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Got my LODA for BFR already!

rcsilvmac

Well Known Member
Just got an email from my FSDO with my LODA authorizing me to use my RV for flight instruction within my operating limitations. Fantastic response from Sacramento FSDO! Kudos to them...
 
Just got an email from my FSDO with my LODA authorizing me to use my RV for flight instruction within my operating limitations. Fantastic response from Sacramento FSDO! Kudos to them...

Just out of curiosity are you receiving instruction in your RV or providing transition training to others?

thanks
-c
 
I'd be interested in what *exactly* was in the email you wrote to them...just the items listed, or did you have to write an explanation for the request, etc.?
 
Great News

I sent mine in this morning, Hopefully I will get the same results (IFR Training)
 
My LODA Wording

I only requested LODA for transition training and BFR. I am NOT an instructor, so this was for my personal training only.

I don't think there is any rule preventing me from sharing some of the text in the LODA - so here are some pertinent snips:


"B. Aircraft. A flight instructor is authorized to exercise the privileges of this LODA in any experimental aircraft for which he or she is qualified to provide flight training. The owner or operator is authorized to receive flight training in the following aircraft..."

There are sections on airworthiness (must have certificate and phase 1 completed) and Operating Limitations (accordance with 91.9, no compensation for use of aircraft):

"Operating Limitations:
1) In accordance with § 91.9, the aircraft must be operated in accordance with the operating
limitations made a part of the experimental airworthiness certificate, except for those
limitations modified by this LODA.
2) The owner (or delegate) or instructor named below may receive and provide
compensation for flight training in this aircraft, provided no compensation is received for
the use of the aircraft. Compensation for the use of the aircraft includes expenses,
including a pro rata share of expenses, such as (but not limited to) fuel, oil, airport
expenditures, or rental fees.
3) Compensation for flight instruction is limited to the fair market value for that instruction.
4) Owners of experimental aircraft and flight instructors exercising the privileges of this
LODA are restricted from advertising or broadly offering the use of their aircraft for
flight training. Operations of that nature would require a LODA in accordance with FAA
Order 8900.1, Volume 3, Chapter 11, Section 1, Use of Aircraft Issued Experimental
Certificates in Flight Training for Compensation or Hire.
5) Operation under this LODA must comport to the parameters the Notification of Policy
for Flight Training in Certain Aircraft (published in the Federal Register on July 12,
2021).
6) This LODA expires 48 months from the date of issue, and may be canceled or amended
at any time.
7) This document, or an electronic copy, must be carried for all operations conducted under
this authority."
 
I also received my LODA from the OKC FSDO today.

Noteworthy Excerpts:
"to receive or provide aircraft-specific training in an aircraft certificated in the experimental category in accordance with the limitations and provisions of this LODA.

" A flight instructor is authorized to exercise the privileges of this LODA in any experimental aircraft for which he or she is qualified to provide flight training. The owner or operator is authorized to receive flight training in the following aircraft:"

"This LODA expires 48 months from the date of issue,"
 
I emailed the LODA request Thursday evening and received the completed LODA back today from the Milwaukee FSDO, I expected it to be several months before I would see the official LODA, thanks to the MKE FSDO for the quick service.
 
Are people who are getting quick turn around approvals using the email address the FAA set up for this purpose or emailing their local FSDOs directly?

I used the email provided in the EAA article with the requested info, copy below.

"Under the new LODA system, applicants can send an email to [email protected] with their name, address, email address, pilot certificate number, flight instructor number (if applying as a CFI), aircraft registration number (if applying as an owner), aircraft make and model, and aircraft home base (if applying as an owner)."
 
6) This LODA expires 48 months from the date of issue, and may be canceled or amended
at any time.

"

My main concern regarding this new system is highlighted in the bold quotation. We need more concrete rules and regulations from the FAA instead of arbitrary rules that will and can be revoked at whim, or after a local FSDO failed to perform its duty as in the Florida case. On the plus side, it seems the local FSDOs have received guidance from the FAA and to expedite the new temporary LODA process.
 
Sent email

I also used the email address noted above for my request and provided the requested information. In my case I specifically called out BFR and transition training.
 
Is anyone using a standard boilerplate e-mail? I will probably need this for my IFR training now in the 6A.
 
Question

Is the LODA for the plane, or the pilot?

Laura and I are both pilots, and will be getting our BFRs in our EAB.

The application email includes my info, as well as the aircraft info-----so how is the LODA applied?

I am thinking Laura should apply also, just to be sure all bases are covered.

What say the collective intelligence?
 
What say the collective intelligence?

Well, I'm kinda short on this part but,

I sent the request Friday morning and received the LODA today from the MKE FISDO.

