Visiting Non US citizens flying 103 in the USA

[Frank Giger]

I was refering to the CFI and other employee training as you suggested. You will be training yourself and therefore are the instructor as well as the student. The certificate should indicate to any out of place TSA agents that you know more about what you are doing than he might and he would acept your story that the student authorization is not required.

Except there is no training requirement for ultralights - unless one is going to instruct OTHER pilots.

Any ole Joe with cash in his pocket can buy an ultralight, crank it up, and take to the air with it after lunch, even if he was just told they existed at breakfast.

What's causing a huge zzzzttt sound to the wiring of our friends overseas is how absolutely permissive our aviation system is. That which isn't specifically prohibited is allowed....and very little is specifically prohibited. Want to fly cross country and not tell anyone? Go ahead - flight plans are optional. Stick to non-controlled airfields and never talk to anyone in the government at all if that's your wish.

The odds of getting anyone in the government to issue a letter saying there isn't a rule prohibiting something are slim to non-existent. It's like getting Fish and Game to go on record saying it's okay to perform taxidermy on road killed squirrels; they won't do it because there's nothing in the laws or regulations that say one can't.

You'd be better off talking to ultralight groups on your end for clarification, as the average clerk couldn't be bothered. I'd avoid talking to an FDSO - if they give an opinion that doesn't match the regulation it's not binding! While ours down here is really dilligent, I've heard of some that will make an opinion rather than give an informed response.

Citizenship requirements and the subsequent hoops for non-citizens are listed quite clearly in the regulations for aircraft where they apply - and none are listed for ultralights.

Where are all these errant TSA guys we need to worry about? Hell, where are the FAA guys that are alledgely stifling general aviation with irresponsible over-enforcement of the rules? Unless one is attempting to fly an ultralight in D.C. good luck in finding anybody from the government that cares unless someone dies or there's a fire.

The reason there's no stress over ultralights in our post-9/11 world is that some guy with a five gallon gas tank and the potential of carrying literally tens of pounds of explosives at speeds of up to forty miles an hour in light winds has been deemed as not a high priority risk.

The wag who is nay-saying can't be mollified; no letter or proof of correspondence is going to satisfy.