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 Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) regulations, notably increasing limits for maximum takeoff weight (~3,000 lbs), maximum speed (~250 knots), and stall speed (~54 knots).
These expanded limits would allow a much wider variety of existing aircraft, including popular two-seaters like Cessna 140s/150s and potentially four-seaters like Cessna 172s (limited to two occupants under LSA rules), to qualify as LSAs.
The changes are expected to make a broader range of aircraft more accessible and economical for pilots, opening the LSA category to many aircraft commonly used for training.
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
