There is nothing more uplifting than learning to fly an aircraft. For many people, this dream seems to good to be true. There are medical examinations that need to be completed along with training and many clocked hours in the air. For the person who wants to be a pilot, but does not want a full fledged, all privilege license, there is the sports pilot license.
The sport pilot license is a flying license that does not honor all of the privileges of other flying licenses. Concentrated on smaller and lighter aircraft, the sport pilot license is the perfect choice for those who want to be licensed to fly without the hassle of a more progressive type of training.
Sport pilots have limitations that other pilots do not have. A sport pilot is only able to carry one passenger per flight. They can only be in the air during daylight hours and can not fly the aircraft above 10,000 feet MSL.
In order to obtain a sport pilot license, the pilot must be at least 17 years of age and have the ability to read, write, communicate and understand the English language proficiently. Twenty hours of flight time must be completely. Of these twenty hours, fifteen hours must be logged with a qualified instructor along side the pilot. Two hours must be logged as a cross country flight with a qualified instructor and the remaining five hours are left for solo flights.
In addition to the five hour solo flight log, a sports license trainee must log one solo flight that is at least 75 miles cross country. During the solo flight, the pilot must complete two different destinations and one full stop landing. One leg of the solo flight must be in excess of 25 miles.
In the two months before applying for the sport pilot license, the trainee must have received at least 3 hours of instruction with a qualified instructor.
The final two requirements are testing requirements. A written and practical test will be given to the sport pilot license trainee and they must be passed in order to obtain a license.
The sport pilot license is unique in that no medical examination needs to be completed before obtaining the license. All that is required is a valid, state issued driver's license. The driver's license will assume the role of medical clearance for flight travel and license approval.
After obtaining the sport pilot license, the pilot will be approved to fly only Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). Light Sport Aircraft are qualified by the overall weight of the aircraft and the performance limitations. If the LSA is a land based aircraft the maximum weight allowed is 1320 pounds. A sea based LSA can weigh up to 1430 pounds. The LSA approved for a sport pilot to man must not exceed 222 kilometers per hour.
The sport pilot license is a light form of many other piloting licenses. The restrictions and limitation on privileges offer a bit of a hamper on the abilities of the sport pilot, but the time to complete the course is dramatically lessened.
