About 5 p.m. Tuesday, a teleconference with EAA, the ASC, the FAA, and the U.S. Ultralight Association (USUA) was held to clarify the procedure for authorized ultralight instructors to become DPEs in the proposed Sport Pilot category. “FAA emphasized that, contrary to some reports, the application process has NOT started and that no action to start the DPE process would begin until a final Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule is published in the Federal Register and subsequently the DPE policy is released,” EAA said on its Web site Tuesday night. Stephenson said that his letter to instructors was “fully compatible and coordinated with the FAA process.” On the ASC Web site, an announcement is posted regarding Sport Pilot Examiners: “The Sport Pilot program requires many pieces of infrastructure. … One of those pieces is a set of examiners who are competent in these light craft. A transitional plan is now starting to identify and train a significant number of examiners from our ranks. The first step in this plan is to send a letter to all BFIs and AFIs [basic and advanced flight instructors] to see who wants to be an examiner. … Those who wish to be considered will supply background and experience information to aid in the evaluations. Once ASC has recommended candidates for SPE [Sport Pilot Examiner], the FAA examiner evaluation board will select from the pool of available candidates.”
