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From AOPA:

The FAA released a long-awaited rulemaking proposal to do away with light sport aircraft weight limits and other restrictions on pilots who fly them, though sport pilots will still be limited to only one passenger at a time.

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AOPA is analyzing the details of this first major overhaul of aircraft certification rules in two decades and will provide comment.

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At first glance, there is much to like. The agency eliminated any weight restriction and instead applied limitations to performance-based criteria:

• Increase the airplane stall speed to 54 knots.
• Increase the maximum speed to 250 knots calibrated airspeed.
• Allow controllable-pitch propellers.
• Allow retractable landing gear.

The increase in stall speed will enable increased aircraft weights for more robust airframes, installation of safety enhancing equipment, higher fuel capacity, and more seating capacity. The change also will allow airplane designs up to about 3,000 pounds to be included in this rulemaking.

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“The FAA intends for these expansions to increase safety by encouraging aircraft owners, who may be deciding between an experimental aircraft or a light-sport category aircraft, to choose aircraft higher on the safety continuum and, therefore, meet higher aircraft certification requirements,” the agency wrote.

https://public-inspection.federalreg...2023-14425.pdf

https://aopa.org/news-and-media/all-...oposed-at-last

I guess this will pave the road for future ICON models with a higher MTOW...

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This is great news for the light aircraft industry. This really paves the way for companies with already very good quality and design standards (even some really legitimate kit aircraft companies) to quickly certify and start producing their multi seat aircraft for the rest of the community.

I do have to say though this analysis from AOPA on the weight is actually wrong. There actually isn't a specific weight called out, however there is a stall speed of 54 knots which pretty much for most designs arbitrarily limits the aircraft to about 3,000 lb and in most cases actually its much lower than 3000 lb.

The wording actually says this:

"Although this proposal removes the specific weight limits for lightsport
category aircraft, this proposed rule would indirectly limit aircraft weight via
stalling speed limitations, as discussed in sections IV.C.2 and IV.C.4. As noted in those
sections, the stalling speed limit would indirectly limit the weight at around 3,000
pounds. Although still limiting aircraft weight, the proposed VS1 stalling speed would
enable aircraft with heavier weights than the definition permits for light-sport aircraft."

So with this rule change (if enacted) and If no outer mold lines were changed and the aircraft was structurally strengthened to take the weight, the maximum gross weight the A5 in its CURRENT FORM could achieve and still meet the new 54 kts stall speed would be 2,174 lb (notice this is way less than 3000 lb) This assumes everything stays the same on the airfoils and wing area (these are the only knobs a designer can turn)

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So rumor mill is claiming that current LSA's (if new rules pass) will be able to re-publish POH's and increase the max gross load, if the current max load is at the current LSA max gross limits. In other words, if your LSA's gross weight is capped by LSA rules, but can handle more, you will get a higher max gross weight. Assuming true, do you think we may get a bump Bret, or are we already living that bump with the LSA weight exemption we currently enjoy?

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Hey Double T,

So all things being simple (they aren’t) and the aircraft could and was tested to the higher gross weight then Yes basically it would be compliance reports (documentation of analysis and test reports) POH and production flight test procedure changes.

As for the A5 the reason 1510 lb was chosen was that this was the maximum amount the A5 could weigh and still have a Vs1 = 45 kts. ICON already has an exemption to 1680lb and has had legal exemption to produce a plane to that number since day one but the aircraft doesn’t make enough lift to stall at 45 kts clean at anything higher than 1510z So to answer your question as it relates to the A5. No. The aircraft was only tested to 1510 lb and structurally to limit load (6g statically as prescribed by the ASTM standards) at that weight. So it would need to be retested statically to the new limit (it will most certainly need structural changes to the airframe and landing gear to meet ASTM standards at that weight. It would also probably need a new engine as only a 200 lb gross weight increase will drop the climb performance to at or very near the 315 ft/min minimum sea level standard day climb rate limit. Then there is buoyancy tests and the like.

So in reality most aircraft designs are super efficient to reduce weight that’s not needed and require changes and retesting to to just “up the weight”

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Does this now mean, Icon can make a four seater with a 300hp ?...and blow away the GA market??

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Does this now mean, Icon can make a four seater with a 300hp ?...and blow away the GA market??

Yes, coming to a dealer new you...in 2039.