Sport Pilot Talk

N918KT

Just wondering, how did you discover the SP/LSA rule?

For me, it was back in November/December of 2008. I took my very first flight in a small Cessna 172 at Daniel Webster College ACE Camp in the summer of 2008. That is when I really want to learn how to fly despite my medical issues. However somewhere in November or December of 2008, I discovered the SP/LSA rule at leftseat.com. I then made a post on one of the aviation forums saying that if I had a SP certificate, what could I do with it. I also asked about the medical part I think. Once I realized that a medical wasn't required to fly SP/LSA, that's when I really got excited.

I begged and asked my parents if I could take flying lessons and I think they said yes. So in February of 2009, I officially took my first flying lesson in the Sportstar. My parents didn't have enough time or money to devote to my flying lessons so every 2 to 5 weeks, I take flying lessons. I stopped taking lessons in September of 2009 but recently took one isolated lesson at the end of January 2010.

Today, there is no LSA/SP program in Northern NJ right now, so I have to wait until there is one. To make matters worse, I learned that my flight instructor, George Nykaza, was killed in a small plane crash on February 15, 2010 so it was hard for me to move on.

Well, that's my story on my SP flight training.

Pawlander · Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 39 Location: Pawleys Island, SC

Hey Kevin,

Sorry to hear about George. That was a very strange crash and the early reports seem to indicate mechanical failure on that 337 (part of tail fell off??) and it sounded like George was doing all he could to get the plane and passengers back on the ground safely.

In answer to your question though, I had not been flying since the 80's and really never expected to get back into the air because I had no interest in flying a 40-50 year old plane and could not afford anything new. Then a buddy of mine in Nevada in a similar situation went to an airshow, learned about the sport pilot rules and all of the new light sport aircraft, and told me about it. We both are flying again because of it.

Though I have no reason to think I couldn't get a medical, I have two friends who had health issues crop up and while they both still fly, they spend a lot of time, money, and attention on getting special issuances, etc. Exercising sport pilot privileges instead of my commercial/instrument privileges was an easy decision for me. Since my wife and I only need two seats, and we use our plane for cross-country trips when the weather is decent, the only trade-off was giving up IFR and night flying for the piece of mind that I wouldn't have to fight for medicals in the future, as long as I remain safe to fly.

But it wasn't the SP/medical deal that brought me back into flying. It was the amazing array of new light sport aircraft. This coming Wednesday will be the 40th anniversary of my first flying lesson. I have no interest in buying/flying/maintaining an aircraft that could well have been one of my trainers in 1970. With LSAs like my Flight Design CTLS, I get 172 performance but with much better visibility, room, and comfort, at less than half the purchase price and operating cost, plus all the latest electronics and safety features like the ballistic parachute.

There is no way to know if a ballistic parachute could have saved George and his passengers had one been available on that 337, but I feel more comfortable having a newer airframe and that BRS.

MarkGoolie · Joined: 26 Jan 2010 Posts: 25 Location: Columbus, Ohio

I started my private pilot license in 1987 but ran out of money and had to head off to college. I have always wanted to finish what I started so I kept up on aviation news and knew about it not long after is was official. I never really considered going the Sport Pilot route until I checked in on some of the Class 3 medical requirements.

I had been on antidepressants until the end of last year. I was told I would have to way at least 90 days and go have a full psych evaluation at my expense and might get my medical. Insurance wouldn't cover it because I would not be diagnosed with anything. So I decided to go the Sport Pilot route to avoid the medical mess and start flying after my doctor cleared me.

I'm actually going to do all of the required training for the private pilot requirements just incase I want to move up to a private rating and some IFR instruction. The extra training won't hurt anything well except maybe my wallet.

Later,
Mark

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 295 Location: Lock Haven PA

MarkGoolie wrote: I decided to go the Sport Pilot route to avoid the medical mess and start flying after my doctor cleared me.

That was the right call, Mark. Too many people who are perfectly fit to fly are getting caught up in the FAA medical bureaucracy, and getting grounded for reasons that are less medical than they are political. One of the unintended but positive consequences of the Sport Pilot rule is that it allows individuals and their personal physicians to make sound decisions aboandut fitness to fly, without government intervention. Good for you!

The unfortunate thing about the FAA medical standards is that they do little to filter out those who really shouldn't be flying. The suicide pilot in Austin was obviously clinically depressed, and I would speculate that he knew it, but failed to get the medical attention he needed out of fear that he would lose his medical. So, he passed a recent FAA physical, possibly self-medicated, sank deeper into depression, and ended up killing himself and one other person. Had he been exercising Sport Pilot privileges, he could easily have gotten the treatment (and possibly meds) he needed, gotten his head straight, and then resumed flying. So sad...