PRINTER'S NO. 1111
No. 994 Session of 1995
INTRODUCED BY REBER, TRELLO, GEIST, HENNESSEY, DALEY, THOMAS AND
BELFANTI, MARCH 6, 1995
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, MARCH 6, 1995
AN ACT
1 Providing for the operation of ultralight air vehicles within
2 this Commonwealth.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Ultralight
7 Air Vehicle Operations Act.
8 Section 2. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Administrator." The Administrator of the Federal Aviation
13 Administration, or a designee of the administration.
14 "Bureau." The Bureau of Aviation in the Department of
15 Transportation.
16 "Ultralight air vehicle." Any vehicle which meets the
17 requirements of section 3.
1 Section 3. Applicability.
2 The provisions of this act shall apply to every ultralight
3 air vehicle that conforms to the following standards:
4 (1) Is used or intended to be used for manned operation
5 in the air by a single occupant.
6 (2) Is used or intended to be used for recreation or
7 sport purposes only.
8 (3) Does not have any United States or foreign
9 airworthiness certificate.
10 (4) If unpowered, weighs less than 155 pounds.
11 (5) If powered, meets all of the following conditions:
12 (i) Weighs less than 254 pounds empty weight,
13 excluding floats and safety devices that are intended for
14 deployment in a potentially catastrophic situation.
15 (ii) Has a fuel capacity not exceeding five United
16 States gallons.
17 (iii) Is not capable of more than 55 knots
18 calibrated airspeed at full power in level flight.
19 (iv) Has a power-off stall speed which does not
20 exceed 24 knots calibrated airspeed.
21 Section 4. Registration of ultralights.
22 (a) Mandatory requirement.--All ultralight air vehicles
23 which are owned by residents of this Commonwealth shall be
24 registered, within 90 days of the effective date of this act,
25 with the bureau.
26 (b) Registration fee.--The bureau shall assess a
27 registration fee of $25 for each ultralight air vehicle
28 registered with the bureau under this section.
29 Section 5. Operations of ultralights.
30 (a) Hazardous operation prohibition.--
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1 (1) No person may operate any ultralight air vehicle in
2 a manner that creates a hazard to other persons or property.
3 (2) No person may allow an object to be dropped from an
4 ultralight air vehicle if dropping the object creates a
5 hazard to other persons or property.
6 (b) Daylight operations.--
7 (1) No person may operate an ultralight air vehicle
8 except for the hours between sunrise and sunset.
9 (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), ultralight air
10 vehicles may be operated during the twilight periods 30
11 minutes before official sunrise and 30 minutes after official
12 sunset if:
13 (i) The vehicle is equipped with an operating
14 anticollision light visible for at least three statute
15 miles.
16 (ii) All operations are conducted in uncontrolled
17 airspace.
18 (c) Operation near aircraft; right-of-way rules.--
19 (1) Each person operating an ultralight air vehicle
20 shall maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid aircraft and
21 shall yield the right-of-way to all aircraft.
22 (2) No person may operate an ultralight air vehicle in a
23 manner that creates a collision hazard with respect to any
24 aircraft.
25 (3) Powered ultralights shall yield the right-of-way to
26 unpowered ultralights.
27 (d) Operations over congested areas.--No person may operate
28 an ultralight air vehicle over any congested area of a city,
29 town or settlement or over any open air assembly of persons.
30 (e) Visual reference with the surface.--No person may
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1 operate an ultralight air vehicle except by visual reference
2 with the surface.
3 (f) Identification markings.--Every ultralight air vehicle
4 which is operated within this Commonwealth shall carry and
5 maintain clear identifying markers which are visible from the
6 ground.
7 Section 6. Federal standards.
8 All ultralight air vehicles operated in this Commonwealth
9 shall comply with all rules and regulations that are adopted by
10 the appropriate Federal agency.
11 Section 7. Effective date.
12 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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