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Hi all! I'm looking towards getting a sport pilot license and am wondering about the future. I've heard Mosaic may expand the options for sport pilots. Does anyone know the current status of this? One of the aspects of sport flying that I find daunting is the limited access to rental planes. Buying a plane is a huge commitment! I wonder whether the FAA will expand the range of aircraft enough to allow for better rental access.
Eric
I'm not an insider and know only what I have read on the internet, but it's safe to say that I have read everything that can be found with a Google search. MOSAIC was expected to be announced by AirVenture 2022, but was delayed. The FAA decided that the drone part of it was not ready so they split up MOSAIC into two parts, one for GA that is nearly ready to release, and a much more problematic part for drones that will take much longer. So the good news is that the part that affects us shouldn't take much longer by FAA standards. Nobody knows when, but I've seen guesses of anywhere from early 2023 to AirVenture 2023.
That would be for the NPRM, notice of proposed rulemaking. We would know what they propose, and there would be a long comment period where they get input on their proposal. I think that is 16 months, in which case the new rules are likely to be implemented around January 2025. Could be sooner. Probably won't be much later than that.
I have heard that the new gross weight limit to be considered LSA might be 1580 lbs, which would rule out most existing rental planes. But nobody knows what it will be until it gets released. Brazil has recently updated its LSA definition and it allows 4-seat aircraft, 185 kts, 3000 lbs, variable pitch propellers, 61 kt stall speed. Wow! Will the FAA follow this? I'm guessing not, but only time will tell.
Anyway, I'm really hoping for the same things you are. I went through the whole learning process of what getting a SPL would mean for me, and it is really overwhelming if there is no local training or renting in LSAs available. Or hangar space, or insurance. So much simpler to get a PPL like everyone else.
Thanks for the info. It's nice hearing from someone who has similar concerns. I'm curious... does the public get any input before the NPRM? Does writing to the FAA do any good?
I kind of suspect there's not much of a framework to support public comment prior to release of the NPRM. Best bet would be to contact one of the groups involved in developing the proposal. Tom Charpentier is currently EAA's Government Relations Director, representing EAA and the general aviation community on issues of FAA regulatory policy, including, I suspect, MOSAIC.Quote:
Originally Posted by mn124700
The purpose of the NPRM is to get the public's input. When they issued the final rule for Sport Pilot/Light Sport in 2004, they released a ~450-page explanation of why the rules were established as they were. There were many references to input received from the public. Suspect we'll see the same thing when MOSAIC is finalized.
Ron Wanttaja
In my humble opinion...
The road to any new or changed rules under MOSAIC in its final form will be long and twisted. My confidence in things actually happening within the stated time frame approaches zero. In other words, don't make decisions based on what you think might happen soon, because nothing will happen soon unless your concept of "soon" is on a galactic scale. As in, "Soon the Earth's core will solidify and we'll lose out magnetic protection from solar flares", or "Soon the sun will burn out".
I very, very seriously doubt that the changes delivered, if any and if ever, will be even close to everything we want. I'm not a pessimist, just a realist.
Input before? No. Once it's published you can certainly comment and enough public comments can make a difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by mn124700