This LODA doesn't reference my plane at all. Only has my name and says I'm able to provide or receive training in any Experimental I'm legally flying, also says I can recieve or provide compensation for training but cannot pay for or charge for the aircraft.

FYI I'm a CFI
 
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Is the LODA for the plane, or the pilot?

Laura and I are both pilots, and will be getting our BFRs in our EAB.

The application email includes my info, as well as the aircraft info-----so how is the LODA applied?

I am thinking Laura should apply also, just to be sure all bases are covered.

What say the collective intelligence?

Louise and I each sent in am email, each with the three two-seat airplanes on them (no use asking for an instructor to ride along in Tsam or Loki….).

Haven’t heard back yet, but the Reno FSDO, as nice and helpful (truly) as they are, are probably still trying to figure out their email passwords…… ;)
 
Got mine too!

I received my LODA today from the Des Moines FSDO. I requested it over the weekend. I have to give them credit. It's a stupid bureaucratic move, but the FAA wasted no time giving us what we need to stay safe.
 
Is LODA needed if giving a BFR and there is no compensation?

I’ve read the recently revised FAA policy a couple times but still not sure I understand all of it.

I’m a CFI and I have a couple friends that I give a Flight Review in their experimental aircraft and no money changes hands. Since no compensation is involved it doesn’t seem that a LODA is required for them or me.

Is that correct?
 
Disregard earlier question in previous thread

I just saw the other 13+ pages on the other Thread on same topic..Various posts seem to indicate “no compensation, no LODA”
 
I’ve read the recently revised FAA policy a couple times but still not sure I understand all of it.

I’m a CFI and I have a couple friends that I give a Flight Review in their experimental aircraft and no money changes hands. Since no compensation is involved it doesn’t seem that a LODA is required for them or me.

Is that correct?

At our EAA chapter meeting Saturday, my instructor pointed out that the FAA has ruled that flight time logged by the CFI in giving flight training is considered compensation to the instructor. And the defining regulation for a BFR refers to one hour of flight training.
 
At our EAA chapter meeting Saturday, my instructor pointed out that the FAA has ruled that flight time logged by the CFI in giving flight training is considered compensation to the instructor. And the defining regulation for a BFR refers to one hour of flight training.

First, is there a reference somewhere to this decision, in writing, by the FAA? And second...what if they don't log it? (Maybe they have a gazillion hours and just don't need 1 more hour of logged time for anything).
 
Need a description of training requested?

Do we need to send in the LODA request any kind of paragraph with a description of what kind of training we will be doing or just need to send in name, address, pilot certificate number, etc?


Anybody have a sample paragraph they sent with their accepted LODA? I am surprised that EAA did not provide a sample of what needs to be sent in.
 
I requested my LODA via a single sentence followed up with the requested info outlined in the EAA communication. Received my LODA this morning from the Orlando FSDO who deserve kudos for their quick response…..!!

Gerry Peterson
Merritt Island, Fl
 
I sent the request Friday morning and received the LODA today from the MKE FSDO.[/QUOTE]

I sent my email on Friday also, but haven't heard back from MKE FSDO as of yet. Hopefully soon. Mine should be the same as yours, as I applied as an instructor rather than for a specific airplane.
 
Automated reply

I sent mine last night after midnight and had the friendly, “We got your request and it will be handled in the order received” reply early this morning. Tick tock, tick tock..
 

Maybe I missed it, but where does this recent decision say that "flight time logged by the CFI in giving flight training is considered compensation to the instructor" ?

The questions arose regarding CFIs giving a BFR but NOT getting paid (i.e., your buddy who is a CFI gives you a BFR), and the assertion that the FAA still considers them as being compensated if they so much as log the time.

You just reposted the FAA notification which brought up this whole mess re: LODAs and such, not what I asked for.
 
FAA's interpretation is that "anything" gained is considered compensation. If the CFI logs the time, he has gained additional flight time.
 
FAA's interpretation is that "anything" gained is considered compensation. If the CFI logs the time, he has gained additional flight time.

I've seen this argument. And I've seen the logical follow-on to the CFI...the safety pilot (a safety pilot logs the time he acts as PIC, but wasn't compensated for the flight nor did he share fuel and other expenses, so now he's being "compensated" by logging time, thus making safety pilots in violation of the law unless they split expenses, right?).

But I haven't seen the *paperwork* from the FAA where they document this interpretation, that's all.
 
Maybe I missed it, but where does this recent decision say that "flight time logged by the CFI in giving flight training is considered compensation to the instructor" ?

The questions arose regarding CFIs giving a BFR but NOT getting paid (i.e., your buddy who is a CFI gives you a BFR), and the assertion that the FAA still considers them as being compensated if they so much as log the time.

