FLYING Magazine General News Short Approach

Making Aviation More Accessible Remains the Name of the Game

It’s much easier today to get exposed to GA as a young person.

Friday, December 20, 2024 at 09:21 AM ET

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When the light sport aircraft (LSA) category became a reality in 2004 (in the U.S.), one of the goals was to breathe new life into aviation by making it more affordable and, therefore, easier to access. [Credit: Jason McDowell]

Key Takeaways:

The initial Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category, established in 2004, aimed to lower barriers to flying but was flawed by an arbitrary weight limit that excluded many common training aircraft.
The proposed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) seeks to significantly expand the LSA category to include larger, faster aircraft (e.g., Cessna 172s), limited by a clean stall speed of 54 kcas, making them eligible for sport pilot training.
MOSAIC would also broaden sport pilot privileges to include night flying, IFR operations (with endorsements), and limited commercial flying, enhancing the accessibility and utility of the certificate.

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First, let me begin by stating that I applaud any—well, most—efforts to make flying more affordable, accessible, and fun for more people.

Flying has long since been something difficult to break into unless you grew up around aviation, had some connections, or just wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept riding your bike out to the airport until someone took you for a ride to get you to stop pestering them.