Sport Pilot Talk

I recently became a FAAST team member on the maintenance side for out local FSDO. Because of that I receive a FAST Blast emails from them.


Today there was one outlining a change to student pilot certificates. As of April 1st this year all new student pilot certificates will be of the plastic type just like all other pilot certificates. They will no longer be issued by AME's along with a medical certificate. For sport pilot students little will change except you will be able to do the application with a CFI making it easier to get.


The new certificates will not have an expiration date. There will no longer be a requirement for the certificate to be endorsed by a CFI. All endorsements will now be in the logbook.


For those who have a paper student pilot certificate don't need to worry, it will not need to be replaced until the expiration date on the certificate.


One thing to note is that you will need to have the certificate in hand to exercise the privileges of a student pilot. You might want to consider applying for the certificate as soon as you start training. If you are going someplace for accelerated training you need to get the certificate well ahead of time.

For an aspiring Sport Pilot student, this is good news. I currently have the paper version, which looks like a photocopy of a document, is hard to read and not very durable. But here's a what if: What if the school I'm training with requires a current 3rd class medical (insurance requirements) to fly their planes? Will the FAA or AME provide some sort of endorsement document just for the medical?

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SportPilot wrote:Your FAA medical examiner will issue you a 3rd class medical certificate is that's the medical exam you take and pass.

Thanks for the answer!

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SportPilot wrote:Currently, all certificated pilots except Sport Pilot have a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd class FAA medical certificate in their pocket if they are exercising the privileges of their certificate.

As long as they are not in a glider or balloon. Also when acting as a flight instructor under certain circumstances.

So a quick question. How does this rule affect Sport Pilots who are now working on their upgrade to
Private? Will I be required to obtain a new Student Certificate or does my Sport Pilot Certificate cover
me?

SportPilot,

That is what I am trying to understand. While I am a Sport Pilot, I am training to upgrade to
Private. If I am understanding this correctly, I will NOT need a Student Certificate. My Sport
Pilot Certificate covers this. Am I understanding this correctly?

Thank you for your comments.

This is my understanding, Gene, and consistent with precedent. Even prior to this change (and prior to Sport Pilot), a Private Pilot upgrading to Commercial, or a Commercial Pilot stepping up to ATP, never required a Student certificate. Their existing certificates would suffice.

SportPilot wrote:Currently, all certificated pilots except Sport Pilot have a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd class FAA medical certificate in their pocket if they are exercising the privileges of their certificate.

Almost, but not quite, true. In addition to Sport Pilot, Glider and Lighter Than Air pilots are exempt from the FAA medical requirement. And, unlike SP, glider and balloon pilots do not require a driver's license in lieu of a medical, and can still fly even if their medical was revoked, withdrawn, or cancelled. IOW, their rules are more generous than those for exercising Sport Pilot privileges.

Also, as pointed out elsewhere in this thread, a CFI can exercise his or her privileges in a non-LSA with a lapsed medical, as long as the CFI is not a required crewmember (e.g., PIC or safety pilot).

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SportPilot wrote:he wasn't asking about gliders or balloons or CFI's, etc.

True, but why not throw other info out there, in the interest of education? Most threads morph into discussions somewhat beyond what the OP questioned. I think that's a good thing.

No wonder this site is dead.

Dead? It seems very much alive to me -- thanks to active folks like you.

Thank you Dr. Paul and SportPilot. Just trying to make sure that I have all that I
need. Looking forward to my next step in aviation.

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