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Sport Pilot/Light Sport Confusion
While we were suffering with 100-degree heat during much of the past week, inhibiting afternoon aviation, the big Oshkosh airshow up in Wisconsin enjoyed temperatures in the 70’s. Mid-summer haze laid over the middle of the country with much moisture trapped in the lower atmosphere. Flying at 8,500 feet on one trip got us out of the rough air and restricted visibility.
There was some flying done last week, by getting out early. From the local hangars, Jim Ferguson had his Cessna Skylane up, Jeremie Platt flew his Grumman Tiger, Randy Miller exercised the club Skyhawk and Jon Laughlin came through with his Piper Cherokee 180C. The BCS AirTractor was out doing spraying early and late, and Chris Hall brought his Beech King Air E90 home from the shop.
We received word over the weekend of the passing of long-time pilot and Merwin resident Leslie “Buster” Chambers. I was proud to call Buster one of my pilot graduates, although he was mostly taught to fly by WW-II instructor Bob Leuthart. He’s now gone on to fly higher than ever. We’ll miss him here but hope to see him later on. At ease, Colonel Chambers.
Now that the FAA released the final guidelines for new aircraft certification under the MOSAIC rules, permitted in a new FAR Part 22, the first such airplanes are being delivered. The first one was turned over to its new owner at Oshkosh last week, a Van’s RV-12is that’s being put to work at a Tennessee flight school. Once known as light sport certification, MOSAIC replaces the LSA with no weight limitations, only stall speed limits. To move from Experimental to Part 22 certification, the RV-12 had to incorporate turnover structure, a canopy breaker and a standby alternator.
There continues to be confusion about the Sport Pilot rules, compared to Light Sport Aircraft certification, now replaced by MOSAIC. First, the pilot rules: There is a Sport Pilot license, that can be earned with lighter training requirements and no need for an FAA medical certificate. It allows the holder to fly aircraft meeting MOSAIC standards, including those already flying under earlier certifications. However, if a pilot already holds a higher grade of license (Private Pilot or higher), he or she can operate such aircraft as a Sport Pilot, under sport-pilot restrictions.
Now, the aircraft rules: What used to be Light Sport Airplanes, with a gross weight of 1320 pounds (600 kilograms) or less, are now covered by MOSAIC certification standards, set by ASTM consensus instead of FAA supervision. MOSAIC has no weight restriction, just low stall speed standards, and older aircraft certified under FAA Part 23 rules can also be flown by Sport Pilots or higher pilot certifications, as long as Sport Pilot restrictions are followed, such as one passenger only, with no more than four seats. But if you want to build and sell a new aircraft, you now have the choice of certifying it under Part 23 or the less-rigorous MOSAIC standards.
Companies from the third-world cheap-labor countries are salivating over the chance to make plastic planes powered by non-traditional engines, certified under MOSAIC, which they can sell to the gold-mine U.S. market. Problem is, by the time they get them equipped like American buyers want, the price climbs to $250,000 or more, so the envisioned sales aren’t there. We’d rather fix up good old used planes for less money.
From last week’s column, our question was “What’s the Republic/Fairchild A-10 attack plane’s official name?” As Dennis Jacobs knew, the old Warthog is officially the Thunderbolt II, named from Republic’s P-47 Thunderbolt fighter. For next week, what airline did Howard Hughes fly for in 1932? You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.
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