How is sport pilot training different than private pilot?

[Paul Hamilton]

Sport Pilots are trained to the same skill for flying the aircraft, but the limitations allows significant reduction in the tasks required as follows:

Sport Pilots are limited to flying light sport aircraft, no night flying, and no flying above 10,000 feet MSL. Training and requirements for the Sport Pilot Certificate do not include flight at towered airports, but sport pilots can fly into towered controlled airports with the additional training and endorsements.

There is no difference in the piloting ability (stick and rudder skills) between a sport pilot and private pilot. The standards are the same.

However, sport pilots are not required to have training in a number of areas which reduces the overall training time at least by half. This is an overview from the knowledge test questions and the Practical Test Standards (Checkride) of the additional subjects the private pilot must be trained and tested:
• Night flight with night cross country training
• Instrument flight training
• Radio navigation (VOR, DME, etc)
• Communications and operations at tower controlled airports(however, sport pilots can obtain this training and privileges but this is in addition to the minimum sport pilot requirements)