Sport pilot written test

[scottessex]

Where can I find info on the new sport pilot written test?
It also appears that if you are an unregistered ultralight pilot, you must register before the end of the month, or you will have to start at Square one with the sport pilot thing.

http://www.sportpilot.org/news/040811_deadline.html


Is ther a test? or does your instructor sign you off, and why so quick on the deadline, I mean they just finalized the rule!

What do I need to do so I don't loose credit for my training I already have, plus, takeoffs landings etc.

[Chuck Roberg]

Scott there is no Sport Pilot written test yet. But there is a gyro written test in order to be registered as an Gyro Ultralight Pilot.

The Ultralight Gyro Pilot written test was just updated by Greg Gremminger and Joe Swanton. I just got my copy today. This copy is only for BFI's, AFI's and CFI's to use. So I can only release my copy of the test questions to some one who is taking the test thru me.

Yes, it's either a BFI or AFI (or a CFI who's registered with an ultralight organization) who gives the test. Then signs your Ultralight Pilot application.

If you have a log book showing your current hours you will not lose that time. You can still become registered as an Ultralight Pilot after Sept. 1st. Yes there will be a few more items to do. But you will not have to start from scratch.

Try the ASC web site for a better explanation.
http://www.aerosports.org/new_page_14.htm

I'll admit, the Sept. 1st deadline caught me by surprise also.

[scottessex]

It just seems to me that the Gov-FAA- throws things like this out, You must pass the test, that does not exist yet, But it has to be done in then next couple of weeks!
http://www.aerosports.org/pilot_registration.htm

Guess I'll just keep flying under old part 103.

It's OK, I deal with FAA, part 123 and part 145 stuff everyday! It's no different.

[Chuck Roberg]

Scott, I think I have you confused. The Sept 1st date is for REGISTERED Ultralight Pilots. If your registered by that date you will be grandfathered in AFTER that date.

You will have three years after Sept 1st. to take another written (could very well be the same one you took for ultralight pilot) and a flight check.

After Sept 1st if your not registered yet, you will still have three years to first get registered as an Ultralight Pilot, in order for your current time to count. Then to continue to meet the requirements for Sport Pilot.

If after Sept 1st you do nothing, and do not register as an ultralight pilot then decide to go for Sport Pilot, you will have to start over and do all the requied time, x-country time and meet the training times. In other words you'll be starting from scratch.

After the three year grace period anyone wanting to become a Sport Pilot will have to start at the beginning of training.

[gyroguy]

One addition--for Private Pilots.

At Oshkosh, EAA handed out a little purple brochure called "Ultralight Pilot Registration." It said that anyone with a Private Pilot rating (or better) could take one hour of flight instruction from a registered ultralight flight instructor (AFI, BFI, UFI) and become a registered ultralight pilot.

So, I did it. I sent the filled-out purple brochure and a copy of my private pilot certificate to the EAA ultralight division. If you're an EAA member, EAA processes it for free. If not, it will cost you $15.

Last week's mail brought me a little card that says I am a Registered Ultralight Pilot. That "grandfathers" me as an ultralight pilot before Sport Pilot rules take place on Sept. 1.

I feel like a grandfather, too, after 23 years and about 1,100 hours of flying some 20 different ultralights. When Sport Pilot rules take effect, I won't have to take the written exam. Or so the purple brochure said.

Check out <www.eaa.org> for details.

[Rando]

Where can I find out the details?

[ahancock]

From what I read on the EAA bbs, a private pilot can fly a light sport aircraft with either a 3rd class medical or a driver's license. Is tha not correct?
Alan

[Ralph]

OK guys, if you already have a Private or Recreational ticket, you can get your Sport Pilot certificate simply by applying once the paperwork is ready. The EAA scammed you into paying for an Ultralight Pilot Registration that is completely uneeded. The "grandfathering" is only intended for ultralight -registered pilots and instructors who do not hold an FAA certificate.

A Private Pilot must satisfy two conditions to fly with a driver's license medical:

(1) You MUST also have a Sport Pilot ticket (see above)

(2) The aircraft you are flying (Experimental, Certified, ELSA, or SLSA) must meet the Sport Pilot criteria.

If you don't have a Sport Pilot certificate, you must have a valid 3rd Class (or better) medical to exercise the privileges of your Private certificate.

