At the risk of oversimplying the rules, essentially the differences between the two S-LSA and E-LSA are:
1) Who authorizes and makes minor modifications or alterations;
2) Who is authorized to make repairs and annual condition inspections;
3) Night and IFR flight authorizations. Flight Instruction authorization.
An S-LSA plane's design is continuously monitored and controlled by the orginal manufacturer. (Presently, there is some debate as to the "level" of control regarding "minor" alterations, but there is enough uncertaintly in interpretation to make it "prudent" to do nothing without the manufacturer's written permission.) All maintenance and inspections for an S-LSA must be done by an A&P, an FAA Approved Repair Station, or a special LSA Repairman-Maintenance FAA Certified Repairman.
An E-LSA plane's design starts out with a design approved by the manufacturer, but can be maintained and/or altered by the plane's owner without the manufacturer or an A&P approval. (This applies to "minor" alterations. Major alterations are requlated in essentially the same way as other experimental categories.) Normally, the E-LSA still requires that the annual condition inspection be supervised abd "approved" by an A&P. There is one exception. The owner of the plane can complete a 16 hour LSA Repairman-Inspection training program and then is authorized to perform the annual condition inspection himself on his plane only.
An S-LSA can be used for flight instruction. An, E-LSA cannot be used for flight instruction.
An S-LSA can only be used for "Day-VFR". An E-LSA's Operating Limitations authorize "Night VFR" and "IFR" but only if the plane is equipped according to the "standard" category FAR requirements in 91.205, and of course if the plane is flown by a pilot with the required certifications.
N998SC was an S-LSA. After serious consideration, I went through the process of having it "converted" to E-LSA.
The process involves a bit of paperwork, but is not overwhelming or complicated. Once you submit the 8130-6 FAA Form, a Designated Airworthiness Inspection (DAR) or an FAA Inspector at your FSDO reviews the documents and inspects the plane. If the paperwork is in order, and the inspection finds the plane to be airworthy, you must change the decal from "Light Sport" to "Experimental" as well as the passenger warning placard. You then receive a new Airworthiness Certificate and new Operating Limitations.
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| S-LSA |
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| E-LSA |
As a recreational flyer, I enjoy working on the plane as much as I enjoy flying it. (In the past I was a Certified Master Auto Technician as well as an Auto Mechanics Instuctor at a Community College. I also earned a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering.) I am really fussy, so being able to design the mod and work on the plane is important. (I am really slow when making repairs or alterations, and often have to buy more tools to accomplish the task, so the incentive is not to save money. I still have an A&P "review" my work unofficially in most cases and will still use an A&P or Repair Station for work for which I do not have the tools or experience to do first class work.)
I think there is some serious benefits provided by becoming very familiar with your plane and no better way than working on it yourself. I intend to complete the 16 hour LSA Repairman-Inspection Training provided by Rainbow Aviation so that I can perform the annual condition inspection myself.
I found the Manufacturer's Repair Authorization system for S-LSA's to be a bit too constricting and slow. (And since the manufacturer is "responsible", the "research and engineering" cost to enable "approval" could be expensive.) I wanted to be able to update my plane and improve it using new technology or additional systems that would improve safety. For example, my first change after converting was to add a Carburetor Temperature Gauge to help avoid excess carb ice problems. Another change I am considering is adding an anti-collision lighting system to improve my visibility to others during day flight and flight during low light conditions close to sunrise or sunset. Other changes include adding EGT/CHT temp indication as well as an artificial horizon attitude indicator as well as adding an inclinometer to a more prominent view location so that I maintain coordinated flight with more precision.
The picture shows my "improved" panel and instrumentation. I will do a complete post on the addition of the Carburetor Temperature Gauge. (You can note the yellow line on the airspeed indicator that designates the DMMS or Designated Minimum Manuevering Speed that I wrote about in a previous post.)
I have the Garmin 496 GPS, along with the Appareo Stratus ESGi Transponder and ADS-B which in addition to ADS-B Out, provides ADS-B In as well as WAAS, AHRS and Synthetic Vision on my Apple Ipad Mini with Foreflight that I strap to my left leg.
BTW--Avemco confirmed that insurance rates would not change and several plane brokers confirmed that the value of the plane would not change. The "markets" for S-LSA and E-LSA are not the same, but in fact, many buyers are willing ot pay more for an "upgraded" version of an E-LSA.
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