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ASC, PO Box 589, Marshall, MI  49068    phone 269-781-4021   fax 269-781-7400  email kimojim@aol.com

Sport Pilot for…FAA Pilots

                                                                                                                                                                             updates 8/18/04

Effective September 1, an FAA certificated pilot may fly under the privileges of a Sport Pilot.  This means an FAA certificated pilot can fly during the day, when the visibility is greater than three miles, in an aircraft that meets the definition of LSA with a U.S. driver’s license instead of an FAA medical certificate. 

The pilot must:

1. Have the required flight review.

2. Have three takeoffs and landings to full stop within the last 90 days, in order to carry passengers.

3. Hold a category and class rating for the LSA.

4. Not have received a denial, revocation or suspension of their medical. 

Jumping to a new category and/or class of LSA requires an endorsement in category and/or class or “set” from a qualified instructor.   For example, a Private Pilot with airplane single-engine land category and class ratings can fly a Piper Cub that meets the limitations of 1320 lbs design gross weight.  However, if the same pilot wanted to fly a powered parachute, the pilot would have to receive training from a sp CFI, and a proficiency check from a different SP CFI and receive from the second SP CFI an endorsement establishing those privileges in order to fly the powered parachute. You must also complete a Sport Pilot Airman Application, FAA Form 8710-11, for those privileges. The SP CFI who conducted the proficiency check will submit this to FAA airman registry, where it will be kept on file.

An expired or Special Issuance of an FAA airman medical certificate is not a denial.  There are also ways to clear a denied, suspended, or revoked medical. Once you ultimately certified then you are no longer on record with the FAA as having had your most recent airman medical application denied or your most recently held FAA airman medical certificate suspended or revoked, etc.  Therefore, it will no longer be necessary to maintain your airman medical certificate to exercise sport pilot privileges using your DL.

There are concerns that traditional fixed wing pilots will ignore common sense and try to fly these light aircraft without appropriate transition.  Please consider the dangers and damage this represents.  The high drag and low mass of these aircraft make them fly very differently from even the lightest of GA aircraft.

Getting new SP CFIs in place will take time.  The earliest that new SP CFIs will even be able to come across is Jan 31, 2005.  It will take time from there to have significant quantities of instructors available to serve the community. 

Sport Pilot Instructors are becoming available Sport Pilot instructors

Plan of Action for FAA Certificated Pilots

If you do not need to certificate an LSA:

1)      See a Sport Pilot CFI and earn the category and/or class endorsement for the LSA if you do not hold the applicable category and/or class rating for that LSA.

2)      Potentially complete both a flight review and currency requirements along with the category and class endorsement.

3)      Fly with a driver’s license to meet the medical eligibility.

Copyright all rights reserved, ASC(r) 
Last updated: July 05, 2008.