Ralph

[Rando]

Ralph,

Besides not needing a 3rd Class medical, can you think of any other reason for a private pilot to switch over to sport pilot? I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question.

[Ralph]

Actually it is a good question! IF you have your Private certificate, there is little to be gained until the point where you begin to worry about your medical. The whole idea behind Sport Pilot was to get all those ultralight and "fat"/illegal ultralight pilots into the FAA system. Sport Pilot is definitely lower on the food chain then the Private but may, in sum, be superior to the Recreational ticket.

The key, with respect to your medical, is to let it lapse if you are uncertain about making the cut. If your medical has been revoked or denied, there are lots of additional hoops you will have to jump through, with no certainty of approval. Of course, no matter what your medical status (including the driver's license), you are really self-certifying prior to every flight.

Ralph

[Hognose]

Ralph,

while your description of what to do if you fear medical DQ is right on, a pilot with a Recreational or higher licence does NOT need to get any additional licence to exercise Sport Pilot privileges. See here:

http://www.sportpilot.org/becoming/current.html

This table is exactly what it says in the reg, just organised for legibility.

SportPilot.org is an official EAA site. EAA probably has the best handle and information for FAA pilots interested in Sport Pilot privileges and light sport aircraft. ASC has, probably, the best handle on imparting this info to the ultralight crowd.

cheers

-=K=-

[Ralph]

Kevin,

You have to be very specific here about terminology. A Private pilot with a medical doesn't need a Sport Pilot certificate for the simple reason that he/she is actually excercising Private privileges, which are more extensive then those of Sport Pilot.

However, if you do NOT have a third class (or better) medical, you cannot fly with your Private certificate. In that case you MUST have a Sport Pilot certificate, since that is what is required to fly with a driver's license medical. You WILL need to apply for the SP certificate, for use when you finally let the medical lapse.

Ralph

[pwendell]

Ralph,

I read it the way Kevin does. If I have a private ceritificate, no medical, and a US driver's license, I can fly a LSA in the same category and class(es) in which I have Private ratings with no addititonal certificate or endorsements, and no medical.

To me, this makes sense because the training and ' endorsements' of a PP necessarilty include all those of an SP.

[Ralph]

I have no issue with the scope of the two certificates - but show me (in the regulations, not EAA's table), ther than sailplanes, where you can fly PP without a valid Third Class or better medical.

As in most such "disputes", time will tell. If the FAA generates paperwork to let a PP apply for a SP certificate, my iterpretation rules. OTOH, if no such doument emerges, then you guys will have been shown to be correct. :=)

Ralph

[pwendell]

Ralph,

The rule does seem to leave some room for interpretation. There is precedent, however, for flying with the privileges of a lower certificate with lower medical requirements when carrying a higher one. For example, a comercial pilot only requires a third class medical when excersising the privileges of a private pilot. That doesn't mean I want to be the test case!!

[Hognose]

Guys, at Oshkosh I heard this directly from the Administrator, both in her speech, and in a Q and A session with Tom Poberezny. Further to that, I spent about 35 minutes one-on-one with Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Jon Jordan.

if your last attempt at a medical was denied (including due to not getting tests, etc), then you must pass Class III (normally or by special issuance) to exercise Sport Pilot privileges. (Why would you, when you have a licence that grants greater privileges?). FAA has promised to work out a way to medically clear pilots for flying with Sport Pilot privileges that is less arduous that the Class III Special Issuance process is currently, but I would place little stock in FAA promises.

If your last medical certificate was in good standing when it lapsed, then you may exercise Sport privileges using any higher pilot certificate (even if you are one of the 400 people that got a rec pilot licence). AOPA's Sport Pilot poster child was an older gentleman who needs a Special Issuance for his pacemaker. However, the SI is only good for six months, and takes FAA 4+ months to process -- and you can only apply 90 days in advance of expiration. This gentleman cannot fly his T-6 during the four to six weeks between his medical expiring and his new one being approved and coming in the snailmail (twice a year) and he was disappointed to lose two months a year of flying. Now he can, at least, fly his cub during the periods when his medical has expired and FAA has not processed its renewal paperwork yet. This is exactly the situation we are discussing -- medical has lapsed, a pilot with a higher certificate flying on a driving licence and Sport Pilot ticket.

