More Training Aircraft in Reach with FAA's Proposed MOSAIC Rule

If the NPRM transitions to an official rule, several of the aircraft that currently make up the training fleet could be legally flown with a sport pilot certificate.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 04:17 PM ET

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If the MOSAIC NPRM transitions to an official rule, several of the aircraft that currently make up the training fleet, such as the Cessna 150, could be legally flown with a sport pilot certificate. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's proposed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule aims to significantly expand the types of aircraft sport pilots can operate by increasing the light sport aircraft (LSA) weight limit from 1,320 pounds to up to 3,000 pounds, based on stall speed.
This expansion would allow sport pilots to fly common training aircraft (e.g., Cessna 172) and is intended to make aviation more accessible, versatile, and safer, potentially boosting flight school revenue and instructor numbers.
The proposal addresses the limited growth in sport pilot numbers since the original 2004 rule and has received support from aviation organizations like SAFE for expanding access to modern aircraft.

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When the sport pilot rule was released in 2004, it was touted as a way to make aviation more affordable, starting with lower training costs because the sport pilot certificate can be acquired with a minimum of 20 hours of flight time—half of what is required for the private pilot certificate.

The 2004 rule also didn’t require the additional cost of an aviation medical certificate, which might encourage more people to seek training to earn their certificates. Whether or not it went that way is in the eye of the beholder.