Twenty-one years ago, as I walked the grounds of SUN ‘n FUN 2004, the hot topic of the day was the pending announcement of the new sport pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft rules from the FAA.
Rumors were rampant about what this new, revolutionary rule might allow. Which aircraft would be included? What privileges would sport pilots have? Which privileges might pilots lose?
It was an exciting time.
Twenty-one years later there are slightly fewer than 7,000 sport pilots in the United States.
What might be considered a disappointingly low number isn’t the full story, however. There are untold numbers of private pilots, commercial pilots, and ATPs who choose to exercise their sport pilot privileges for at least a portion of their flight time.
That number has included me more than occasionally.
Recently, the FAA went a step further with the final MOSAIC rule. Known as the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification, the proposed expansion of sport pilot privileges that will take effect in the coming months is significant and welcome.
The aircraft available to those of us who choose to fly alone or with just one passenger has grown to include some of the most common airplanes on the market — aircraft that are far more robust than their Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) predecessors.
The soon to be out-of-date weight limitation of 1,320 pounds (1,420 pounds for seaplanes) necessarily resulted in lightly built airframes that were functional and fun but not particularly accommodating of pilots prone to making rough landings.
LSA were also not particularly welcoming to those of us with a penchant for pizza and cheeseburgers. The weight limitation was an issue.
Thankfully, all that is about to be behind us. The more than 20 years of sport pilots flying LSA without a significant increase in accidents, incidents, or medical catastrophe has led the FAA to cut back on the restrictions it imposed all those years ago.
What might be of great interest to many of us is that the FAA clearly separated the sport pilot privileges from the LSA categorization. Often mistaken for being synonymous in the past, the day is not far off when some LSA are available to private, commercial, and ATPs but not to sport pilots.
That part can appear to be a little complicated. Fortunately, a quick but careful review of the rules can clear up the confusion fairly quickly.
Sport pilots may fly aircraft with up to four seats, but while carrying only one passenger. Sport pilot privileges will allow them to fly aircraft with a clean stall of 59 knots or less.
Because of this change, the number and diversity of what qualifies as an LSA is about to become so remarkably broad that many of the aircraft sitting on the ramps and in the hangars of our local general aviation airports will start taking up lines in the logbooks of pilots exercising their sport pilot privileges.
As for LSA themselves, they will be limited to aircraft with a dirty stall speed of 61 knots or less.
While sport pilots will not be allowed to fly these aircraft, I have no doubt designers and builders are already working on plans for aircraft that will be certified and maintained under ASTM standards that meet the new parameters.
Pilots certificated at the private level or above will be seeing an array of new aircraft designs in the coming years that may very well be less expensive to buy, easier to modify and update, and cheaper to maintain.
There is a bright future ahead of us.
These changes will undoubtedly affect the type of advice I give prospective pilots.
Whether they are experienced fliers looking for a practical airplane to purchase or teenagers thinking about getting into aviation as a hobby or prospective profession, a whole new world has opened up.
As an example, a friend who owns a beautiful Legend Cub asked me a while back about what he might consider trading up to that would be more appropriate for longer trips. He flies as a sport pilot exclusively but is certificated at a higher level — a circumstance that is increasingly common among pilots, especially later in life.
I recommended he wait until MOSAIC was announced before he made his decision.
While he might have reasonably decided to step up to an airplane with better cruise speeds and lower fuel consumption like the popular RV-12, waiting might reveal a wider selection of options.
That turned out to be the case. With the primary sport pilot limitation now being based on the clean stall speed of the aircraft rather than the weight, many of the aircraft my friend learned to fly in are now available to him again.
The clean stall speed of the venerated Cessna 172 is 10 knots or more below the limit set for sport pilots. The Piper Cherokee/Warrior/Archer series of aircraft all stall in a similar range.
Within a matter of weeks these classic, proven aircraft designs and so many others will be available to sport pilots for training, personal travel, and proficiency flying.
The future is never seen in sharp relief. There are fuzzy parts to the picture. But just as the original sport pilot rule and LSA designation opened up general aviation to thousands and thousands of participants, I believe the same will be true under MOSAIC — to an even greater degree.
Yes, MOSAIC makes me happy.
I’m a huge fan of the loosening up of restrictions on pilots when done wisely, with solid data to base changes on, and with reasonable oversight. MOSAIC looks to be doing just that.
There’s a lot of good in this news. May we all make the best use of it.
I wish that MOSAIC had addressed the IFR requests for rotor wing. Unlike helicopter, Gyroplanes can be flown very much like fixed wing. And being able to file IFR when doing XC at night would be of benefit.
When a gyroplane lands on a runway and then taxies, there is no down wash problems of a helicopter that can flip a fixed wing plane that lands too soon behind it — this is because the rotor is passive, it is not being driven. It rotates because of wind passing by/through the rotor plane/disc.
with this LSA deal at 3000 lbs,,,,do pilot with a drivers license.. or is there bit more…
So, as a certificated private pilot, I can fly as a Sport pilot, adhering to the limitations, But how will the aircraft insurance co. view this ?
Will they continue to insure the Cessna that I fly now, if I fly it as a Sport Pilot ?
