The U.S. Senate last night passed a measure in a national defense bill that eliminates a controversial requirement for pilots and instructors to obtain a letter of deviation authority (LODA) for flight training in experimental aircraft. The 4,000-plus page James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023—named after the long-time lawmaker who is retiring this year—passed the House on December 8 and now heads to the White House for President Joe Biden's signature.
Section 5604 of the bill specifies that a lessor or lessee of an aircraft will not be required to obtain a LODA from the FAA to conduct or receive flight training, checking, and testing in an experimental aircraft if the flight instructor does not provide both the training and the aircraft; no person advertises the aircraft as available for training; and no person receives compensation for use of the aircraft for a specific flight involving training other than expenses of ownership, operation, and maintenance of the aircraft.
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