| Ever look up at the sky on a beautiful day and wish | | | | she must be able to read, write, and understand |
| that you could fly around like a bird? Why not become | | | | American English. |
| a certified Sport Pilot then! It's the Federal Aviation | | | | Whereas becoming a Private Pilot means you have to |
| Administration's newest certified pilot category, and it is | | | | log at least 40 hours of flight time, but the national |
| much quicker and less expensive than becoming a | | | | average right now is almost 65 hours. Of those hours, |
| certified Private Pilot. There are even many different | | | | 20 must be with an instructor (OUCH! - those instructor |
| types of aircraft that you can fly to allow you to get | | | | fees), and at least 10 hours must be solo. As a Sport |
| you more of the feeling of actually "flying" like the birds. | | | | Pilot candidate, you can be eligible to take your |
| The Sport Pilot certification came into effect | | | | certification test with as little as 20 hours of flight time! |
| September 1, 2004. Sport Pilots can be trained and | | | | You must take and pass a written test for both |
| qualified to fly in Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) such as | | | | qualifications, but with the sport pilot route, you'll be up in |
| airplanes, weight-shift aircraft, powered parachutes, | | | | the air much faster and heavier in the wallet area. The |
| gliders, and lighter-than-air (airships or balloons). The | | | | best part is, all the time you log as a sport pilot can be |
| Experimental Aircraft Association also believes that | | | | applied towards your private pilot license should you |
| gyroplanes will soon be included in the LSA category, | | | | decide to upgrade later. Talk about a great starting |
| making a total of six different types of aircraft the | | | | place! |
| sport pilot could command. | | | | Some of the restrictions sport pilots have placed on |
| The minimum qualifications for becoming a sport pilot | | | | them are |
| are that the applicant be 16 years of age to start | | | | 1) no flights above 10,000 feet, |
| training (or 14 years for gliders), and at least 17 years | | | | 2) no flights into airspaces around airports which are |
| old to be eligible to take the licensing test (16 for | | | | controlled by towers, |
| gliders). The sport pilot applicant does not have to | | | | 3) no flights outside the U.S., |
| make an appointment with a FAA Designated Medical | | | | 4) no night flights, and |
| Examiner to get a flight physical, because he / she is | | | | 5) no flights unless the surface of the Earth can be |
| considered medically qualified with just a valid drivers | | | | seen for flight reference (i.e. cloudy days). |
| license. (That is, of course, if the candidate has not | | | | Also, sport pilots can only take one other person flying |
| been previously denied, or had an FAA medical | | | | at a time, so taking ALL your friends flying could take |
| certificate revoked.) If the aspiring sport pilot already | | | | an extra long day! |
| has an FAA medical, that's fine too! And finally, he / | | | | |