I was going to post the exact wording from the rule, but it's a PDF and my Acrobat Reader is hosed -- downloading a new one.

cheers

-=K=-

[Hognose]

Here is part of the exact wording:


V.5.A.ii. Medical Provisions
Under Section 15 of SFAR No. 89, the FAA proposed to require sport pilot
certificate holders; student pilots operating within the limitations of a sport pilot
certificate; and higher-rated pilots who elect to exercise only sport pilot privileges to
hold and possess either a current and valid U.S. driver’s license or a current and valid
airman medical certificate issued under part 67.

These provisions, as revised in the final rule, are located under §§61.3, 61.23, and
61.303 in the operating rules where medical certificate requirements for all pilots are
found.


As you see, it explicitly refers to exercising sport pilot privileges using a higher airman certificate.

And here is a further excerpt

Section 61.303 is added to set forth operating limitations and endorsement
requirements for persons seeking to operate light-sport aircraft. This new
section is derived from the proposed provisions of SFAR No. 89 section 91.
It provides a more detailed description, in a table, of the privileges a person
may exercise based upon his or her medical eligibility and the certificates
and endorsements he or she holds.

In the final rule, the introductory text of paragraph (a) prohibits a recreational
pilot from exercising sport pilot privileges unless that person has complied with
the cross-country training requirements in §61.101 (c).

In addition, the proposed requirement in SFAR No. 89 section 91 paragraph 2
for a person holding at least a private pilot’s certificate and seeking to exercise
sport pilot privileges is deleted. That provision would have required that person
to receive specific training for any make and model of light-sport aircraft in
which the person has not acted as pilot in command is deleted.

The requirements in paragraphs (a)(1)(iii) and (a)(2)(iii) of the final rule reflect
the exceptions to the endorsement requirements discussed above.

In addition, paragraph (b) is added to indicate that a person using a current and
valid U.S. driver’s license must meet the applicable requirements specified in
§61.23 (c)(2).
-p. 249 (sorry, I didn't get the page # of the first excerpt).

This section is interesting, because it says a Rec Pilot can't exercise sport pilot privileges until he has had x-c training. Not applicable to a Private pilot who has x-c as part of his license. The requirements of 61.23 mentioned in the last line, are medical certificate requirements. The revision to 61.23, found here:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr;sid=0fe9e61fc680b922ff287480fca6275c;rg n=div2;view=text;node=20040727%3A1.53;idno=14;cc=e cfr;start=1;size=25

...refers to "exercising the privileges of a sport pilot certificate." Like the lapsed airline pilot in a 172, anyone can "exercise the privileges" of a lower pilot certificate -- with the curious x-c for rec pilot exception noted above, and perhaps a few others. I don't claim to be the living authority on this rule and its interpretation. But I think that your fear, Ralph, that pilots with a valid cert need to get another airman cert to exercise SP privileges is unfounded.

(You can look up any FAR at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/. Just start with Title 14, then select the Part of the FARs that interests you. Some of the revisions from July are not in the final FARs online yet, but where they apply there is a link to the new revision).

Sooner or later everybody will have to get new certs with pictures and whatever other surveillance technology the creeps at TSA/Homeland Security can cook up. And teh bureaucrats would like to see the revenue stream from frequent renewals. But in the meantime, your airman certificate is good for life.

cheers

-=K=-

[Ralph]

The FAA conducted a Sport Pilot briefing at the ASC KIMO Nationals this weekend and you guys were correct. An individual with a Private certificate, flying in an aircraft that meets the LSA definitions, can fly on a drivers license medical - they do not need to carry a Sport Pilot certificate.


BTW - the Sport Pilot written test will consist of 40 questions, all related to operations. The tests will not be available for at least a month or so and presumably study guides will emerge as soon that the test standards are set.

Ralph

[Chuck Irby]

Hey guys, how difficult would it be for a guy who flies a heavy UL to obtain the Sport Pilot Certificate, if he has no log book?

[pwendell]

Chuck,

My, admittedly limited, understanding is that they would need the entire 20 hours (15 dual and 5 solo). If they are experienced UL pilots training in a similar aircraft, the training should go pretty quickly. They would also have to pass a knowledge test.