Sport Pilot Talk

I'm planning on flying to the Bahamas in January and one of the requirements of all pilots flying outside of the US is a FCC Restricted Radio License. It took a while to navigate the process (go figure - it's a Government run website), so I figured I'd post a step by step list here so save future applicants some time:

1. Go to http://www.fcc.gov website
2. Pull down the Business & Licensing menu
3. Select Forms
4. Scroll down to FCC 605
5. Select Electronic Filing under FCC 605
6. Select New Users mid-page [Record this web address – you will need to come back here after you receive your FRN #]
7. Select REGISTER - Get Your FRN & Password
8. Select ULS Homepage link in Step #1
9. Select Register next to New Users
10. Select Register & Receive your FRN
11. Follow the Steps to completion
12. Return to Step 6 above
13. Under Getting Connected, Select the Getting Connected to ULS link
14. Disable your pop up blocker and select the http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/ link
15. Select Login next to Online Filing
16. Pull out your credit card. The fee is $60.00.
17. Follow the steps to completion
18. Your license will be mailed in 2-3 weeks

You've done us all a service, Flocker. Thanks for posting!

I do not believe the SP certificate allows one to fly outside the USA airspace...

It is allowed, but only with the permission of the host country. The Bahamas was the first (and maybe still the only) country to allow it.

Flocker wrote: 17. Follow the steps to completion

I forgot to mention, select RR for license type...

If you want to get technical... the pilot needs a restricted radiotelephone operators permit, and the aircraft requires a separate radio station license. And not to forget the "ground station license" for a handheld radio!
Total Bureaucratic nonsense.

Deregulation was a good thing. I remember when all pilots required a radio license as well as the aircraft.

Remember the acronym ARROW., today it is just AROW. The missing R was for the aircraft radio license.

I remember my instructor (circa 1968) told me I needed to get a restricted radio telephone permit. I told him I could not. He asked why? Because I already had a First Class Commercial ticket with Radar Endorsement. A parallel comparison would be an ATP to Sport Pilot ticket.

Flocker wrote:18. Your license will be mailed in 2-3 weeks

FYI - received the license within 1 week.

Flocker, best wishes on an enjoyable visit there. Boaters & divers always rave about the water clarity and colors in the Bahamas, but none moreso than we pilots!

Perhaps it's worth mentioning: That lengthy step-by-step process is actually two separate processes. The FRN stays with one, so sez the FCC, for a lifetime. E.g. if you later need another kind of license or to renew a license, you access it using the same FRN. So...be sure to keep the FRN and log-on password somewhere one can still find a decade later.

I am planning to take my Gobosh from Colorado up to Alaska in June hopefully. As a SP, I can't fly solo in Canada to get up there. I am taking my former instructor who is a CFII and has a couple thousand hours in the Gobosh. In researching Canadian requirements it appears that they may "eventually" allow SP to fly into Canada. I doubt it will happen before I go up this summer but maybe some day. On the original topic, the FCC website is terrible. I went through the same process to get both my radio license as well as the one for the plane. Also don't forget to get your customs sticker. That was less painful.

Carl

newamiga wrote:I am planning to take my Gobosh from Colorado up to Alaska in June hopefully. As a SP, I can't fly solo in Canada to get up there. I am taking my former instructor who is a CFII and has a couple thousand hours in the Gobosh. In researching Canadian requirements it appears that they may "eventually" allow SP to fly into Canada. I doubt it will happen before I go up this summer but maybe some day. On the original topic, the FCC website is terrible. I went through the same process to get both my radio license as well as the one for the plane. Also don't forget to get your customs sticker. That was less painful.

Carl

Is it the Sport Pilot cert that isn't legal in Canada, not the Light Sport aircraft?
If you became a Private Pilot could you fly a Light Sport into Canada?

-Craig

In looking online it appears the issue previously with bringing LSA's into Canada was the special airworthiness certificate. They apparently used to require prior permission on a one off case by case request to come in with an aircraft with a special airworthiness certificate. It looks like now they have a web form you just fill out and download a form in advance and that suffices to fly aircraft with the special cert into Canada.

Here is a story on the changes in rules
http://www.eaa.org/news/2010/2010-03-16_LSAtoCanada.asp



Carl

newamiga wrote:In looking online it appears the issue previously with bringing LSA's into Canada was the special airworthiness certificate. They apparently used to require prior permission on a one off case by case request to come in with an aircraft with a special airworthiness certificate. It looks like now they have a web form you just fill out and download a form in advance and that suffices to fly aircraft with the special cert into Canada.

Here is a story on the changes in rules
http://www.eaa.org/news/2010/2010-03-16_LSAtoCanada.asp



Carl

Thanks Carl, much appreciated. -Craig

Daidalos wrote:Deregulation was a good thing. I remember when all pilots required a radio license as well as the aircraft.

Actually, the aircraft is required to have a radio license in the Bahamas. The flight school is having to order one for their C-162 since she's never been there.

It's an ICAO requirement, not just Bahamas. The FCC exemption applies only to US flights, as FCC has no authority elsewhere. So, for Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, or anywhere else, a radio station license and operator's permit are both still required.