Sport Pilot Talk

MovingOn wrote:Here is my idea of what I would like to see approved, or something similar:

Effective immediately, the following exemptions apply to the regulations requiring an FAA medical certificate. For these exemptions to apply, the pilot must have no known medical conditions that would prevent the safe exercise of the pilot certificate privileges in question. If the pilot has ever had an FAA medical certificate refused or revoked, he must determine that the medical condition involved would no longer prevent the safe exercise of the pilot certificate privileges in question.

1. Pilots holding a Student Pilot Certificate are no longer required to hold an FAA medical certificate to exercise the privileges of their student pilot certificate while training for a Recreational or Private Pilot Certificate.

2. Pilots holding a Sport Pilot Certificate are no longer required to hold an FAA medical certificate while training for a Recreational or Private Pilot Certificate.

3. Pilots holding a Recreational Pilot Certificate are no longer required to hold an FAA medical certificate to exercise the privileges of their pilot certificate or training for a Private Pilot Certificate.

4. Pilots holding a Private Pilot Certificate are no longer required to hold an FAA medical certificate to exercise the privileges of their pilot certificate.

5. Pilots holding a Commercial Pilot Certificate or Airline Transport Pilot Certificate are no longer required to hold an FAA medical certificate to exercise the privileges of a Private Pilot Certificate.

6. Pilots holding a Certified Flight Instructor Certificate are no longer required to hold an FAA medical certificate to act as pilot-in-command while giving flight instruction for Recreational Pilot or Private Pilot in VFR conditions.

7. Not withstanding items 1 through 6 above, no person may act as pilot in command in instrument meteorological conditions without an FAA medical certificate appropriate for the pilot certificate privileges he is exercising; Private, Commercial, or ATP.

8. Not withstanding items 1 through 6 above, no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft exceeding X horsepower, X maximum gross weight, 4 passengers (including pilot), and 2 engines without an FAA medical certificate appropriate for the pilot certificate privileges he is exercising; Private, commercial, or ATP.

9. These FAA medical exemptions in no way affect Sport Pilot or Sport Pilot Flight Instructor privileges or limitations or LSA limitations.

MovingOn wrote:Private Pilot Certificate privileges include night. It goes without saying.

drseti wrote:Bruce, it's not clear to me how having or lacking an FAA medical has any bearing whatever on a pilot's ability to safely handle a complex aircraft. The only current limitation is in the LSA definition, not the Sport Pilot rules (except by extrapolation from the kind of aircraft one can fly when exercising Sport Pilot privileges). So, if a PP without a medical is allowed to fly something other than an LSA, there is no reason to even mention constant speed prop and retractable gear -- that would be automatically allowed under non-LSA certification standards. (Of course, under PP rules, a complex endorsement would still be required.)