I have been reading a lot about EAB airplanes recently, with the long term intention of building my own. One of the subjects that I find confusing is the LODA (Letter of Deviation Authority).

It seems they are intended to allow transition training to reduce pilot miscontrol errors on early flights of eab planes, but I am curious how much or how little can be done with them and what is required to maintain them.

My first question is about solo rental, does a LODA allow for solo rental of the aircraft? For example, if I find a plane of the same design as a project I am working on, and I do some transition training a year before it is finished, would I legally have the option to rent that plane solo to maintain proficiency while I finish mine?

My second it about maintenance, does a LODA set a higher maintenance standard for the aircraft being rented or does the plane just need to be maintained like any other EAB?