The MOSAIC rule redefines Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) based on stall speed (up to 61 knots flaps down) instead of previous weight and speed limits, allowing for heavier and faster aircraft (up to 250 knots) to qualify.
This expansion allows sport pilots to fly a significantly wider range of aircraft, including certain legacy normal category aircraft, and grants new privileges such as endorsements for night flight and more complex aircraft, while retaining the one-passenger limit.
MOSAIC is expected to increase interest in sport pilot training due to expanded aircraft options and accessibility, and also opens LSAs for commercial operations like aerial surveys, fostering new aircraft designs and manufacturing.
Since the rule was announced, aviation groups such as the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) have been inundated with queries about what MOSAIC means to the flying community.
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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.
![MOSAIC defines light sport aircraft by stall speed, not gross weight, making it possible for legacy single-engine trainers like the Cessna 150 to be flown by sport pilots. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/FLY1125_2.3-FEAT4-MOSAIC-1.jpeg)
