OSHKOSH, Wis. — The Federal Aviation Administration has finalized a major overhaul of the rules for small, lightweight aircraft.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy shared the news Tuesday at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
“I can’t think of a better place than at the largest general aviation airshow in the U.S. to announce that we’re unleashing American ingenuity. This new rule will promote better designs, safer materials, and upgraded technology in the recreational aviation sector,” said Duffy.
What it does: The Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) final rule makes sweeping changes to the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category and to Sport Pilot privileges, expanding a safe alternative to experimental amateur-built aircraft by:
- Removing the weight limit, which allows for more safety features and safety-design flexibility.
- Encompassing aircraft with higher speeds, more seats and retractable landing gear.
- Allowing for new types of propulsion and modern avionics.
- Allowing aerial work with LSA such as infrastructure and forest inspections, photography/filming, and agricultural surveillance.
- Allowing pilots operating under Sport Pilot privileges to fly a broader range of aircraft.
- Reducing regulatory requirements by expanding the types of aircraft that qualify as LSA and the types of aircraft pilots can fly under Sport Pilot privileges.
Background: LSAs are small, lightweight aircraft that are easy to fly. They include airplanes, gliders, powered parachutes, weight-shift-control aircraft, helicopters, gyroplanes, balloons, and airships. A pilot can operate most LSAs with a Sport Pilot certificate, which is easier to earn than a private pilot certificate but comes with more limitations.
The FAA created the LSA category and the Sport Pilot certificate in 2004 to enable the manufacture and use of safe and economical aircraft for recreation and flight training. The solid safety record of LSAs showed that the FAA could safely expand this aircraft category.
The FAA proposed the MOSAIC rule in July 2023 and evaluated more than 1,300 public comments on it. The agency made key changes based on the comments, including higher stall speeds for LSA, higher stall speed limits for Sport Pilots, and voluntary manufacturer compliance with FAA noise standards.
Next steps: Changes for sport pilots and light-sport repairmen take effect 90 days after the final rule publishes. Changes for LSA certification take effect 365 days after the final rule publishes.
