Sport Pilot Certificate

Affordable, achievable and FUN.

Sport Pilot is for you!

Whether you're completely new to aviation or have flown aircraft before, Sport Pilot is the new way to fly that is easier, more affordable, safe, and loads of FUN! Sport Pilot enables enthusiasts to learn to fly and gain access to aircraft in half the time and for half the cost of previous alternatives. So climb aboard, take the controls, and launch new adventures in recreational aviation today!

Eager to get into flying?

If you are an aviation enthusiast seeking your first pilot certificate, the sport pilot certificate provides the easiest and least costly way to fly for fun and recreation.

The minimum required training time for the different light sport aircraft categories are:

• Airplane: 20 hours
• Powered Parachute: 12 hours
• Weight-Shift-Control (Trikes): 20 hours
• Glider: 10 hours
• Rotorcraft (gyroplane only): 20 hours
• Lighter-Than-Air: 20 hours (airship) or 7 hours (balloon)

To earn a sport pilot certificate, one must:

• Be at least 16 to become a student sport pilot (14 for glider).
• Be at least 17 to test for a sport pilot certificate (16 for gliders).
• Be able to speak, read, write, and understand English.
• Hold a current and valid U.S. driver's license as evidence of medical eligibility (provided the FAA didn't deny, revoke, or suspend your last medical certificate application). Alternatively, you can also use a third class airman's medical to establish medical fitness.
• Pass an FAA sport pilot knowledge test.
• Pass a FAA sport pilot practical (flight) test.

Why earn your Sport Pilot Certificate?

Escape from the two dimensional world. Sport flying takes you to a different world with new perspectives. Suddenly, distances shrink and your perspectives change. You start thinking of your world from above. Your senses are in tune to the world of flight, no longer limited by your cares, concerns and duties on the ground. Become a pilot and escape to a different world.

Explore new places. Learning to fly frees you to explore the world – from 50 miles to 500 miles. The distance is your decision. Become a Sport Pilot and expand your horizons.

Experience a feeling of freedom, and accomplishment. Learning to fly will transform your life. It immerses you in new sensations and allows you to conquer exciting challenges. It changes how you perceive yourself and what you know you can accomplish. Become a Sport Pilot and transform yourself.

What do I need to start my Sport Pilot training?

A desire to learn and a driver's license

For the most part, you can show up for your first flight lesson with nothing but a primed eagerness to enjoy an exhilarating experience! The airplane and fuel are included in your price of instruction, so all you need are yourself, your learning skills, and your desire for FUN!

The bureaucratic requirements are also easier to fulfill. Just bring your valid state driver's license and get started!

How long will it take to get my Sport Pilot Certificate?

The minimum number of flight training hours for achieving a sport pilot certificate to fly an airplane is 20. Those training hours will include dual instruction (instructor and student), cross-country flying (departing one airport and landing at another), and solo flights. The number of days or weeks required to log those 20 or more hours of instruction is really up to you and your instructor. Will you set aside several days for immersive flight instruction or will you spread out the flight lessons over a period of weeks?

What training is required to get my Sport Pilot Certificate?

The major elements of your Sport Pilot training will include:

• Preparation for the written test

  You'll have to pass a written test as part of achieving your sport pilot certificate. You may take the test at any time during your flight training, or up to two years in advance of completing your training. There are many good self-study courses available or you may take a ground school course at a local flight school or community college.

• Dual instruction

  This is the phase of flight training that entails having your instructor with you in the flight training aircraft. The majority of hours flown before obtaining your license will be with an instructor.

• Acquisition of a Student Sport Pilot Certificate

  Before you may engage in solo flight training, you will need a Student Sport Pilot Certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

• Solo flight training

  One of the major milestones in learning to fly is your first solo flight. Ask any pilot, and they can vividly recall the details of the first time they flew solo. When your instructor believes you are ready, he or she will "set you free" to fly on your own as you work toward the completion of your flight training. You will need to complete at least five hours of supervised solo flight during your airplane flight training.

• The cross-country flight.

  An important element of your flight training will entail your conducting a "trip" in the airplane. That is, you'll depart from one airport and land at one or more different airports before returning to your home field. This exercise will ensure your ability to fly and navigate. Your flight instructor will oversee each cross country flight.

• The oral and practical test

  Once you have completed the different flight training requirements and your flight instructor is satisfied that your flight training is complete, you will need to pass a "checkride". The check ride entails an oral exam followed by a hands-on flight test, both of which you must pass to obtain your sport pilot certificate. You must take your check ride with an FAA designated examiner. That way, an unbiased set of "fresh eyes" examines your knowledge, practices, and proficiencies at the controls.

