If You’re A Non-Current Licensed Pilot, Exercising Sport Pilot Privileges May Be For You

If you attended EAA AirVenture 2016 and it got your ‘want-to-fly’ juices flowing again, sport pilot may be the way to go. You don’t have to change your pilot certificate, and no special sport pilot logbook endorsements or testing are required unless you’re going to fly a different category of aircraft than is listed on your pilot license. It’s almost too easy.

First, we’ll assume you can find your existing pilot certificate. It’s a simple task to get a copy of your certificate if you can’t locate it, and you’ll also have to have a valid state driver’s license. Remember, the driver’s license now acts as the medical and you must observe any limitations on the license.

No FAA medical certificate is required. The only issue you might run into is that if you have been previously denied a medical, or if a previous medical had been suspended or revoked, that needs to be cleared up.

The next step is to complete a flight review as required in FAR 61.56. The flight review can be accomplished in any aircraft for which you are rated; it does not have to be in a sport pilot eligible aircraft.

The rules state that a flight review must be no less than one hour of ground training and one hour of flight training. It is not require that any of this training be related to sport pilot subjects, but if the flight instructor is aware you intend to practice sport pilot privileges, it is certainly appropriate to receive training related to sport pilot privileges and limitations that are in FAR 61.315.

That’s it, you are now legal to exercise sport pilot privileges in any aircraft that meets the definition of a light sport aircraft for the category/class listed on your pilot certificate. The aircraft itself does not have to be certificated as a light sport aircraft. Even though it would certainly be appropriate and highly recommended to receive training in the light sport aircraft, it is not required by the regulations.

It’s also required that you meet the recency of experience requirements before carrying passengers. This is the rule that applies to any pilot and mandates you to have made 3 takeoff and landings within the previous 90 days before being allowed to carry a passenger. If you happen to be flying a taildragger, these landings must be to a full stop.

As always, common sense and good aeronautical decision-making skills come into play when the regulations let you do it the easy way.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.faa.gov