EAST COAST AVIATION LLC
Why Sport Pilots?
MOSAIC CHANGES EVERYTHING!!! (see section)
East Coast Aviation believes that sport pilots will become the dominant type of pilots for the General Aviation Market. Why?
Obtaining a sport pilot rating has most of the advantages of having a Private Pilots License. All of the work to obtain a Sport Pilots license is fully reuseable and can be a stepping stone to obtaining a Private Pilot Rating. A Sport Pilot license is the cheapest, easiest, and quickest license to obtain from the FAA to fly an airplane with a passenger. A Sport Pilot is \in command to do what ever you want or go where ever you want (within the FAA guidline lines for type aircraft). Private pilot licenses we feel will become more targeted at career pilots and general aviation will become dominated by Sport pilots because of cost, training time, and complexity.
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So if you want to just fly for site seeing or cross country travel during good weather and day light hours, a Sport Pilot License may meet all of your needs. This also lets you fly experimental as well as factory and other aircraft meeting sport pilot guidlines. The capabilities of Sport Pilots is about to improve greatly with the release of MOSAIC largly because of the excellent safety record of sport pilots.
- Sport Pilot Advantages
COST: Sport pilots are required to have 20 hours minimum instuction as opposed to 40 hours for a PPL.
TIME: The amount of time to obtain a Sport Pilot License will be faster than obtaining a PPL.
GROUND SCHOOL: Much simpliefied ground school by not learning, night time, Instruments, altitudes above 10,000 feet, etc.
MEDICAL: There is NO medical certification or exam required for Sport Pilots. Only a driver license and your word that you are fit to fly is sufficient. Aging pilots that are concerned about passing a medical can always "drop back" to a sport pilot if they did not loose their license due to medical.
SKILLS: LSA aircraft in general are more affected by wind and have more rudder authority than standard training aircraft. Therefore LSAs may make you a better pilot long term.
MODERN LOWER COST AIRCRAFT and BETTER ELECTRONICS: Most LSAs are newer planes with moderm glass displays often with touch screens, moving maps, etc. No more 1960's round guages. The aircraft use modern matterial such as often fiberglass, carbon fiber even kevlar to make more stylish, efficient, aerodynamic aircraft. Many LSAs burn less than 4 gallons per hour at cruise speed rivialling the gas mileage you would expect of a car but FASTER with no real traffic (besides getting to and at the airport)
AIRCRAFT COST: If you dream of Owning your own or a share of an aircraft the most affordable way to get one is to buy a used Experimental LSA or build one from a kit. Additionally, if you own an LSA you do not need to hire a certified aircraft mechanic (A&P or IA) to do inspections, repairs and maintenance. This can be done by yourself or a lower cost LSRM.
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- Sport Pilot Restrictions (Currently before the release of MOSAIC)
- Sport Pilots are currently restricted to Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) this includes SLSA and ELSA (Special and Experimental).
- LSA's are restricted to 125MPH Airspeed, 2 people, and 1330 lbs (1440 for seaplanes). (CHANGING WITH MOSAIC)
- Sport Pilots can not fly at Night or instruments.
- There is a current speed limit of 125mph for Sport Pilots. (CHANAGING WITH MOSAIC)
- There are a lot of Cessna, Piper, Mooney, Cirrus, and other aircraft available in Rental Fleets at Flying Clubs and Flight training schools that sport pilots can not fly Solo or with a passenger in. (CHANGING WITH MOSAIC)