Sport Pilot Talk

Remember too that the Sport Pilot is a test of the Drivers License Medical. If flight schools and insurance companies are allowed to baselessly discriminate now, we run the same risk by precedent if and when the FAA would expand the medical exemption to many certified aircraft under 180hp.

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Think of the struggling LSA industry. Imagine that two months before the LSA expo at Sebring it was announced that "All flight schools, rental companies, and insurance companies WILL require at least a third-class medical of LSA students and pilots.... even though the FAA does not." What do you think that woud do to the LSA community? (In the words of Ross Perot... I'm hearing a "Giant Sucking Sound".)

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FlyingForFun wrote:People would have to buy their own LSA and fly without insurance. That's perfectly legal.

Pardon a newbie here, in that I've never owned an aircraft... yet.
Really? Airplanes are not required to carry liability insurance as is the case with cars?
Perfectly legal to fly a private aircraft in all states in the USA with no insurance at all?

A Sport Pilot is required to have either a valid Driver's License or a valid Medical (see FAR 61.303). This flight school is simply choosing one path that is fully supported by the regs. Whether that is a good business decision is up to the prospective pilot population.

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designrs wrote:Think of the struggling LSA industry. Imagine that two months before the LSA expo at Sebring it was announced that "All flight schools, rental companies, and insurance companies WILL require at least a third-class medical of LSA students and pilots....

How many straw men arguments are you going to present?

You are asking a whole community to help stop a privately owned business based on false arguments like FAA compliance, discrimination, or the scare quoted above.

I think the whole brouhaha about requiring a medical to rent an LSA and it possibly involving the FAA is a bit silly.

Google just pointed me to at least two flight schools that require an instrument rating to rent a Cirrus SR22. I just don't see how this is different - the school can set any standards they want, as long as they're not discrimating by sex, color, national origin, that sort of thing.

Just tell the business you won't rent from them for the very reason of them requiring a medical. When they see their bottom line has morphed from black to red, they may very well reconsider turning potential customers away.

IOW, don't get mad, get even!

designrs wrote:Think of the struggling LSA industry. Imagine that two months before the LSA expo at Sebring it was announced that "All flight schools, rental companies, and insurance companies WILL require at least a third-class medical of LSA students and pilots.... even though the FAA does not." What do you think that woud do to the LSA community? (In the words of Ross Perot... I'm hearing a "Giant Sucking Sound".)

I think you can choose...fly at the school that demands a medical that you don't have, and don't intend to get, or go to the school that's happy with your driver's license.

Let the School decide whether their policy makes economic sense.

There is always risk, there is always liability. Why not demand that every renter has an ATP and a 1st Class medical with EKG? Because the only sound you'd hear at the school would be crickets. All their planes would be safely on the ground not earning any money.

If the announcement was made, as you say REQUIRING at least a third class medical for LSA students and pilots two months before Sebring...then the Expo would probably be deserted and it would probably be the last one.

FlyingForFun wrote: In many cases, you can have higher standards than the minimum requirements.

Absolutely. I require my renters to take my 3- day LSA Transition course. The FARs certainly don't. This is simply my company policy, which am free to set. I'm also free to waive it if, say, deltafox or Fast Eddie should wish to rent my plane. My business, my rules.

......

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CTLSi says :-
"This thread is not about requiring a medical to RENT a plane. Start from the top, the thread starter, its about a flight school requiring a medical to train to be a sport pilot in a flight school requiring the medical just to get into the school.[/quote]


Actually, this what the school says it REQUIRES:-


Hold a Medical Certificate (Note: The FAA requires at least a Driver’s License, but GCA policy is for all students and renters to posses a current medical)


Note: see also the link the thread starter posted in the initial post, as well as his quote of the requirement.

It would be real interesting to find out if the flight school itself sets the policy voluntarily, or is it forced by an insurance company? ...and is there any common denominator due to the Cessna Center affiliation?