The 3rd Class Medical Is A Hot Topic But Until Things Change, It Could Be Helpful In Sport Pilot Training

The best known feature of the sport pilot rules is probably that a valid state driver’s license may be used in lieu of an FAA medical certificate. However, when it comes to sport pilot training, a medical certificate might be the answer to solving some training dilemmas.

Let’s say you want to start sport pilot training but you can’t find a local flight school with a sport pilot eligible aircraft (LSA). Well, sport pilot students (actually, any student) may receive training in any aircraft without a medical or driver’s license up until the time they are ready for solo flight. If the sport pilot trainee is operating without an FAA medical certificate, all solo flying must be in an LSA, and a driver’s license or FAA medical is required. However, if the sport pilot trainee gets an FAA medical certificate, all sport pilot solo flight requirements can be completed in the non-LSA.

The final practical test (checkride) for a sport pilot must be in an LSA. If the flight school still does not have an LSA, you can schedule a few days at a school that does sport pilot training to check-out in the LSA and take your checkride. This will require a few extra hours of training, but it may be more cost effective than spending a couple of weeks at a distant flight school for all your training to become a sport pilot.

Here is another example of the FAA medical solving a problem. A young man started his flight training just after his 15th birthday in an Aeronca Champion and soloed on his sixteenth birthday. However, he did not have a driver’s license when it came time to solo. In this case, the FAA medical was required to make this joyous day take place. Let’s face it, a 16-year-old teenager may be a lot safer flying a plane than driving a car anyway, so why rush for a driver’s license.

In these examples, the sport pilots may continue to hold the FAA medical certificate for continued higher-level pilot training, or it can be allowed to expire, and the driver’s license may be used to exercise sport pilot privileges.

(Image of Cessna 172 from file. This plane could be used for sport pilot training)

FMI: www.faa.gov/regulations_policies