Source: Beartracks 2026 Issue 1, Jared Yates
As we know, our airplanes don’t get “Annuals”, they get yearly Condition Inspections. The way it has always been, if we build an airplane with an Experimental/Amateur-Built (E/AB) airworthiness certificate, the builder could apply for a Repairman’s Certificate under 65.104. The holder of a certificate of that type could complete the condition inspection for that specific airplane, listed by registration number, even if the repairman no longer owned the airplane. In my case, the repairman certificate for our first Bearhawk isn’t good for much at all, since the plane was destroyed in a fire. When we had the good fortune to purchase a completed and flying Bearhawk from our friend Mark to replace the first one, I was not eligible for a 65.104 Repairman certificate, complicating my yearly Condition Inspection needs. 
This year at Airventure when the new MOSAIC rules were announced, a very nice bonus regulatory change came along in the package. A person who owns an E/AB airplane could obtain a Light Sport Repairman’s Certificate with an Inspection rating under 65.107, and then that person could perform the Condition Inspection on any E/AB airplane that he owns. Notably, this isn’t just the newly-classified Light Sport airplanes, but any homebuilt, regardless of its performance capabilities. Also, while the Repairman must own the plane to do the inspection, any future planes that he purchases are also eligible for a Condition Inspection, without any additional classes. Before Oshkosh was over, I was in contact with Carol Carpenter at Rainbow Aviation to get myself into one of the 16-hour weekend classes so I could obtain the LSR-I certificate. I wasn’t alone, and Carol said her phone was ringing off the hook. In short order we secured the next open travelling slot and our local EAA Chapter 731 hosted the class in North Carolina in November 2025. 
The class itself was still mostly oriented towards the type of airplanes that we used to call LSAs, with Rotax engines and sail cloth covering. I did learn some things though, and most importantly, I got the completion certificate for the course and forwarded it to my local FAA FSDO. Unfortunately, the “big” FAA had not yet issued guidance to the local FAA guys about how to issue these certificates, so we entered a brief holding pattern. In early 2026 the guidance finally came along and I was able to obtain the certificate, but I wasn’t quite done yet.
As we know, our E/AB airplanes have “Operating Limitations” that are issued along with the Airworthiness Certificate. Back a few years ago, the FAA combined these two papers into a single document, with the certificate on the first page, and the Operating Limitations language starting right below that. I had gone through the process of updating these documents right after we acquired our second Bearhawk, mainly to update the Phase 1 testing area to its new home in North Carolina, instead of Texas, and to enable transition training. Those operating limitations specifically listed that the Condition Inspection could only be completed by a 65.104 Repairman or by an A&P Mechanic. Most folks will have this language in theirs too, and to be able to complete the Condition Inspection as an LSR-I, we need to have a new Airworthiness Certificate issued again, along with the corresponding new Operating Limitations language. 
As it was with the Repairman Certificate, when it came to the Airworthiness Certificate, the “big” FAA had not yet issued guidance to the local FSDO guys about how to execute the update, so I entered another brief holding pattern. Once the guidance was finally released, I had to log in to the FAA’s AWC portal and request a new Airworthiness Certificate, just as a builder of a new Bearhawk would today. This process is similarly tedious to applying for an Airman Certificate using IACRA. It requires some meticulous attention to detail to complete the fields and make sure everything is correct. Thankfully I was assigned a very accommodating and patient FSDO inspector, and together we made it through the process and got the new certificate with the new language. 
If you find yourself in a similar situation of owning a homebuilt that you didn’t build, I would highly recommend this process. The weekend course makes you eligible for the LSR-I which allows you to inspect planes, but only while you own them. If time and money are less limited, you can also opt for a longer two-week course, which gets you the LSR-M Maintenance rating. This Maintenance rating allows you to complete the Condition Inspection on planes belonging to others, even on a commercial basis. This is a big rule change compared to the previous requirement to have a full A&P certificate for this kind of work. A two week class is still nowhere near as long as an A&P program. I’m glad to see this regulatory relaxation, and I hope all the folks who get the certificate are able to operate responsibly and within their personal limits, so that maybe we can convince the FAA to give us more freedom and responsibility in the homebuilt world.