In practical terms, not many people were directly affected by the Sept. 1 enactment of the rule. For those few, however, the change could be significant. Anyone with a pilot certificate who has let his or her medical lapse, for whatever reason, can now legally fly (VFR only) a plane meeting the LSA standards. The rule does not help those who have lost their FAA medical, however. The medical problems that prompted the lifting of the medical must still be addressed and signed off by an FAA examiner before flying Light Sport or any other kind of aircraft. While there won’t be any “new” LSA certificated aircraft for some time, thousands of existing planes became eligible for the new classification on Wednesday. Fully certificated aircraft that meet the LSA standards (Cubs and Champs are good examples) can be legally flown by pilots with lapsed medicals, as can a lot of amateur-built aircraft. Existing maintenance and inspection requirements for the certificated planes will continue to apply.
…Changes Come Slowly…
Key Takeaways:
- Pilots with a lapsed (but not lost or revoked) FAA medical certificate can now legally fly Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) under VFR.
- This rule does not apply to pilots who have lost their medical due to health problems; such issues must still be addressed and signed off by an FAA examiner.
- Thousands of existing, fully certificated aircraft that meet LSA standards (like Cubs and Champs), as well as many amateur-built aircraft, are now eligible to be flown under these new LSA rules.
- Existing maintenance and inspection requirements for certificated planes continue to apply under this new classification.
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