EAA Type Club Coalition Meets at AirVenture

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY ROBBIE CULVER AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF

ON TUESDAY, JULY 25, EAA’s Type Club Coalition (TCC) held its annual meeting at AirVenture. Some common themes were on this year’s agenda, including insurance challenges, transition training, the additional pilot program for E-AB aircraft, and task-based flight testing.

Jeff Edwards, Ph.D., airline transport pilot, and founder of the Lancair Owners and Builders Organization (LOBO), shared the type club’s “worst to first” story. LOBO was formed in late 2008 in response to the aircraft type’s accident rate — that year there were 11 fatal U.S. Lancair accidents. The LOBO training program began in early 2009, and since that time, the accident rate has steadily dropped. In 2023, there have been no U.S. fatal accidents for 25 months, and there have been no fatal Lancair Phase I accidents since AC 90-116 was released in 2014.

LOBO solved a real-world problem with data, training, and quality-control processes, and has shared the information across the E-AB community via the TCC.

During follow-up discussions, Tom Turner of the American Bonanza Society (ABS), a longtime member of the TCC and promoter of training for pilots and owners, stated that type clubs and owners “continue to navigate the challenging environment of training and insurance challenges.”

Minard Thompson of the International Birddog Association reviewed the challenges of a type without realistic transition training opportunities due to the unique nature of the aircraft type. Thompson shared that a recent spate of accidents continues to prove that “you can’t fix stupid.”

Tom Charpentier, government relations director at EAA, shared with the TCC that the current year accident statistics continue to look good and remain below the FAA’s “not-to-exceed” threshold. “We are on pace to have a very good year.”

New safety initiatives from EAA were released, including a publication aimed at nonbuilder E-AB owners. The guide will be free and is currently in the final editing stages.

TCC chairman Coyle Schwab told AirVenture Today, “AirVenture offers a unique opportunity for aircraft owners and pilots to meet with regulators and discuss their perspectives on issues that impact safety. Today’s meeting was very productive. I’m grateful to the type club representatives, the FAA, and EAA for the forum.”

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