Is Sport flying safe?

Recreational flight is statistically among the safest outdoor motor sports. Although every activity - even walking outside to collect your morning newspaper - carries a degree of inherent risk, flying for fun falls well within the safety margins that most people expect for recreational activity.

And flying as a sport pilot eliminates several risk factors, making it potentially even safer than other general-aviation flying. Because the sport pilot's flight activities by definition entail daylight, favorable weather, good visibility, and light aircraft capable of low-speed flight, the sport pilot can focus on FUN instead of worry.

What are the basic "qualifications"?

The fundamental qualifications for becoming a sport pilot are quite simple. Remember, the main idea behind the sport pilot movement is to open up the exciting world of recreational aviation to many more enthusiasts. We love aviation and want to share that joy with you and many others!

Accordingly, the qualifications are modest:

• At least 17 years of age
• Valid state driver's license
• Proficient in the English language
• Be able to affirm general good health and not using substances or medications that impede judgment, cognition, or motor skills

That's it!

Once I've learned to Sport fly, where can I fly?

Once you've achieved your sport pilot certificate, you'll likely find yourself exploiting every possible opportunity to get out and FLY!

You might plan an ambitious coast-to-coast trip, hopping your way across the country through clear-weather routes. Maybe you'll fly away with a friend for a weekend getaway or spend a few hours practicing at the local airport. Or maybe you'll take in scenic vistas from above. Whatever the plan -- however simple or grandiose -- it will center on enjoying the world from a different perspective, and feeling the exhilaration, freedom, and satisfaction of flying an aircraft yourself.

Already a Pilot?

An individual holding a recreational pilot certificate or higher (e.g. private) may exercise the privileges of a sport pilot certificate, provided the holder complies with the privileges and limitations of a sport pilot certificate. The main benefit for existing pilots is that sport pilot requires only a valid state driver's license to establish medical fitness. No more need for a third-class medical! Unfortunately, the rule includes one major exception: Existing pilots, including previous student pilots who have had their most recent FAA medical certificate application denied, suspended, or revoked by the FAA are not allowed to operate using their driver's license.

Here's all an existing pilot needs:

• A valid pilot certificate.
• Compliance with the medical requirements of a sport pilot.
• A current flight review (recorded in logbook).
• Fly a sport pilot-eligible aircraft.
• Operate within the privileges and limitations of the sport pilot certificate.
• Operate within the category/class ratings on the pilot certificate.

An individual with a private, commercial, or ATP certificate may perform the flight review in any aircraft authorized by the person's pilot certificate, assuming the CFI is pilot in command.

A private pilot choosing to operate at the sport pilot level need not do anything more than comply with the rules. No change of certificates is necessary. If ramp checked, a private pilot may simply present the private pilot certificate and valid state driver's license and inform the FAA inspector "I am operating as a sport pilot."

What are the Sport Pilot Privileges and Limitations?

When operating as a sport pilot, you as the pilot must operate within the following guidelines of the sport pilot certificate:

Privileges:

• Operate as pilot in command of a sport pilot eligible aircraft
  • Carry a passenger and share expenses (fuel, oil, airport expenses, and aircraft rental);
• Fly during the daytime using visual flight rules (VFR). Three statute miles visibility and visual contact with the ground are required.
• Cross-country flying anywhere in the U.S.
• Fly up to 10,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL) or 2,000 feet above ground level (AGL), whichever is higher.
• Fly solo or with one passenger.
• Share operating expenses with another person.
• Fly in Class E and G airspace (and B, C, and D airspace with appropriate training).
• Allows sport pilots to fly production (standard airworthiness certificate) and experimental amateur-built aircraft that meet the definition of a light-sport aircraft.
• Allows rental of special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA).

Limitations:

• Prohibited from Class A airspace.
• Prohibited from flying in Class B, C, or D airspace until you receive training and a logbook endorsement from an instructor.
• No flights outside the U.S. without prior permission from the foreign aviation authority.
• May not tow any object.
• No flights while carrying a passenger or property for compensation, hire, or
• Prohibited from flying in furtherance of a business.

Medical Requirements

Generally, sport pilots are allowed to use their state driver's license to establish medical fitness. They must also follow any restrictions or limitations listed on their driver's license. In addition, every pilot—from sport pilot to airline transport pilot—must determine before each flight that he or she is medically fit to operate their aircraft in a safe manner. As a pilot, it is your responsibility to ensure that your current medical health in no way jeopardizes the safety of a flight.