Sport Pilot Talk

admin · Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Posts: 51 Location: Maryland

On September 1, 2004 the FAA inaugurated a new pilot certificate dubbed the "Sport Pilot" that makes learning to fly easier and more affordable that ever. Intended primarily for recreational use, you can now become a pilot with as little as 20 hours of flight instruction!

What can you do as a Sport Pilot?
:arrow: Fly in daytime conditions, in good weather (3 miles visibility and maintain visual contact with the ground)
:arrow: Fly cross-country
:arrow: Fly up to 10,000 feet MSL (above sea level)
:arrow: Fly solo or with one passenger
:arrow: Share expenses with your passenger

What can you fly as a Sport Pilot?
:arrow: You can fly an aircraft meeting the requirements of the FAA's new "Light Sport Aircraft" rule
:arrow: up to 1,320 lbs (1430 lbs. for seaplanes)
:arrow: maximum level-flight speed of 120 knots (138 mph)
:arrow: one reciprocating engine
:arrow: unpressurized
:arrow: fixed or ground-adjustable propeller
:arrow: fixed landing gear

What kind of aircraft is that?
In addition to making becoming a pilot more affordable, the FAA also made it more affordable to own this new category of aircraft!
"Light Sport Aircraft" (LSA) includes new and existing aircraft that meet the following requirements:

:arrow: up to 1,320 lbs (1430 lbs. for seaplanes)
:arrow: maximum level-flight speed of 120 knots (138 mph)
:arrow: one reciprocating engine
:arrow: unpressurized
:arrow: fixed or ground-adjustable propeller
:arrow: fixed landing gear

This includes:

:arrow: Ultralights, home-builts, kit-builts, experimental (Experimental-LSA) and manufacturer-built ready-to-fly aircraft (Special-LSA) that meet the requirements of the LSA rule
:arrow: Some existing standard category aircraft already meet the requirements: the Piper Cub, Aeronca 7AC Champ and the Ercoupe 415C
:arrow: As a result of the new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) rule, there is a large number of slick new affordable manufacturer-built ready-to-fly aircraft coming into the marketplace. Here's just a few:

Fantasy Air Allegro (Czech Republic)

SportairUSA Sting Sport (Czech Republic)

The Comco Ikarus Breezer (Germany)

Tecnam Bravo (Italy)

AMD Zodiac CH 601XL (United States)

Jabiru

Cessna's proposed light-sport aircraft:

Evektor Sportstar (popular with flight schools)

Some photographs from manufacturer/resellers' websites.

pilotgary111 · Joined: 10 May 2006 Posts: 13 Location: MA

Here is a copy of the Sport Pilot Letter I am circulating:

>
>
> I am writing on behalf of all the certificated pilots out there with a
> denied medical who just want to fly Sport Pilot for fun.
>
>
>
> In 2004, the FAA passed into law the Sport Pilot Ruling, which allows new
> pilots to aviation the chance to earn their wings without the need of a FAA
> medical certificate and accomplish fewer training requirements too. Just
> before the ruling passed, DOT came in with an exclusion whereby if a
> certificated pilot has ever had a medical certificate denied or revoked in
> any way, then that pilot cannot fly using sport pilot privileges. This is a
> case of Catch-22 from the start!
>
>
>
> A new pilot to aviation IS allowed to fly Sport Pilot with the same or
> similar medical discrepancies as a pilot with a denied medical certificate
> and IS doing so today...this is so unfair!
>
>
>
> This Catch-22 exclusion MUST GO and let's allow this long awaited Sport
> Pilot Ruling to be what it was meant to be.... a path for pilots of any
> experience level, with a denied medical or not, to fly just for FUN!
>
>
>
> I am a certificated pilot and also a former Air Force pilot with a denied
> medical MANY years ago.
>
> I believe that the FAA/DOT needs to act on this allowing many more
> certificated pilots back into the air again. We all know general aviation
> needs more pilots today!
>
>
>
>
>
> Thank you for your time and effort.