Good news

The FAA created the light sport category of aircraft and corresponding entry-level pilot certificate in 2004 as a more affordable tier of recreational flying. Students could earn the sport pilot certificate in fewer hours, flying simple aircraft, using their driver’s license in lieu of an FAA medical certificate; and higher-certificated pilots could abandon the time and expense of renewing their medical certificates to exercise sport pilot privileges. Light sport aircraft were the aircraft sport pilots could fly—both certificated aircraft that met the 1,320-pound weight limit and performance limitations, and aircraft of a new category that conformed to consensus standards, a less-costly path than traditional FAA certification.

Two decades of experience with the sport pilot/light sport aircraft rules proved pilots could successfully assess their own medical fitness to fly, but it also exposed the limitations of the light sport category: Sport pilots couldn’t fly many of the most common general aviation aircraft, and the maximum weight and speed of light sport aircraft limited their utility. MOSAIC removes the weight limit and expands the capabilities for both sport pilots and light sport category aircraft, opening up a range of aircraft to sport pilots and making it easier for modern aircraft with new technology to come to market.

Pilots:

Beginning October 22, sport pilots will be able to fly aircraft with up to four seats, with flaps-up stall speeds up to 59 KCAS. That means sport pilot applicants will be able to train in common flight school aircraft such as Cessna 172s and Piper Cherokees, and pilots with private and higher certificates can transition to sport pilot privileges and keep flying the aircraft they know best.

The lower hour requirement for training toward the sport pilot certificate can save student pilots money, but the biggest advantage to sport pilots is the driver’s license medical standard. Recurrent medical certification is a hassle for most pilots and a financial burden for many, and with the new rules it will now be unnecessary for most pilots flying recreationally.

When I was learning to fly, I spent months waiting on a response to my medical certificate application, only to receive a request for information I had already provided. AOPA’s medical certification staff helped me sort it out, but then I received another request—this one for thousands of dollars’ worth of testing that my treating physician said was unnecessary. In the meantime, my skills atrophied as I waited to solo. What if I could have delayed the medical certification process until a few years later, when I was ready to fly at night and start my instrument training? A few years make a difference in the financial resources of a professional in her twenties.

Aircraft:

Beginning July 24, 2026, manufacturers will be able to certify larger airplanes with flaps-down stall speeds up to 61 KCAS as light sport category aircraft. Aircraft with retractable gear, constant-speed propellers, and any type of powerplant except rockets will be able to conform to consensus standards set by ASTM International rather than meet the much more onerous requirements of FAR Part 23 certification.

Early on, the 2004 light sport rule fed fantasies of the dawn of the $100,000 trainer. Reality didn’t oblige, at least not with the features buyers expect from new aircraft. But certification costs are a huge factor in the price of new aircraft, and dramatically lowering certification costs is expected to result in lower purchase prices than comparable FAA certificated aircraft.

The streamlined pathway to special airworthiness certification also may entice manufacturers to produce new aircraft for the U.S. market. Models certified under European ultralight rules could easily qualify for the new light sport category, and kit manufacturers could expand into factory-built production.

Maintenance:

New rules expanding the privileges for light sport repairmen go into effect along with the sport pilot regulations October 22, and AOPA will offer guidance at aopa.org/MOSAIC.

I’m excited to imagine how the changes under MOSAIC will expand access to flying and inject new life into GA. More pilots, new technology, lower costs—what’s not to like?

AOPA Senior Director of Publications Sarah Deener has a wish list for potential new light sport category aircraft.