Aircraft like the Cessna 150 could qualify in the light sport category under proposed rule changes. [Credit: Shutterstock]
Key Takeaways:
The FAA's proposed MOSAIC program aims to significantly revise the regulations governing Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), generating considerable interest among pilots.
Key proposed changes include a substantial increase in LSA limits for maximum takeoff weight (to approximately 3,000 lbs), maximum speed (to about 250 knots), and stall speed (to 54 knots).
These expanded limits would enable a much broader range of existing aircraft, including many popular training planes like the Cessna 150s/172s and Piper PA-28s, to qualify for the Light Sport category, offering pilots more diverse and potentially economical options.
If the buzz of pilots chatting at your local airport seems louder than usual, it probably has something to do with the FAA’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) program.
The agency released a preview of its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the program, which is aimed at reworking some of the rules governing the light sport category of aircraft.
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Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4
