North American Flight Center is changing the way students learn to fly!
North American debuts new Flight Center Program
Tecnam North America unveiled its new Tecnam Flight Center (TFC) program at this year's AirVenture.
Read more...
Sport Pilot requirements
Medical
US driver's license is enough. There is not a need to apply for 3rd class medical certificate.
Age, language, and pilot certificate requirements
- Be at least 17 years old (or 16 years old if you are applying to operate a glider or balloon)
- Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English. If you cannot read, speak, write, and understand English because of medical reasons, the FAA may place limits on your certificate as are necessary for the safe operation of light-sport aircraft.
Tests
- Knowledge test
- Practical test
Aeronautical knowledge
Receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the following aeronautical knowledge areas:
- Applicable regulations of this chapter that relate to sport pilot privileges, limits, and flight operations
- Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board.
- Use of the applicable portions of the aeronautical information manual and FAA advisory circulars.
- Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems, as appropriate.
- Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts.
- Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence.
- Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance.
- Weight and balance computations.
- Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems.
- Stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques, as applicable.
- Aeronautical decision making and risk management.
- Preflight actions that include:
- How to get information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and
- How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or if you encounter delays.
Flight proficiency requirements
Receive and log ground and flight training from an authorized instructor on the following areas of operation, as appropriate, for airplane single-engine land or sea, glider, gyroplane, airship, balloon, powered parachute land or sea, and weight-shift-control aircraft land or sea privileges:
- Preflight preparation.
- Preflight procedures.
- Airport, seaplane base, and gliderport operations, as applicable.
- Takeoffs (or launches), landings, and go-arounds.
- Performance maneuvers, and for gliders, performance speeds.
- Ground reference maneuvers (not applicable to gliders and balloons).
- Soaring techniques (applicable only to gliders).
- Navigation.
- Slow flight (not applicable to lighter-than-air aircraft and powered parachutes).
- Stalls (not applicable to lighter-than-air aircraft, gyroplanes, and powered parachutes).
- Emergency operations.
- Post-flight procedures.
Aeronautical experience
For Airplanes,
Total - 20 hours
Flight training - 15 hours
Solo - 5 hours
Dual cross country - 2 hours
Solo cross country - 1 hours
Checkride Prep - 3 hours
What are the Sport Pilot license privileges and limitations? Privileges
- You can only fly when visibility is 3 miles or greater
- You can carry a passenger
- You can fly in class E and G airspace
- You can fly aircraft that meet the definition of light-sport aircraft (LSA)
Limitations
- You cannot fly for compensation or hire
- You can not fly above 10,000 ft
- You can not fly at night
- You cannot tow any object
Reason
- Training requirement is 50% of private pilot (e.g. total hours for LSA is 20 hr vs 40 hrs for private pilot.)
- Cost of operating the plane is much less than regular planes like Cessna 172 or Piper etc.
|
