If someone told you it’s possible to earn a pilot certificate in half the time, for around half the money, and that you would get 80 percent of the benefit of a normal certificate, you would likely jump at the opportunity. Something like that is available. It’s called light sport, and the sales pitch is real.
The Light Sport category of aircraft and light sport pilot certificate have existed for seven years, and although slow to mature, they have provided huge benefits for those who have chosen to pursue them. LSA refers to a set of aircraft that is limited by size, speed, and passenger seats. LSA-certificated pilots can fly these LSA, as can any holder of a certificate beyond light sport. The result is that many private pilots who no longer want to attempt to obtain a medical certificate are now flying LSA as sport pilots. That’s because the FAA doesn’t require a medical certificate to operate as a sport pilot, and instead allows pilots to self certify with only a driver’s license.
Although the large number of pilots who continue to fly because of LSA is a great thing, I don’t think it was the intent of the category, nor do I think it’s the future of light aviation and flight training. For that we need new pilots training under the light sport rules in the pursuit of a sport pilot certificate. To date, about 3,700 pilots hold only a sport pilot certificate. It’s a start, but the number is pitiful when compared to the almost 120,000 total student pilots in the United States. You can read more about these two types of pilots in this month’s cover story, “Sport Pilot From Start to Finish,” which begins on page 26.
So if the benefits are so great, why aren’t more students becoming sport pilots? I think it has to do with the flight schools. Some schools are hesitant to get into the LSA business because of unknown maintenance concerns, insurance issues, and, most important, profit margins. At more than $120,000 for a new LSA, it’s easy to see how adding an LSA to a flight line could be difficult. Interestingly, many LSA-only flight schools seem to be going full steam, while many traditional schools that have an LSA on the line say it doesn’t rent well. The only logical explanation in most cases is that the benefits aren’t being properly marketed to students.
And the benefits are many. It’s possible to get a sport pilot certificate in 20 hours, fully half as many as a private pilot certificate. The airplanes usually are cheaper to rent, making the cost of a sport pilot certificate significantly less than a private certificate. Of course, there are drawbacks. Light sport aircraft can only carry two people, by definition. They are limited to 120 knots max cruise speed, 1,320 pounds maximum gross weight, and sport pilots can’t get an instrument rating, or fly at night. Talk to many private pilots, however, and they’ll tell you that day, VFR flying with only one passenger is what they do most often anyway. Best of all, you can start withsport pilot and work up to private pilot very easily when you’re ready.
But the primary reason to fly LSA is that the airplanes are fun. Lots of fun. They generally have wonderful visibility, great handling characteristics, modern avionics, and, in most cases, a control stick instead of a yoke. If you are learning to fly because you thought it would be fun, there is no better way to do it than in an LSA. Getting in the air faster and cheaper is simply a wonderful side benefit.
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