The soon-to-be-created Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) class will not be affected by the rule. EAA spokesman Earl Lawrence explained that Light Sport Aircraft will not go through the regular certification process, even though they will be delivered as complete aircraft. Because the NPRM specifically includes only type certificate and supplementary type certificate applications, LSA aircraft are exempt. LSA standards are being set by an industry consensus process (with FAA oversight) and manufacturers will swear an “affidavit of compliance” to those standards to get manufacturing approval. Lawrence said there are currently no noise limits but there might be in the future. Lawrence said manufacturers are sensitive to the noise issue and have had informal discussions about setting limits. “EAA and several manufacturers have been discussing this and we want to have something in there to address it,” he said. By being proactive on noise limits, Lawrence said the industry hopes to avoid having them imposed. Lawrence said there is plenty of “off the shelf” technology available to cut noise from engines and props.
