password for the LAA website. If you have forgotten your login details, please contact the LAA Office. All aircraft using the new system for the first time will require a check flight no older than 3 months at the time of submission of the revalidation application. This is in order to provide a baseline for the online system. The 3-year check flight cycle will then apply subsequently to most aircraft types. Some aircraft will still require a check flight at every revalidation, these are: Aircraft cleared for Night/IFR. Aircraft which have flown less than 12 hours since the previous revalidation inspection. Aircraft Owners will not have to submit a CFS-1 (GYRO) Check Flight Schedule when applying through the new system. However, a CFS-1 (GYRO) will need to be completed for each check flight and stored with the aircraft’s documentation, so that it is available when needed. We will no longer be accepting old-style (paper or scanned) Airworthiness Reviews for homebuilt or factory-built gyroplanes conducted on or after 22 nd July 2025. Need Help? The ‘Revalidating a Permit to Fly’ page on the LAA website signposts you to all the information you will need and can be found HERE . If you have any problems or questions, please follow the steps below: Watch the ‘ Online Permit Revalidation Explained ’ video found HERE . Read Technical Leaflet 2.00 - 'Revalidating your Aircraft's Permit to Fly,' which has now been updated to include information for gyroplanes. Look at the gyroplane variants of the 'crib sheet' for LAA Inspectors, entitled ' Airworthiness Review Reference Guide ,' which is available HERE . Look at our list of FAQs ,. If steps 1-4 do not help you find the answer, contact LAA Engineering on [email protected] or call (0)1280 846786 20250721 - Permit Revalidation Process FAQs Issue 2 .pdf Download PDF • 198KB Next Previous

< Back Alert 05-2024 - Rotax Oil Spray Nozzles - upissued to Issue 2 24 Jul 2025 LAA Alert 05-2024 - Inspection and/or Replacement of Oil Spray Nozzle in some Rotax 900 series engines - upissued to Issue 2 On 16.12.24, Rotax issued a MANDATORY Service Bulletins SB 912 i-016/SB 915 i-016 / SB 916 i-006 and SB-912 i-016iS / SB-915 i-016iS / SB-916 i-006iS which call for urgent action for engines of specified models within certain serial number ranges, if the engine has run for less than 200 hours from new, or engines which have been fitted with specific overhaul kits supplied between 01.01.22 and 31.10.24 inclusive. Therefore, LAA Alert A-05-2024 was issued on 17th December 2024 regarding this. Subsequently, a revision to the Rotax Service Bulletins was issued on 20.12.24, entitled MANDATORY Alert Service Bulletins ASB 912 i-016 R1/ASB 915 i-016 R1 / ASB 916 i-006 R1 and ASB-912 i-016iS R1 / ASB-915 i-016iS R1 and ASB-916 i 006iS R1. Therefore, on 23rd July 2025, LAA Alert A-05-2024 was upissued to Issue 2, which now supersedes Issue 1. A-05-2024 Issue 2 can be found HERE and is also found below. The bulletin concerns problems with a possible full or partial blockage of the oil spray nozzle due to an excessive application of Loctite at the manufacturing stage, when assembling the sprag clutch housing. This can lead to inadequate cooling of the stator assembly, potentially causing loss of electrical power to the engine’s ECU. A-05-2024 Rotax Engine Oil Spray Nozzle Issue 2 .pdf Download PDF • 232KB Next Previous

Light Aviation Magazine 2015 Click on the links below to open each issue of Light Aviation Magazine from 2015 January 2015 April 2015 July 2015 October 2015 February 2015 May 2015 August 2015 November 2015 March 2015 June 2015 September 2015 December 2015

Membership Full Plus Category is for members who own, operate or are currently building an aircraft and gives access to LAA Engineering services. (For Group Owned aircraft, at least one member of the group must have Full Plus membership.) Full Category is for everyone else and includes a monthly copy of Light Aviation Magazine and a discount at the annual LAA Fly-In. JOIN THE LAA Member Full - £72 Full Plus - £113 Member Joint Full - £82 Full Plus - £134 Joint members are members who are the partner of a full member or any children under the age of 18 and living at the family house. Under 30 Member Full - £30 Full Plus - £134 Please forward proof of DOB i.e. copy of passport, driving licence or pilots licence. Overseas Member Full - £88 Full Plus - £134 Overseas includes Ireland. Payment Methods ONLINE Via the Member Area / Renew my Membership DIRECT DEBIT You are now able to set up your direct debit online. Please see your renewal or joining page for details. BY CALLING HQ 01280 846 786 with card details NOTE: Permit Revalidation payments are taken ONLINE only through the Permit Revalidation online system BY INTERNET BANKING Account No : 26225220 Sort Code : 60-30-03 Please note, for membership payments, you MUST quote your membership number and your surname or your payment will not be credited to the correct record. For Permit revalidation & engineering fees, you MUST quote your aircraft registration. If paying from abroad, SWIFT code is : NWBKGB2L IBAN code is : GB81 NWBK 6030 0326225220 Important Links RENEW MY MEMBERSHIP MY AIRCRAFT DETAILS MEMBER AREA ADDRESS CHANGE

< Back Engineering updates in April 6 May 2025 The following documents have been issued/updated in the Engineering 'Info Library' during April. Technical leaflets : TL 2.00 - Revalidating your aircraft's Permit to Fly TL 2.33 - Inspector categories for types (new TL) Forms: LAA/AR-REF - Airworthiness review reference guide (crib sheet) (new form) LAA/CFS-1 (fixed wing) - Check flight schedule LAA/PFRC-1 (fixed wing) - Permit flight release certificate Next Previous

Light Aviation Magazine 2013 Click on the links below to open each issue of Light Aviation Magazine from 2013 January 2013 April 2013 July 2013 October 2013 February 2013 May 2013 August 2013 November 2013 March 2013 June 2013 September 2013 December 2013

< Back MTD-02-2025 issued - Mission M108 Nose Leg Failures - ISSUE 2 14 Aug 2025 MTD-02-2025 - 'Nose leg failures' has been upissued to reflect the availability of alternative parts from the manufacturer. This MTD can be found HERE Three instances of nose leg failure have occurred in the past 12 months, two of which recently. This MTD mandates the regular inspection of this area until replacement parts, now available from Lambert Aircraft Engineering, are installed. Next Previous