Why Aren’t Cessna 140s/150s Considered Light Sport Aircraft?

It seems some pilots can’t wait for the change in weight requirement.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 09:30 AM ET

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If the MOSAIC NPRM transitions to an official rule, several of the aircraft that currently make up the training fleet, such as the Cessna 150, could be legally flown with a sport pilot certificate. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Cessna 140 and 150 aircraft cannot currently be flown as Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) because their certificated gross weights (1,450-1,600 lbs) exceed the current LSA limit of 1,320 lbs, regardless of how they are flown.
The MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) rule proposes to significantly increase the LSA gross weight limit to 3,600 pounds.
If approved, the MOSAIC rule change would make many existing single-engine light trainers, including models like the Cessna 140 and 150, compliant with LSA requirements.

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Question: I understand MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) is in the works and it will increase the weight limit on light sport aircraft (LSA) from 1,320 pounds to 3,600 pounds. That makes some of us wonder why the Cessna 140 and Cessna 150 can’t be flown as LSA right now. They are both two-place and have a stall speed of less than 51 mph. Wouldn’t it be possible to fly them at 1,320 pounds to make them legal to fly as LSAs as the rule stands?

Answer: The LSA rule as it stands limits aircraft to a gross weight of 1,320 pounds for land aircraft.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.