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-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Burkhead [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 3:40 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Coupe-List
Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Certificate question----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Barry asked:
> The question is: If you already hold a commercial or a private
> pilot certificate, are you required to also obtain a sport pilot
> certificate? I have been assuming that if you held a "higher"
> certificate that exercising your flight priviledge as a sport
> pilot (in a sport plane) does not mean that you have to have
> a new certificate... but when the FAA is involved,
> assumptions may not always stand up.
Barry,
Thats a good question and theres probably a good subset of lurkers here thatll be interested in the discussion so Ill also post it on the list.
When you have a higher level license, it includes all lower license privileges. An ATP qualified to fly an airliner may also fly a C-172 and a Sport Plane.
For example, as a private pilot with a 3rd class medical, I could fly ANY plane that meets my qualifications (single engine land, for example, with no extra ratings for complex or instrument or multi-engine, glider, etc.). I can also fly lower class planes like Sport planes.
In recognition of my higher qualifications and training, the FAA wrote into the Sport Pilot Rule some extra privileges for higher licensed pilots. For example, those with only a Sport Pilot license must have an aircraft set endorsement from CFIs. As a Private Pilot, I may fly any Light Sport Aircraft (or Experimental LSA) without any such endorsement (as long as its within my ratings).
http://afs600.faa.gov/documents/PDF/LSA-Sets%20of%20Aircraft.pdf
Thats the kick-the-tire, light-the-fire privilege that Private Pilots have always enjoyed for GA aircraft (still subject to your own ratings, like SEL). I think its dumb to just jump in a plane and fly it without a checkout/familiarization flight, if you can possibly get one. But Private Pilot rating is good enough that most of the time, we survive such foolishness like I did with my Coupe.
http://ercoupe.org/Fly-in%20Reports/Gas-line-ice.htm
If you fly a lower class aircraft with your higher class license, all T crossed and i dotted, you still have all your higher privileges. Like for example, as a private pilot with a 3rd class medical, I could fly a properly equipped SLSA or ELSA kit-built plane at night. But a Sport Pilot could not. If I were instrument rated, I could fly that SLSA or ELSA kit-built on instruments. But a Sport Pilot could not.
(Note: grandfathered fat ultralights and ultralight trainers being converted to be ELSA have tighter limits on some things than do SLSA or ELSA kit-build.)
However, if I let my higher privileges lapse like letting my medical expire then I may only exercise the privileges of the pilot level to which Im fully qualified. As a Private Pilot exercising Sport Pilot privileges (with an expired medical) I may only fly day VFR and have tighter limits on visibility than I would flying the same ELSA with a 3rd class medical.
Its like an airline pilot who lets his/her 1st class medical go past the 1st class expiration. For the next period of time, they may still exercise commercial privileges. When the medical goes past the limit for 2nd class, its still valid as a 3rd class till it would have expired had it originally been a 3rd class. If the ATP lets it expire entirely, then weve got a new Sport Pilot who is limited to most of the Sport Pilot limits.
That ATP who could, with a valid medical, be able to fly 550 passengers may only take a single passenger if flying with an expired medical.
Exceptions for higher pilots exercising privileges of Sport are aircraft-set signoff (as long as the plane is within the pilots ratings) and the Sport Pilot sign-off for higher class airspace or flying a plane thats faster than 87 kts. (There may be more exceptions but I cant remember them off-hand.)
A negative exception is that a commercial pilot may NOT do any commercial flying in any Light Sport Aircraft except flight instruction.
Does this cover all your questions or did I hopelessly confuse you?
Ed Burkhead
http://edburkhead.com
ed -at- edburkheadQQQ.com (change -at- and remove the QQQ)
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 1:00 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Certificate question re: [COUPERS-FLYIN] more sport pilot stuff
Hi Ed... I wanted to ask you a question "off the list" as the seeming "guru" and holder of such knowledge. I just joined recently so I didn't want to bore anyone in the event the subject has been addressed earlier. If you want to publish the question and the answer, I'll leave it up to you.
The question is: If you already hold a commercial or a private pilot certificate, are you required to also obtain a sport pilot certificate? I have been assuming that if you held a "higher" certificate that exercising your flight priviledge as a sport pilot (in a sport plane) does not mean that you have to have a new certificate... but when the FAA is involved, assumptions may not always stand up.
Thanks,
Barry
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