September 2004
After years of work, the FAA has finally issued a new rating category, targeted at lowering the cost of flying. Called the Sport Pilot Certificate, this new rating is specifically designed to work with a new class called Light Sport Aircraft.
The Sport Pilot rating addresses the weakness found in the Recreational Pilot Certificate, which is so limited that it is virtually useless.
The new rating does have many limitations over a private pilot certificate. First, the holder of a Sport Pilot Certificate is limited to day/VFR. Secondly, in order to fly in any class B, C or D airspace, the Sport Pilot must have received dual instruction in that specific class B, C or D airspace in advance and have a logbook endorsement attesting to that dual for that specific airspace.
Other limitations include no flights above 10,000 feet msl, no flights to foreign countries without advanced permission of that country, no flights with flight or surface visibilities of less than three miles, and no flight without visual ground contact.
Medical qualifications are also simplified. If you have a current driver’s license issued in any of the 50 United States, you can fly as a Sport Pilot, within the limits imposed on the driver’s license. So if you are required to wear corrective lenses to drive your car, you will need to wear them to fly. Your FAA-issued third class medical will work, as well.
More limiting is the type of equipment that a Sport Pilot Certificate holder can fly. Most of the aircraft affected are currently non-certificated (read Experimental) aircraft, although the development of this new rating is expected to generate more “factory” built aircraft that meet the new criteria.
The standards call for an aircraft with a maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds (1,420 pounds if float-equipped), along with a maximum stall speed of 45 knots (52 mph), a level flight speed not to exceed 120 knots (138 mph), and limited to two seats.
Qualifying aircraft must be powered by a single piston engine with fixed or ground-adjustable propeller, fixed landing gear and unpressurized cabin. What is interesting is that the aircraft can be manufactured, ready to fly, without FAR Part 23 certification compliance. Manufactured aircraft will be required to follow ASTM standards for materials and procedures.
A few certificated aircraft will fall under the Sport Pilot Certificate rules: the Piper J-3 Cub as well as the J-4 and PA-11 are all 1,320 pounds or less. So is the Aeronca 7AC series, the Ercoupe 415 C, the Interstate S1A, Porterfield FP-65, and the Taylorcraft BC-65 series. No Cessnas currently qualify.
This is all so new that I have not had time to read and absorb the maintenance and flight training criteria for the new rating and aircraft. The good news is that these new rules should generate more interest and participation in General Aviation. The bad news is that we should expect a certain amount of teething pains associated with the new rules.
Other than sharing the pattern at the local airport with this new class of aircraft and airmen, I don’t see any immediate or direct impact on currently licensed pilots flying certificated aircraft. The rule took effect Sept. 1, 2004.
Michael Leighton is a 3,000 hour + CFII/MEI/ATP and holds a type rating in CE-500 series business jets. He is a current and active flight instructor, a licensed A&P mechanic and a former FAA Accident Prevention Counselor. He operates a Part 135 on demand Air Carrier company in South Florida. You can reach him at av8tor0414@aol.com.