I’ll be asking AOPA Assured Partners, who I’m insured with now, and hope that I get a positive answer.!?
I agree. Though I generally share the author’s optimism, this is the top question in my mind.
I’m a renter pilot. Much will depend how this new rule will be received by insurers and FBO’s if it will become a practical option.
At least in my area, Basic Med was generally well received. There are a couple of FBO’s that still require a Part 67 medical certificate. But most accept Basic Med. However, that still has “tangibles” such as the online course completion certificate with which the FBO can document some sort of medical compliance. Remains to be seen if they’ll be OK with pilots showing up with only a valid DL and maybe signing some kind of form attesting they have no reason to know of a medical condition that would make it potentially unsafe for them to fly.
I’ve asked around with AOPA and my local FBO, but it appears to be too soon to tell regarding how MOSAIC may or may not be embraced.
I never thought I would ever see the day when the feds turned loose of some of their power.
The sport Pilot and now the new MOSAIC rule is another small step in returning a little bit of freedom to the citizens.
And that is a good thing that everyone should celebrate.
I am trying to see the real point of Mosaic! It will definitely help the limited number of sport pilots out there (I used to be one but upgraded to full private with basic med). It will allow a bevy of beautiful high performance European designs to enter the US market with the arbitrary LSA speed and weight restrictions finally lifted. Like all new aircraft, these will be priced well beyond the reach of most of us i.e. north of $250k. My question is – why not just get a private license and be done with it – is there that much of a cost difference between sport and private? If you can afford to consider one of the new “super” LSAs about to arrive then the cost factor between the licenses would seem pretty insignificant. Basic med works beautifully as it is right now.
A Private ticket requires at least one Class III Medical before being able to use BasicMed. That is an obstacle to many who fly as Sport Pilot. Both my J-3 and RV-4 will be eligible for flying as a Sport Pilot, but think I’ll continue do BasicMed for the foreseeable future. I have access to a Maule M4-220 so occasionally being able to put a butt in a third/fourth seat is reasonable.
My last Class III in 2017 was a royal PITA to get a Special Issuance for stuff I had been reporting in previous years, plus the new Sleep Apnea requirement.
Just take this win as another incentive for people to consider being a pilot.
Basic Med is not an entry point in obtaining a Private Pilot’s license. One must initially pass a third class medical to qualify for the Private before being able to transition to Basic Med. MOSAIC removes that 3rd class medical hurdle for those who wish to fly for fun with no expectations of going any further.
Those who wish to move on to the Private license from Sport can always do so.
Those who don’t, just won’t. No harm no foul.
I’ve flown under Basic Med for several years but I’ve fallen into a gray area with respect to CFR 68.9. Not summarily ineligible, but seeking clarification. I’m not willing to risk an SI denial to find out. Once that application gets into the system, one is “a little bit pregnant” as they say. I prefer to keep all my options available.
I’m still able to comply with CFR 61.53b, so I can fly under Sport Pilot rules. MOSAIC would allow me to fly the same aircraft I’ve been flying the past several years (though under Sport Pilot restrictions) without the ambiguity I’ve run into with 68.9.
I haven’t any hope it will help me. I need a daily dose of gabapentin to keep my RSD pain in check (old injury). That’s a no-go for the Feds. I have no problem climbing into one of my Porsches and tearing up twisty roads in Arkansas, though. So I do.
*Disclaimer: I’m neither an AME nor an aviation attorney. Just sharing my personal experience.
I empathize. I’ve been prescribed gabapentin for temporary periods in the past due to spinal nerve symptoms. I was flying under Basic Med and the question came up if the “prohibited meds list” (AME guide) was binding since I was not operating with or applying for a Part 67 medical certificate.
Once I had recovered from my back issues I chose not to fly until I was totally off the gabapentin to avoid any potential regulatory non-compliance risks (despite never having any adverse affects from gabapentin and my doctor said it shouldn’t be an issue).
The consensus seemed to be that the purpose of the “prohibited meds list” centers on issuance of medical certificates under Part 67. Having said that, under Sport Pilot CFR Part 61.53b still applies, that you have no reason to know of a health condition (or meds effects?) that would make it unsafe for you to fly.
If you’re motivated to look into this, if your condition/med doesn’t seem to affect your ability to drive or fly safely you might want to consult with an AME and/or aviation attorney if they think Sport Pilot is a viable option for you without running afoul of FAA.
I’d like to know how much owner maintenance MOSAIC will allow me to do on a simple aircraft like a C150, an older C172, etc. Are there likely to be approved “type courses” for owner-maintenance for these aircraft like there are for LSA aircraft?
Yes, even as a private pilot, I would like to be able to maintain my own Cessna. Maybe with a minimum number of years owned and flown, and a sub-set of the 3 A&P tests, specific to the construction and systems of the aircraft.
There is a severe shortage of A&Ps here in CA and fewer with the IA.
I’m hopeful that in future amendments to the rule, the safety record of Sport Pilots will convince the FAA to allow the other two seats to be filled, instead of the carryover of only one passenger allowed in current MOSAIC rules. Seems nonsensical to this old guy.
Agree, the reason I got a PPL (which requires a 3rd Class Medical) instead of Sport License was due to the single passenger restriction. MOSAIC doesn’t help here.