(September 2011) To be sure, Experimental amateur-built (aka homebuilt) aircraft are not light-sport aircraft and never can be. But does that mean sport pilots can’t fly them? Apparently, there’s still a bit of confusion about the answer to this very question among pilots and regulators seven years into the Sport Pilot/LSA rule, says EAA’s David Oord, but the short answer is it depends on the aircraft.
“A lot of folks get hung up on the aircraft certification when trying to determine if an aircraft is sport pilot eligible or not,” says Oord. “But it’s about who’s operating the aircraft, not the certification of it. Regardless of whether it’s Experimental amateur-built (or type certificated for that matter), if the aircraft meets the LSA definition — which is basically the max gross weight and max speed, and a fixed gear — a sport pilot can fly it.”
