-Light Sport Aircraft can have a gross weight of 1320 lbs.
-Float planes can have a gross weight of 1430 lbs.
-Light Sport Aircraft must have stall speed not greater than 45 knots (51.8 MPH).
-Light Sport Aircraft maximum speed is 120 knots (138 MPH).
-Light Sport Aircraft can not have in flight adjustable propellers or retractable landing gear.
-Seaplanes are allowed to have "repositionable gear." -A Light Sport Aircraft category is limited to aircraft with only one engine Hang gliders, unpowered paragliders, and foot-launched powered paragliders are excluded from being Light Sport Aircraft.
Light Sport Pilot requirements
The minimum age requirement for a Light Sport Pilot is 17 .
Minimum required flight experience to be a Light Sport Pilot
-Airplane: 20 hours total, 75 mile solo cross country -Glider: 10 hours total
-Gyroplane: 20 hours total, 50 mile solo cross country
-Powered parachute: 12 hours total, 10 mile solo cross country
-Trikes or weight shift aircraft. 20 hours total, 50 miles solo cross country
-The Light Sport Pilot will require additional instruction and an instructors logbook endorsement for each new make and model "set".
-A sport pilot must have additional training and a logbook endorsement
to fly an Light Sport Aircraft with a level flight speed of more than 87 knots (100 MPH).
-Powered parachutes are divided into "land" and "sea" classes.
-Pilots will be allowed to take a practical test (flight test) in a single seat LSA. The examiner will observe him from the ground. The pilot will have a "single-seat" limitation on his certificate. -Sport pilots to take a biennial flight review (BFR).
-"Driver's license medical" except if FAA sent a 'denied" letter, then workarounds.
-A sport pilot may not fly above 10,000 feet MSL.
-No night flying.
-May not demonstrate LSA for sale if a "salesman."
-A sport pilot may fly in airspace where radio control is required, but only with additional training and a logbook endorsement.
LSA MAINTENANCE
-Preventative maintenance", allowed by owner on LSA.
-16-hour maintenance course allows owner to do annual inspections on LSA.
-If you want to do maintenance-for-hire on the aircraft, you must attend a maintenance course of 80 hours for gliders and lighter-than-air aircraft, 120 hours for airplanes and 104 hours for weight-shift (trikes) and powered parachutes.
-Maintenance students must pass a maintenance knowledge test with a score
of at least 80%.
-An applicant for an LSA repairman certificate must take a maintenance course for each class of LSA
-Maintenance must be performed in accordance with the general aviation standards of FAR Part 43.
-Approval by the manufacturer for LSA modification, not FAA STC.
-Prospective LSA examiners who inspect and issue experimental LSA airworthiness certificates (DPEs) must attend a three-day FAA course.
LSA EQUIPMENT
-Only two-seat fixed wing LSAs flying more than 50 miles from base must have an ELT.
-Only LSA certified with electrical systems will be required to have a transponder to fly within Class B and Class C airspace, and the Class B "Mode C veil."
ULTRALIGHT TRAINING
-The two-seat ultralight Exemption for ultralight training will expire on January 31, 2008.
-All "fat" single seat ultralights and all two-seat ultralight trainers must be converted to "experimental" LSA by August 31, 2007.
-After an ultralight trainer is converted to an experimental LSA, a Sport Pilot Instructor may use the converted experimental LSA as a Sport Pilot trainer (for compensation) until September 1, 2009. Thereafter, not for compensation.
-An ultralight pilot must register with a national ultralight organization to have his ultralight flight time count toward his sport pilot license. He must then take his Sport Pilot practical test by January 31, 2007 to take advantage of waiver of the three hour requirement.
-Sport Pilots may train ultralight pilots but not for hire.
SPORT PILOT INSTRUCTOR
-18 years of age
-Knowledge exams on aeronautics and fundamental of instruction
-Practical test
-Have a sport pilot certificate or higher rating.
-A sport pilot instructor may teach private pilot weight-shift or private pilot powered parachute if the sport pilot instructor has at least a private pilot rating himself.
Required flight time:
-Airplane: 150 hours total time, 25 hours of cross country time
-Glider: 25 hours flight time
-Gyroplane: 125 hours flight time (at least 50 hours in a gyroplane) and 10 hours cross country
-Weight-shift: 150 hours total (50 in weight-shift,) 25 hours cross country
-Powered parachute: 100 hours total (50 in a powered parachute,) 15 hours cross country
-5 hours in the same make and model "set"
-The sport pilot instructor must renew his instructor's certificate every two years, just as a general aviation instructor must do
-An ultralight instructor must transition to sport pilot instructor by January 31, 2008 if he wants credit for his ultralight flight time
-Prospective Sport Pilot Examiners must attend a 5-day FAA course.
Deadlines to remember:
-September 1, 2004
Effective date of the Sport Pilot rule.
Deadline to be a BFI in order to get maximum credit toward SPI.
-August 31, 2005
Deadline for recreational pilots and higher rated pilots to acquire the
necessary flight time to apply for a category and class rating limited
to a specific make and model of experimental aircraft.
-January 31, 2007
Deadline for an ultralight pilot to take his sport pilot practical test
if he wants his ultralight flight time to also count toward the three
hours of prep for test.
-August 31, 2007
Last day that an experimental certificate will be issued to a "fat"
ultralight or two-seat trainer.
-January 31, 2008
Ultralight two-seat training exemption expires. New BFIs allowed until
then, but of ever decreasing value.
-September 1, 2009
Last day to be able to use an ultralight converted to an experimental
LSA as a sport pilot trainer for compensation.
Note this is intended as a summary - for more information refer to
http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/sportpilot/index.cfm |
| Attached is a proposed FAA order on procedures to develop training for light-sport repairmen who will work on your aircraft. This is your opportunity to comment on this proposed guidance. Light Sport Repairmen proposal (pdf format)
We apologize for the short turn-around time for soliciting comments. Since the Light-Sport Rule goes into effect September 1, 2004, we are left with little time to publish guidance.
The Light-Sport Rule is available online in PDF format (112 pages) Click here.
The Light-Sport Rule is available online in TEXT format Click here.
If you are interested in commenting on the attached document, we ask that you return any technical contributions or comments you may have regarding this order by August 24, 2004. Specific feedback is preferred. Please reference the page and paragraph number if you have a comment on a specific passage or suggestions on how to change or reword sentences. Please e-mail any comments and suggestions by August 24, 2004 to william.o’brien@faa.gov,
or them to Bill O’Brien at (202) 267-5115. Thank you.
Kathleen C. McKay
Technical Writer
Document Control Point
(202) 267-7951 telephone
(202) 267-5115 |
