Learning to fly Light Sport Aircraft is a load of fun! This type of training focuses on energy management and learning good ‘ole basic stick-and-rudder skills. There is no one flying skill more important when flying Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) than rock-solid stick and rudder coordination. These fundamental skills simply can not be adequately learned in a larger Cessna or similar aircraft as most of the adverse yaw has been designed out of these aircraft.
The Light Sport airplanes have much more pronounced adverse yaw and their lighter weight and resultant lower mass creates very different handling and requires a more polished (and somewhat different) skill set to fly safely. As a result Light Sport aircraft are less tolerant of less than ‘spot-on’ rudder skills. Most of the LSAs don’t retain energy into the round out and flare like their larger GA cousins, leaving the untrained pilot bouncing down the runway as their aircraft unexpectedly ‘drops out’ under them to the pilot’s surprise. The point at which you ‘pull out’ the power may be surprisingly different from one aircraft to the next, with some requiring power right to the runway surface.
What are the training requirements for becoming a sport pilot?
- Training requirements for a sport pilot certificate with airplane category —
- A minimum of 20 hours flight time including:
- 15 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor.
- 5 hours solo flight.
- Flight training must include at least:
- 2 hours cross-country flight training.
- 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop.
- One solo cross-country flight of at least 75 nautical miles total distance with a full-stop landing at a minimum of two points and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 25 nautical miles between takeoff and landing locations.
- 3 hours flight training in preparation for the practical test.
- Ground training from an instructor or home-study course.
- FAA knowledge test on applicable aeronautical knowledge areas.
- FAA practical test for the applicable light sport aircraft privilege.
- Sport pilot certificates will be issued without category/class designation — logbook endorsement will be provided for category, class, make and model.
- A minimum of 20 hours flight time including: