Sport Pilot Talk

I was wondering if AOPA is doing anything to extend self certification driver's license privileges to recreational pilots so that recreational pilots won't need a medical. I found an article on the AOPA website that talks about the proposal to do medical self certification for recreational pilots with a driver's license.

AOPA believes this rule will help many lapsed pilots return to flying and could have a positive effect on the cost of learning to fly, bringing new people into flying. AOPA said the agency should go even further and extend sport pilot privileges to recreational pilots. That would mean that recreational pilots could use a current driver's license to meet the medical requirements and that they could fly in Class B, C, and D airspace with the proper flight instructor endorsement. If adopted, AOPA's recommendations would effectively extend the benefits proposed in the sport pilot certificate to a much larger group of aircraft such as a Cessna 172 or a Piper Warrior.

When I called AOPA, they say there has been no work or proposal on it. I wonder why? Why don't pilots support extending driver license medical privileges to recreational pilots? I believe if medical standards are relaxed, then maybe the pilot population will increase again.

The Recreational Pilot Cert. was a big fizz out. I believe there are only forty something of the certs. ever issued. Yes, it allows you to fly heavier aircraft than the Sport Pilot cert. does, but the restrictions of how far you can go from your departure point is a huge drawback. Bottom line is, who really cares about it?

I thought you could get rid of the 50 nm radius from departure point with an endorsement without going for the Private Pilot License.

According to the FAA, there are 229 active Recreational pilots. (http://registry.faa.gov/activeairmen/M7 ... ummary.pdf)

Yes, a rec pilot can indeed get cross country (and airspace) privileges, with training and a logbook endorsement, similar to Sport Pilot.

No, I don't see the FAA ever tolerating a movement to allow recreational pilots to do away with the medical. The day that happens, people will then petition to do away with the medical for private. At some point, the FAA just wants to draw a line in the sand with regards to medicals, and I think Sport Pilot is it. Not saying I agree with that, but I'm sure that's the thinking in the FAA. That's just like the argument about "raising the LSA weight limit". In the FAA's eyes, it was already raised once... yet people will always want to ask for "just a little bit more".

Thanks for the pilot population statistics summary. I've been looking for such a statistic. Just wondering, how current is the data you send to me just now? Like when did the FAA publish the most current pilot population statistics? Was it published a few days ago?

It's as of 6/1/2010: http://registry.faa.gov/activeairmen/

Moving this thread to the new "Medical Issues" forum.