I think most of us in general aviation have been unfair, or at least uniformed, in our attitude toward the Light Sport Aircraft category. Most of us have focused almost exclusively on the 1,320-pound maximum weight LSA and ignored the incredible breadth of activity in this new category.

I had my eyes opened when I visited the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, a couple of weeks ago. Sure, the PiperSport made headlines with Piper jumping back into the two-seat category. And the Cessna 162 SkyCatcher, Remos, Legend Cub and many others that are LSA, but also quite close in performance and capability to a normal category airplane, were prominent. But then there was the unimaginable range of flying machines with the sole mission of flying for sport and recreation.

There were powered parachutes, gyrocopters and airplanes so small that the word "light" doesn't come close to describing them. These are machines that will never travel more than a few miles from home base, unless you load them into a trailer and tow them. You wouldn't ever consider taking off in anything but great VFR conditions, and certainly not when the breeze is up.

It is this truly light segment of LSA that is delivering on the promise of low-cost recreational flying. Many are built, or at least assembled by their owners, and maintenance requirements are absolutely minimal. And the prices are what many had hoped for.

I think the reason so little attention has been paid to the truly light segment of LSA is that it represents a parallel path to flying. These machines will not lead a person directly into transportation flying. They are not suitable for training people for the private license. Many of them don't even need a real airport to operate. But all can take one, or sometimes two, people off the ground, which is the most fundamental definition of flight.

I'm happy that the top-end LSAs are able to deliver quality flight training at a cost not possible in the existing new production airplanes in the normal category. And these top of the line airplanes are suitable for nice day trips for that distant lunch. But until these airplanes are depreciated through use as trainers, or simply the passage of years, their cost is above what many hoped for from the LSA category. That's not true for the broad sweep of really light LSA. They are affordable new, cost little to fly and maintain, and can get people up in the air with minimal requirements. Once people are flying any type of machine, maybe that will lead to a conventional pilot's license, or a transportation airplane. Who knows? But if people do nothing more than look down from a few hundred feet on sunny days for the rest of their lives, LSA has made that possible, so to me, the new rule is a huge success.