You just reposted the FAA notification which brought up this whole mess re: LODAs and such, not what I asked for.

You actually have to go into the FAA site and search for their legal department’s interpretation of cases - it is an extensive database, and it will definitely cause you to pause…..

Here’s the link to the search page - prepare to enter a chamber of legal horrors…..

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...c/practice_areas/regulations/interpretations/

I looked at a bunch of them over the issue of compensation, and yes, just about anything is considered compensation - including flight time, which is a valuable commodity. Don’t think so? How much does it cost to add an hour to your logbook?
 
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And, CFI’s are also required to log (‘keep a reliable record’) of instruction given, even if it’s free.
 
And…..my LODA (for all three of the aircraft I applied for) just came in to my email box from the Reno FSDO!

Having been in the government for over thirty years, I have to say - someone paved this path behind the scenes in the past couple of weeks, and made sure it could be executed by the field personnel quickly and easily - and primed them all to be ready for a flood. At least that’s the way it looks to me!

Paul
 
Has anyone received a LODA this week for IFR training or other training that wasn’t BFR or transition training? Just wondering if they are allowing a broad range of training or limiting LODAs to BFR and transition training.

Jerald
 
FAA

This is by far the fastest the FAA has moved since their creation on May 21, 1958. It is very likely that the word came from high up that this monumental screw up by the FAA needed to be fixed at the speed of light.
 
Has anyone received a LODA this week for IFR training or other training that wasn’t BFR or transition training? Just wondering if they are allowing a broad range of training or limiting LODAs to BFR and transition training.

Jerald

I have not yet received my LODA (OAK FSDO is even slower than Reno -:) ) but it should allow any instruction.
 
And…..my LODA (for all three of the aircraft I applied for) just came in to my email box from the Reno FSDO!

Having been in the government for over thirty years, I have to say - someone paved this path behind the scenes in the past couple of weeks, and made sure it could be executed by the field personnel quickly and easily - and primed them all to be ready for a flood. At least that’s the way it looks to me!

Paul

I think you're exactly right. The FAA knew they had a mess on their hands after the judge's decision. The "right" answer (per the regs) was the LODA. So they (quietly) build a process for issuing those LODAs very quickly. And then got it out in time to fulfill the majority of them in time for AirVenture. Now they can go into their presentation at Oshkosh with numbers showing how many LODAs were requested, and how many were issued. That's a big PR win for them.
 
And…..my LODA (for all three of the aircraft I applied for) just came in to my email box from the Reno FSDO!

Having been in the government for over thirty years, I have to say - someone paved this path behind the scenes in the past couple of weeks, and made sure it could be executed by the field personnel quickly and easily - and primed them all to be ready for a flood. At least that’s the way it looks to me!

Paul

Not sure that is universally the case. I called the Chicago FSDO yesterday, as my need is urgent. I told them that I was seeing other folks get their's already and was curious on a timeframe. They told me they knew about the issue but had no guidance on what to do and refused to do anything until OKC tells them what to do. I suspect there is some variability here, but feel this is at least a good sign. My request went in on THursday.
 
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Not sure that is universally the case. I called the Chicago FSDO yesterday, as my need is urgent. I told them that I was seeing other folks get their's already and was curious on a timeframe. They told me they knew about the issue but had no guidance on what to do and refused to do anything until OKC tells them what to do. I suspect there is some variability here, but feel this is at least a good sign. My request went in on THursday.

There’s always that one guy in the back of the classroom that doesn’t get the word, isn’t there….. ;)

Will be interested to se when the Chicago FSDO gets their knuckles rapped with the ruler!
 
Just applied for mine, out of the Lubbock TX FSDO. We'll see what happens...

Got an email reply "We received your reqest..." almost immediately.
 
Lubbock is excellent. Maybe the best FSDO in US.

Oakland has to be one of the worst. Ten years ago, I requested the ‘original’ LODA (for-hire transition training only, by me in my EAB). I sent in all the paperwork, complete with references to the FAA’s own guide (9001? Some number). I got a call back, ‘We’ve never heard of this, we don’t think it can be done.’ I’m hoping for better this time. Anyone get a response from OAK?
 
Has anyone received a LODA this week for IFR training or other training that wasn’t BFR or transition training? Just wondering if they are allowing a broad range of training or limiting LODAs to BFR and transition training.

The information asked for in the LODA request does not include the type of training to be received. It's for any training to be received by the owner in their EAB aircraft. (Read the EEA article linked previously for info on what's required in the request.)

Requested mine late Thurs night, received from ATL FSDO this afternoon (Tuesday).

You can read the entire LODA template here:
https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/vintage_experimental/examiners/media/LODA_Template.pdf
 
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