Sport Pilot Talk

FlyingForFun wrote:"Aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate that meet above specifications may be flown by sport pilots. However, the aircraft must remain in standard category and cannot be changed to light-sport aircraft category. Holders of a sport pilot certificate may fly an aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate if it meets the definition of a light-sport aircraft."

So, it meets the definition of LSA, but it's not an LSA. It must be maintained by a licensed A&P (for the most part), for instance.

Your quote is mostly true, but it deals with how the aircraft was issued an airworthiness certificate and not what kind of aircraft it is. The term I highlighted is not in the same order as what the FAA uses. They say Light Sport Category aircraft. The Light Sport category was created as a way to issue an airworthiness certificate to a Light Sport Aircraft that Has never had an airworthiness certificate issued in any other category or in a foreign country.

drseti wrote:I see where we're getting bogged down here. The term LSA is used in two different ways in the regs. LSA is both a defined acronym, and an airworthiness certificate category. A certified aircraft may meet the definition, but cannot be in the category.

LSA is only used one way in the regulations. LSA is simply an aircraft that meats the CFR 1.1 definition. The FAA created a Light Sport Category as a way to issue an airworthiness certificate to an LSA which has never had an airworthiness certificate issued before.

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, Tom, you're saying we've been conflating Light Sport Aircraft with Light Sport Category. So, instead of saying a J3 Cub cannot be an LSA, we should be saying the Cub cannot be in the Light Sport Category. I'm cool with that. In fact, it's consistent with one of the slides I use in my FAA Safety powerpoint presentations, that shows two lists. Under the Categories heading I list SLSA, ELSA, E-AB, and SPEA. Under the Classes column, I list Airplane Land, Airplane Sea, Glider, Lighter-than-Air, Weight Shift Control, Power Parachute, and Gyroplane, and then state that Sport Pilots can (if properly endorsed) fly any combination of those Categories and Classes.

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FlyingForFun wrote:the FAA aircraft certification is what matters

Well, sort of. That's what matters in determining maintenance requirements. Tom's more inclusive definition is what matters in terms of pilot eligibility. I do think that, for insurance purposes, the certification category is what's important, since some companies that say they won't insure LSAs are fine with insuring Cubs, Champs, T-Craft, and other Sport Pilot eligible certified aircraft.

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drseti wrote:So, if I'm understanding you correctly, Tom, you're saying we've been conflating Light Sport Aircraft with Light Sport Category. So, instead of saying a J3 Cub cannot be an LSA, we should be saying the Cub cannot be in the Light Sport Category. I'm cool with that. In fact, it's consistent with one of the slides I use in my FAA Safety powerpoint presentations, that shows two lists. Under the Categories heading I list SLSA, ELSA, E-AB, and SPEA. Under the Classes column, I list Airplane Land, Airplane Sea, Glider, Lighter-than-Air, Weight Shift Control, Power Parachute, and Gyroplane, and then state that Sport Pilots can (if properly endorsed) fly any combination of those Categories and Classes.

That is correct, a J3 Cub is an LSA, but can not be moved to the Light Sport category.

FlyingForFun wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with pilot eligibility. Sport Pilots can fly LSA's and certain other certified aircraft that meet the LSA definition. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I've been wrong before.

If you take a look at CFR part 61 the FAA only allows Sport Pilots to fly Light Sport Aircraft. Nowhere does it say they can fly anything other than a Light Sport Aircraft. They don't make any mention about how the aircraft is certified.

If you look other places in the regulations the FAA does make the split based on what kind of airworthiness certificate the aircraft has. In part 43 the FAA says a Sport Pilot can perform preventive maintenance on a aircraft owned or operated by that pilot and issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category.

For flying any aircraft that meets the CFR 1.1 definition is a LSA.
How the airplane is maintained is determined by the type of airworthiness certificate that is issued.

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drseti wrote:

FlyingForFun wrote:the FAA aircraft certification is what matters

Well, sort of. That's what matters in determining maintenance requirements. Tom's more inclusive definition is what matters in terms of pilot eligibility. I do think that, for insurance purposes, the certification category is what's important, since some companies that say they won't insure LSAs are fine with insuring Cubs, Champs, T-Craft, and other Sport Pilot eligible certified aircraft.

Here again it has more to do with the airworthiness certificate that the aircraft has.