MOSAIC Expands Sport Pilot Privileges, LSA Criteria

Sport Pilots will be able to fly aircraft that have a clean stall speed of up to 59 knots, and aircraft in that category can stall as high as 61 knots with flaps down, under new rules issued by the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a public ceremony at AirVenture on Tuesday. The new Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) gives what the light aircraft industry has said is a much needed overhaul of the Light Sport category that was signed into effect a little more than 20 years ago. That rule used aircraft weight (generally 1,320 pounds) and a maximum speed of 120 knots as the primary determinant of aircraft classification and resulted in a fleet of smallish, sometimes flimsy aircraft that were difficult to modify with new safety equipment because of the weight limitations.

“This rule expands eligibility for certification of light-sport category aircraft while retaining a distinction in level of certification rigor between experimental and small, type-certificated aircraft. This rule also expands privileges for sport pilots and light-sport repairmen. This rule aims to increase the availability of safe, modern, and affordable aircraft for recreational aviation, flight training, and certain aerial work,” the FAA says in its executive summary. “Generally, this rule provides broad regulatory relief to the public. That is, under this rule, manufacturers of light-sport category aircraft may design and manufacture a broader array of aircraft, including rotorcraft and powered-lift. In addition, the rule allows for light-sport category aircraft with increased seating, without weight limits, higher speeds, new types of propulsion systems, new propeller types, retractable landing gear, and aircraft with simplified flight controls.”

Under the new rule, aircraft weight is unlimited and maximum speed is more than doubled to 250 knots in level flight with maximum continuous power as long as the aircraft stall speeds meet those new values. The slight difference between the stall speed limit for pilots (59 knots clean) and LSA-qualified aircraft (61 knots dirty) is attributed to the different safety modelling calculations used for those two categories. It means that a Sport Pilot can fly a much greater variety of existing aircraft, including certified models like Cessna 172s and even 182s and many of the most popular four-seat Pipers as long as they carry only one passenger. Aircraft in the slim band between the pilot stall speed and the aircraft stall speed will require a private certificate, but new aircraft with those performance numbers can be built under the LSA classification, which has a simpler regulatory regime.

The rule also removes limitations on aircraft equipment such as constant speed props and retractable landing gear that restricted both LSA aircraft certification and Sport Pilot accessibility under the old rule. MOSAIC also allows the limited commercial use of Light Sport aircraft although they won’t be able to carry paying passengers or be used to haul commercial freight. Sport Pilots will be able to fly at night and fly high-performance aircraft with training and endorsements, and finally Light Sport certified repair people will be allowed to work on any of the aircraft that fall under the new rules. The rule has a major impact on the homebuilt industry and our colleagues at KITPLANES have put together an analysis on that.

When the new speeds were announced by Rep. Sam Graves, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, a loud cheer went up from the audience of about 500 people outside the EAA Members Center off Boeing Plaza and that sentiment seemed to be echoed by most of the people who were involved in the MOSAIC process. Rian Johnson, the Van’s Aircraft engineer who heads up the ASTM committee that will actually write the new standards for Sport Pilot and Light Sport, said it’s a win for general aviation and a starting point for much more participation in GA. “This was meant to spur innovation within the category [and] lower the requirements to get an airplane to market,” he said, noting that huge amounts of money spent complying with essentially meaningless certification requirements could be diverted to making products safer and better.

EAA President Jack Pelton said the new rule creates accessibility to about 70% of the GA fleet to Sport Pilots, greatly expands the list of aircraft available for Sport Pilot flight training and expands opportunities for schools, instructors and other aviation concerns. “This is one of most significant rule packages for general aviation in the past 75 years,” said Pelton. “This creates what can be called Sport Pilot 2.0, as it builds on the safety and momentum established by that rule two decades ago and opens tremendous possibilities for current and future pilots, flight schools, manufacturers, and many others.”

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association says it has to study the 717-page document in detail but praised the effort in general and said it should lead to improvements to the certification process for traditionally certified aircraft. “This rule plays a crucial role to ensure the U.S. regulatory structure is better designed to advance safety, innovation and the utility of general aviation. Today’s announcement is an essential step forward for advancing the future of the general aviation industry,“ said GAMA President Jim Viola.

The National Air Transportation Association President Curt Castagna said the new rule will help business. “The MOSAIC rule promises transformative benefits for the general aviation community—unlocking the full potential of the Light-Sport category, encouraging innovation, and expanding opportunities for industry participation,” he said. “By creating more accessible pathways for new industry participants and supporting those seeking to sustain their careers, MOSAIC strengthens both the future pipeline and the retention of experienced aviation professionals.”

Rian Johnson, chair of the ASTM committee that will use the FAA rule to create new consensus standards for the expanded category, offered these remarks after the rule was released:

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