Sport Pilot Talk

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I would likely stay with Light Sport, mainly due to the ability to take S-LSA's to Experimental status - something one cannot reasonably do with other planes.

The ability to substitute parts, do any and all maintenance, make certain modifications and even do my own annuals is a huge benefit for me, and enhances my ownership experience greatly.

If I could do the same with a Grumman Tiger, let's say, and fly it with my D/L, that would be VERY tempting.

I fly LSA because they are fun. I don't want to go back to the heavy feel of legacy GA aircraft or the old technology engines or the wing leveler autopilot. The DL may hurt LSA sales but if it brings more pilots back to the airport then it is a good thing. I'm sure at least a few of them will want to have fun too.

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Back to the original question, about the impact on SP CFIs: I don't know how many of those there are. Most of the folks I know who are training students toward the SP rating are Subpart H CFIs. The DL medical will have no impact on us, because we will instruct toward whatever license the student desires to pursue. Only the Subpart K CFI will be impacted. He or she would have to be an instrument rated CP to upgrade instructor credentials, so if the demand for SP ratings diminishes, those SP CFIs will essentially be out of business.

As I had stated in another thread in this forum a few months ago, I am thinking of getting a CFI-SP cert. Currently, CFI-SPs do not need a medical to instruct in LSAs but CFIs do need one to instruct in non-LSA eligible aircraft. If the class 3 medical is dropped to expand a pilot's ability to fly larger, more powerful aircraft what would be the reason to continue to require CFIs to have a medical? To my knowledge, there have not been any accidents involving CFI-SPs instructing that are attributable to medical incapacitation. Is it the clause about "non-commercial" flying? Is flight instruction considered commercial flying? How about the fact that CFIs do not need a medical if there is not a need for them to act as PIC such as when instructing a ppl with medical towards a commercial license. Such as described at this URL: http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/in ... ticle=4674

jjfjr

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MovingOn wrote:I guess we don't know what the proposal says about CFI's and medicals. It is quite possible they would allow CFI's to instruct in certified aircraft without a medical. However, if they do, they would not allow a Sport Pilot CFI to do so. A Sport Pilot CFI would still be restricted to Sport Pilots and LSA. It's a different certificate.

A CFI instructing is not really different from any other pilot flying a single passenger without a medical, like a SP or a PP under the new rules we'd like. I'm not sure the FAA will see it that way though.

A CFI-SP can do it now though IIRC, so I could be wrong.

MrMorden wrote:

MovingOn wrote:I guess we don't know what the proposal says about CFI's and medicals. It is quite possible they would allow CFI's to instruct in certified aircraft without a medical. However, if they do, they would not allow a Sport Pilot CFI to do so. A Sport Pilot CFI would still be restricted to Sport Pilots and LSA. It's a different certificate.

A CFI instructing is not really different from any other pilot flying a single passenger without a medical, like a SP or a PP under the new rules we'd like. I'm not sure the FAA will see it that way though.

A CFI-SP can do it now though IIRC, so I could be wrong.

Andy, not quite sure what your getting at. MO's statement is not quite correct. One thing for sure is that a CFI-SP will still only be able to give instruction in a LSA.

I thought MO was speculating regarding whether on a DL medical a CFI could instruct, I was reacting to that, saying it is allowed for a CFI-SP, and might (or might not) be allowed for a standard CFI under any new DL medical rules.

3Dreaming wrote: One thing for sure is that a CFI-SP will still only be able to give instruction in a LSA.

...to Sport Pilot students.

Andy, to further clarify (or muddle) the issue, a traditional CFI is certified inder FAR 61 Subpart H. A so-called Sport CFI is certified under Subpart K. Both are CFIs. Both can instruct with a DL medical, in an LSA. A subpart K CFI can only instruct in an LSA, and only toward a Sport Pilot rating, regardless of his or her medical (even if one has a First Class medical, this restriction still holds.) I don't see medical certificate reform as changing this in any way.

A current Subpart H CFI can also instruct in a non-LSA, with or without a medical (and even without a driver's license). He or she just can't be PIC. So, the medical is a pilot requirement, not a CFI requirement. This is important in primary instruction, when the CFI is PIC. Thus, a Subpart H CFI with a lapsed medical can only give primary instruction in an LSA, at present, and only with a valid driver's license. If the 3rd class medical is replaced by a DL, a Subpart H CFI with a lapsed medical would then be able to be PIC in a non-LSA, opening the door to him or her giving even primary instruction in a non-LSA. This, however, would not give the Subpart K CFI any additional privileges.

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drseti wrote:...A subpart K CFI can only instruct in an LSA, and only toward a Sport Pilot rating, regardless of his or her medical (even if one has a First Class medical, this restriction still holds.)

I'm sure we're all airplane people here (me too), but let's not forget that Sport Pilot (subpark K) instructors for weightshift, and powered parachute CAN give instruction in those type of flying contraptions to the private level.

drseti wrote:Andy, to further clarify (or muddle) the issue, a traditional CFI is certified inder FAR 61 Subpart H. A so-called Sport CFI is certified under Subpart K. Both are CFIs. Both can instruct with a DL medical, in an LSA. A subpart K CFI can only instruct in an LSA, and only toward a Sport Pilot rating, regardless of his or her medical (even if one has a First Class medical, this restriction still holds.) I don't see medical certificate reform as changing this in any way.

A current Subpart H CFI can also instruct in a non-LSA, with or without a medical (and even without a driver's license). He or she just can't be PIC. So, the medical is a pilot requirement, not a CFI requirement. This is important in primary instruction, when the CFI is PIC. Thus, a Subpart H CFI with a lapsed medical can only give primary instruction in an LSA, at present, and only with a valid driver's license. If the 3rd class medical is replaced by a DL, a Subpart H CFI with a lapsed medical would then be able to be PIC in a non-LSA, opening the door to him or her giving even primary instruction in a non-LSA. This, however, would not give the Subpart K CFI any additional privileges.

Right, I did know most of this (but not the code sections ). I was thinking about primary training, where the student cannot act as PIC.