Light Sport Aircraft gain new rules and have market expanded

In July, regulatory changes were approved that provide for the expansion of the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) regulatory model in Brazil. The goal is to allow larger aircraft with other technical characteristics to also enjoy the advantages of this model.

The new regulation, besides bringing Brazil closer to international standards, reduces regulatory complexity by allowing airplane with up to four seats and MTOW (maximum take-off weight) of up to 1,361 kg to use LSA category consensus standards developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International).

The new rules will allow a cost reduction for the approval of new designs for these aircraft compared to the type certification process and will maintain the acceptable level of safety with compliance to the consensus standards.

The regulatory changes, approved through Resolution 686, dated July 13, 2022 are amendments to Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulations (RBACs) No. 1, entitled “Definitions, drafting rules and measurement units for use in ANAC regulations,” and No. 21, entitled “Aeronautical product and article certification .”

See what the changes were:

LSA in Brazil

In Brazil, the creation of the LSA category took place in 2010 with the publication of rules for design and manufacture, and the implementation of the rules for operation, maintenance, and instruction occurred in a staggered manner.

Since then, Brazilian aviation has five domestic light sport aircraft models recognized by the ANAC and another three with ongoing process.

In April 2021, the ANAC formed, along with national LSA manufacturers, a Joint Study Group (in Portuguese GEM) to evaluate the current consensus standards accepted for the LSA category with a focus on expanding the regulatory model of this category in Brazil. In August 2021, the GEM was concluded recommending the possibility of expanding some of the technical characteristics defined in RBAC No. 01.

Still during the regulatory studies, the Agency instituted a Public Survey, in May 2021, for the Ex-post assessment of regulation and for the expansion of the LSA Category model. During the information gathering, one of the goals was to assess society’s view on the advantages and disadvantages of a special sport light aircraft when compared to other categories, such as certified and amateur-built experimental aircraft. The consultation had a good representation of the industry, with 413 contributions received.

The regulatory changes for LSA in Brazil were treated with priority in the Agency. This is one of the 16 themes established in the Regulatory Agenda for the 2021-2022 biennium, being concluded with the publication of these new rules.