Sport Pilot Talk

If a fellow pilot or CFI asks you why you decided to become a sport pilot instead of private pilot, how did you answer that question?

Particularly, I am wondering for those of you who decided to become a sport pilot because of having issues with getting a 3rd class medical for private pilot, were you comfortable stating that reason to your fellow pilots or CFI? How did they react? Did they encourage you to still jump through hoops to get a 3rd class medical? Did they even question what medical condition you have that would prevent you getting a 3rd class and were you comfortable answering that question to them?

If not, did you explain to them you became a sport pilot because it was easier or cheaper (which may or may not be true) or for any other reasons without explaining the fact you have an issue with getting a medical?

It's nobody's business but your own. That said, if I was renting or getting flight instruction, I would be honest with the FBO and CFI if I had a condition that might be of concern.

Well, I did sport because I thought it would be less hours and because at my tender age of 55, day VFR was just fine with me. I probably had enough hours(minus the longer x-country, night and instrument training) to get a private but I'm quite content with sport.

Slightly different scenario, but when I let my medical expire and fly with Light Sport Limitations, I was not shy about the reason.

In my case the annual burden, cost, uncertainty and over-diagnosis and over-treatment of recurring kidney stones. I was never denied the Special Issuance for my medical, but what a hassle.

A lot of that has been alleviated with BasicMed, for those of us lucky enough to have held a medical in the last 10 years. I can easily tell if and when a stone might be a problem, and its nice the FAA allows me the latitude to ground myself only when I suspect there's an issue.

I just feel "blessed" that at an age where some of these relatively minor medical issues become problematical, the FAA has found a way for me to stay in the air, and now to fly a wider variety of aircraft.

Though my heart remains with Light Sport!

None of their business really ... but frankly , in my case nobody really questioned my choices - perhaps because I am in my mid 40s and don't look like I could have problems preventing me from getting my medical.

Of course, you can tell from some folks voice tone when they talk about "flying on a driver license", that they have invested a lot into navigating insane bureaucratic maze created by the FAA (for general aviation) and look at the Sport License as a lesser , or cheating , way of getting into aviation but who cares ...

There will be a time when all recreational ( not commercial ) GA flying will be based on a driver license simply because it makes sense just as it does for driving - there is not much more damage a pilot with a in-flight heart attack flying in a 2000 lbs plane can do than the same guy driving on a highway could do - in fact it may be less since most flying is done over non-populated areas vs driving which almost always done within either cities or with other drivers close by.

Just tell them that it lasted more than four hours and you sought immediate medical attention... they'll drop the subject and never bring it up again.

Bruce always has the practical answer! LOL

Warmi wrote:
There will be a time when all recreational ( not commercial ) GA flying will be based on a driver license simply because it makes sense just as it does for driving - there is not much more damage a pilot with a in-flight heart attack flying in a 2000 lbs plane can do than the same guy driving on a highway could do - in fact it may be less since most flying is done over non-populated areas vs driving which almost always done within either cities or with other drivers close by.

You're quite an optimist.

If the Feds were in charge of driver's licenses, instead of the states, you'd need a Class 1 to drive a car, and probably a Class 3 to ride a bicycle.

Merlinspop wrote:Just tell them that it lasted more than four hours and you sought immediate medical attention... they'll drop the subject and never bring it up again.

Or tell them....

"Bruce Jenner's SI cost $30,000 and that's too rich for me."

Half Fast wrote:

Warmi wrote:
There will be a time when all recreational ( not commercial ) GA flying will be based on a driver license simply because it makes sense just as it does for driving - there is not much more damage a pilot with a in-flight heart attack flying in a 2000 lbs plane can do than the same guy driving on a highway could do - in fact it may be less since most flying is done over non-populated areas vs driving which almost always done within either cities or with other drivers close by.

You're quite an optimist.

If the Feds were in charge of driver's licenses, instead of the states, you'd need a Class 1 to drive a car, and probably a Class 3 to ride a bicycle.

Right wing BS.

TimTaylor wrote:

Half Fast wrote:

Warmi wrote:
There will be a time when all recreational ( not commercial ) GA flying will be based on a driver license simply because it makes sense just as it does for driving - there is not much more damage a pilot with a in-flight heart attack flying in a 2000 lbs plane can do than the same guy driving on a highway could do - in fact it may be less since most flying is done over non-populated areas vs driving which almost always done within either cities or with other drivers close by.

You're quite an optimist.

If the Feds were in charge of driver's licenses, instead of the states, you'd need a Class 1 to drive a car, and probably a Class 3 to ride a bicycle.

Right wing BS.

Typical left wing argument.

So why did you introduce a political comment into this thread? Probably two if I understood your comment about Bruce Jenner.

Yes; I'm comfortable explaining why I decided to let my 3rd class SI expire and fly as a sport pilot. Sending CAMI a report from my physician every six months and taking the CogScreen-AE every two years was expensive, and for 90% of the flying I was doing LSAs and flying as a sport pilot worked just fine. Now, with my BasicMed I can fly bigger, higher performance airplanes if the occasion arises, but I'm pretty happy with my LSA.

TimTaylor wrote:So why did you introduce a political comment into this thread? Probably two if I understood your comment about Bruce Jenner.

Why is it that you always try and turn an innocuous statement into some political conspiracy? Pretty much the only time there is a political brouhaha on here is when you think you have been offended. There has certainly been a few times it has been unwarranted.

TimTaylor wrote:So why did you introduce a political comment into this thread? Probably two if I understood your comment about Bruce Jenner.

My comments were directed at the FAA's silliness and also at getting nosy people who ask nosy questions to keep their noses out of other people's business. Is that political in your mind? If so, oh well - then I guess it's political, though it's beyond me how you get "right wing" out of it.

The AOPA and the EAA lobbied for years to do away with the medical. They failed. Basic Med was a weak compromise, and they don't seem to be expending any serious effort to do better. I don't hold out any hope of a having a DL medical for anything beyond Sport Pilot.