Assembling MOSAIC

By now, youve probably heard the news coming out of a recent AOPA Fly-In: The FAA is considering the idea of increasing the maximum takeoff weight limitation for wheel-equipped light sport aircraft (LSA) from 1320 lbs. to as much as 3600 lbs. On its face, this would allow a sport pilot with the appropriate endorsements to serve as pilot in command of, say, a Cirrus SR22 or an A36 Bonanza. Its one narrow focus of a broader initiative dubbed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates, or MOSAIC, which may find its way into forthcoming FAA regulations.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is considering a significant increase in the maximum takeoff weight for Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) from 1320 lbs to 3600 lbs.
This potential change is a narrow focus of the broader MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates) initiative.
MOSAIC aims to modernize light aircraft certification by shifting from prescriptive standards to performance- and risk-based metrics.
The comprehensive initiative may also address electric propulsion and the certification of novel aircraft types currently lacking defined paths.

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By now, you’ve probably heard the news coming out of a recent AOPA Fly-In: The FAA is considering the idea of increasing the maximum takeoff weight limitation for wheel-equipped light sport aircraft (LSA) from 1320 lbs. to as much as 3600 lbs. On its face, this would allow a sport pilot with the appropriate endorsements to serve as pilot in command of, say, a Cirrus SR22 or an A36 Bonanza. It’s one narrow focus of a broader initiative dubbed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates, or MOSAIC, which may find its way into forthcoming FAA regulations.

When I first heard about this specific element of MOSAIC, I quickly checked the date—no, it wasn’t April 1. Instead, it’s something the FAA says it’s been working on for some time. According to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Sean Elliot, “EAA is helping to frame the project and develop risk analysis tools prior to the official start of FAA rulemaking,” which could begin as early as January 2019.