Thoughts for the Morning After, Part II

By ANN Senior Contributing Editor Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien

In Part I of this series, I talked about some of the gotchas and Catch-22's in the new Sport Pilot final rule. In this installment of the series, I'll talk about the Sport Pilot license and the Light Sport Aircraft category that it creates.

The Sport Pilot licence will allow the pilot to fly day VFR, subject to similar restrictions as a private or recreational pilot, in these machines, subject to suitable training. Pilots must have an FAA medical certificate, or a current driver's licence (more on medical requirements below):

• Airplane (single-engine only)
• Glider
• Lighter-than-air (airship or balloon)
• Rotorcraft (gyroplane -- no helicopters which are thought to be too complex)
• Powered Parachute
• Weight-Shift (Trikes)

As long as the machine meets the general requirements of a light sport aircraft (see next subhead). Note the lighter-than-air is an exception.

Requirements are:

• Be a minimum of 16 years of age to become a student sport pilot (14 for glider)
• Be 17 years of age before testing for a sport pilot certificate (16 for gliders).
• Be able to read, write, and understand the English language.
• Hold either a current and valid U.S. driver's license or an FAA airman's medical certificate

Training depends on the kind of machine; minimum is 20 hours (vast overkill on a PPC, possibly not enough on some other a/c). Your ultralight time counts towareds the Spport certificate. You must pass a written (well, a computer knowledge test, but even the FAA still calls it a 'written') and practical test for each kind of machine. That is, an SP licence for fixed-wing cuts no ice for powered parachutes.

The Machines are Tweaked a Bit

The original proposal (courtesy EAA):

• Maximum of two occupants.
• Maximum take-off weight of 1,232 pounds (560 kg.) or less.
• Maximum 39-knot stall speed in the landing configuration. (44 knots without the use of lift-enhancing devices.)
• 115-knot maximum operating speed.
• Single engine
• Fixed landing gear, or repositionable gear for a seaplane.

The final rule (courtesy Aero-News); changes in Bold Red and commentary in Blue:

• Maximum of two occupants
• Maximum take-off weight of 1,320 lb. (600 kg) or less. (+88 lb/40kg) (1,430 lb. floatplanes)
• Maximum stall speed of 45 knots without the use of lift-enhancing devices. (+1 kt, reference to landing configuration dropped?)
• 120-knot maximum operating speed. (+5 kt. That's 138 mph, by the way).
• Single engine -- piston engines only. (Piston reference added)
• Fixed landing gear except seaplanes which may have "repositionable" landing gear.
• Fixed pitch propeller. (all new).

So they did listen and make some welcome changes. The MTOW increase is the most significant of these but there are a few designs that will welcome the extra 5 kts.

Machines that meet these general requirements include the two new categories (light-sport experimental and special light sport aircraft) and some certified and vintage machines. The FAA envisions "fat ultralights" and two-seat ultralights being legalised under this rule. However, while certified and LSA aircraft can be rented or used for training for hire, experimentals and Light Sport Experimentals cannot.

Some Cool Stuff

Like a Recreational Pilot, a Sport Pilot can fly in controlled airspace with a proper logbook endorsement (no Class A, but that is IFR airspace anyway). The time you logged in ultralights chops over to your Sport Pilot logbook, and time you log as a Sport Pilot appliies to higher ratings. Yes, the time you rack up in a Pterodactyl can count to help you get into a 777.

Maintenance

Repairman Light-Sport Aircraft requires some kind of skill test, and:

• Inspection rating-complete a 16 hour course on the inspection requirements of the particular make and model of light-sport aircraft;
• Maintenance rating-complete an course (80 to 120 hours depending on category of aircraft) on the maintenance requirements of the particular category of light-sport aircraft.

To do any work on the machine, except routine PM, you need the maintenance rating.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about the problems gyro owners will face, and the medical surprises in the final rule.

• Read Part I

FMI: www.faa.gov