Buying a used homebuilt: LSA compliant wrt Vh?

[Jeff Boatright]

I am considering purchasing a small homebuilt biplane (amateur built experimental aircraft). It got its airworthiness certificate over 20 years ago. How do I determine whether the plane fits in the LSA rules? I know its gross weight is under 1320 lbs, max stall is under 45 kts, but I don't know that Vh (speed at max continuous power at sea level) was ever established. Was Vh part of the airworthiness certification process prior to LSA coming into being? If Vh was not established and recorded as part of the original certification, can it be established now, and if so, by what process? Any advice much appreciated, thanks.


From elsewhere on the EAA website I found: 


Vh is defined in FAR Part 1.1 under Light-Sport Aircraft as: The maximum airspeed in level flight with maximum continuous power (Vh) of not more than 120 knots CAS under standard atmospheric conditions at sea level.



So, even if the POH or other documentation includes cruise speeds and "top" or "maximum" speeds, there is no assurance that any of the data were collected at or corrected to standard atmospheric conditions at sea level, right?