As you may have heard, the FAA recently released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the “Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification” (MOSAIC) initiative. First, it’s important to note that this is a proposed rule. It still must go through the usual rulemaking process, with an extended public comment period. It will not be law for another several months at minimum.
In short, part of the proposal includes an amendment to the Light Sport category, which will allow many legacy General Aviation aircraft to be operated by Sport Pilots (or Private Pilots flying under Sport Pilot rules).
Here’s more about MOSAIC: http://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/202…ion-proposed-at-last
Read the NPRM here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/24/2023-14425/modernization-of-special-airworthiness-certification
Here’s what we know about the proposed reclassification:
1. Maximum allowable clean stall speed is 54 knots CAS. Note that this is Vs1, not the usual Vs0 (flaps down, gear down) stall speed that we pilots use on a daily basis and the FAA uses in reference material such as the PHAK.
2. Maximum speed is 250 knots CAS.
3. Controllable-pitch propellers are allowed.
4. Retractable landing gear is allowed.
5. Alternatives to piston engines are allowed.
6. The two-seat requirement disappears from LSA; although Sport Pilots will still be limited to carrying a single passenger.
I’ve heard a number of people asking “Will my Piper be considered an LSA under these new rules?”
Over the past couple of days, I’ve been collecting POHs and AFMs from various sources. This isn’t an authoritative list, but should give an idea of what common Piper aircraft might be considered LSA under the MOSAIC proposal. Note that these are subject to data validation by the FAA. Hopefully the FAA will publish a final list of qualifying aircraft along with the final rules.
[b]YES
Piper J-3
Piper PA-12
Piper PA-18
Piper PA-20 (all models)
Piper PA-22 (all models)
Piper PA-28-140 (ONLY early 1,950-pound MTOW versions)
Piper PA-38
NO
All PA-28 and PA-28R variants (other than the PA-28-140 mentioned above)
All PA-24
UNKNOWN[/b] (if you have one of these AFMs or Owner’s Manuals, please send me a note!)
Early Piper tube-and-fabric designs not indicated already above. My assumption is that most, if not all, of these will qualify, but I do not have approved data for validation.
