Sport Pilot Talk

roger lee wrote:If you are implying he needed a certified flight examiner to check him out like a new certifying pilot, I know that didn't happen. .

Roger, I presume what Paul H. meant is that the endorsing flight instructor, when flying with the pilot, was essentially giving him a checkride for the category and class. As I understand it, for additional category/class privileges when operating as a Sport Pilot, this can be administered by any CFI, and does not therefore require a DPE. Paul, did I get that right??

Roger,
Just as I said above. Simply: in a proficiency check which is performed by the second CFI, there is a flight test which is part of the proficiency check for him to be signed off. No examiner is required. said in a different way: The second CFI must perform a flight check (a proficiency check which is LIKE a checkride performed by a CFI) to sign him/her off.

So in summary, there is a flight check required to add a category or class of aircraft at the sport pilot level.

I just modified/clarified my statement above to be more clear. Sory about the misunderstanding.

Hi Paul,

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you meant he needed an examiner. That is what he told me about the second CFI was that he was checked out then just had an entry in his logbook. And from what he told me one of the CFI's could have only been a Sport Pilot CFI since all he wanted was a sport pilot ticket.

I've also "been there done that". What Paul says is correct. Its a proficiency check. Once completed, the pilot will have "private" privileges in glider, and "sport pilot" privileges in ASEL.

As mentioned, there is no knowledge exam, but there is a proficiency check. This process is virtually identical to a practical exam, except it is administered by a CFI. This is the "one time" a CFI can perform something very similar to a practical exam.

This very topic, was one of those "22 things the FAA wanted to change" about a year or so ago. At the time, the FAA was kicking around the idea of taking that privilege away from CFIs, because the FAA feared they might really not understand how to do a proficiency check properly (including the sending in of 8710-11's to the FAA). Examiners get training on administering the practical. CFIs dont.

From Roger's previous post (talking about someone who got the endorsement with no flight test), I can sometimes understand the FAA's concern.

Yes I know of two specific proficiency checkks that were done where the 8710-11 form was not used or sent into the FAA so the FAA had no record.

The FAA created a list of all people, who's proficiency checks were properly submitted to the FAA.

The list can be viewed here: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/hea ... cyChks.pdf

From this page: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/hea ... rof_check/

If you received a proficiency check and you're name isn't on this list, the proficiency check was not properly completed.