Is MOSAIC In Your Future?

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 10:10 AM ET

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The STsw evolved from an earlier incarnation of the CT that sported a longer wing, but the change to the "sw" -- for "short wing" -- improved the bird's landing characteristics by reducing its tendancy to float on approach, a product of the CT's clean lines and efficient airfoil.

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's proposed MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates) initiative, highly praised by AOPA and EAA, aims to significantly expand the types of aircraft sport pilots can operate and the kinds of operations allowed.
Key changes include replacing LSA weight and speed limits with new criteria like a 54-knot stall speed and 250-knot maximum level flight speed, enabling sport pilots to fly a wider range of existing aircraft (e.g., Cessna 172s, retractables with endorsements), and opening the door for diverse propulsion systems such as electric.
The FAA justifies these expansions by referencing the light-sport category's validated safety record, which falls within a "safety continuum," and has opened a 90-day public comment period that closes on October 23, 2023.

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Both the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) are hailing the FAA’s late July 2023 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on the long-sought MOSAIC initiative. The acronym stands for “Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates,” and both organizations have been working with the FAA on it for years.

The proposal would significantly revise upward the pool of aircraft eligible for operation by sport pilots while also expanding the kinds of operations allowed. For example, the 1320-pound weight and 120-knot top speed limits for light sport aircraft (LSA) certification would go away, replaced with a new definition limiting fixed-wing aircraft to a clean stall speed (V_S1) of 54 knots calibrated airspeed, a maximum level flight speed (V_H) of 250 knots and four seats. A sport pilot would still be limited to only a single passenger, however.