What is MOSAIC, and who cares?
MOSAIC is the most significant change to the Sport Pilot category since its inception in the early 2000s. Long story short, there are now more types of aircraft that someone can fly without having to pass a third class medical. That means many of the commonly used training aircraft can be flown recreationally with fewer requirements.
Sport Pilot certificates have been the go-to license for people with disabilities who otherwise faced significant costs and delays in attaining their Third Class Medical. MOSAIC significantly lowers the logistical barrier of finding an airplane that a Light Sport Student Pilot can fly.
Keep in mind: these rules are new, and we at RFI are excited about these changes. However, we are not experts and we might make mistakes. If you have specific questions, we recommend reaching out to the folks at AOPA or EAA for clarification.
Can I fly Light sport?
There are two ways to get into Light Sport flying: 1) you start your pilot training with the goal of a Light Sport certificate in mind and earn the license, or 2) you are an existing pilot (PPL, ATP, Commercial) who has NOT BEEN DENIED your most recent medical.
If you’re just getting started, you need a valid driver’s license, find a flight instructor (CFI or CFI-S) or school with a compatible aircraft, and ensure you do not have a known medical condition that would make it unsafe to operate an aircraft. There are specialty light sport pilot instructors, abbreviated CFI-S, but largely the training is similar to that of a Private Pilot. The difference is that Sport Pilots are not trained on flying in controlled airspace, nor are they trained on night flying. The minimum training is 20 hours, but expect to train for longer. There are ways to get trained as a Sport Pilot to fly at night or into a towered airport, but more on that later.
If you’re a current pilot, you can “step down,” so to speak, to sport. You can either surrender your current medical prior to a denial, or you can simply let it lapse at its expiration. However, it cannot have been denied, and you must adhere to the requirements and restrictions of the category. Among other things that could get you in trouble, you cannot fly IFR, you cannot carry more than one passenger (even if there are more seats), and you cannot fly “for furtherance of business.” Also, relevant endorsements you earned as PPL/ATP/Commercial pilot remain valid when stepping down to Sport Pilot (retractable gear, night flying, controlled airspace, and constant speed).
What can a Light Sport Pilot do?
Fly, of course! Unless your goal is to fly yourself for business or to eventually fly for the airlines, 99% of your flying will likely be compatible with the Sport Pilot category. You can fly during the day, in good weather, and you can start flying into and out of untowered airports. (There’s probably one nearby!) With those privileges, you can literally fly coast to coast.
You are allowed to bring one friend with you (and only one). Previously, there was a weight limit for the total weight of the aircraft at takeoff. However, with the new MOSAIC rules, the aircraft you fly must have a clean stall speed of 59 kts calibrated or lower and no more than four seats. That includes many popular aircraft, including the Cessna 172.
Fly-in breakfasts, here you come!
Additional Training Options
On day one of earning a Sport Pilot certificate, you have several additional learning opportunities available to you. First, there are several aircraft you can fly, but they may require additional training. When you start, you will be restricted to fixed-pitch propellers and fixed landing gear. However, you can get additional training and an endorsement for retractable gear and constant speed props.
Where you go also has additional opportunities. On day one, you cannot fly into controlled airspace nor fly at night. Flying into a towered field only requires some additional training and an endorsement. To fly at night, you will need a current Third Class Medical plus the additional training and endorsement. You are allowed to fly at night on Basic Med, but you need to get that Third Class Medical first before you can start Basic Med.
Two Stall Speeds: Which one is right?
This is where people are going to get into trouble: Sport Pilot privileges under MOSAIC have diverged from Sport Category Aircraft. What does that mean? Unfortunately, just because an airplane is called a “Light Sport Aircraft” does not mean a Light Sport pilot can fly it.
Can we agree that flying is expensive and buying your own airplane is even more expensive? Good, then we are on the same page. Part of the mission of MOSAIC was to bring in a wider selection of “sport” aircraft under reduced red tape during certification, with the hope of lowering the cost. One way it achieves this is by allowing manufacturers to bring Sport Category Aircraft to the market without going through the traditional certification process. Among other requirements, these aircraft can qualify if their stall speed is 61 kts calibrated with flaps extended.
Here’s an example: The Impossible Airplane is an RV-10 with four seats, 260 hp, a top speed of 200 mph, and a Vso of ~55 kts. It could (theoretically) qualify for the category since it has a stall speed under 61 kts calibrated with flaps extended.
However, Sport Pilots are still restricted to aircraft with a stall speed of 59 kts calibrated or less with flaps retracted, aka “clean.” No matter what category or flap extended stall speed an aircraft has, if it doesn’t have an official clean stall speed of 59 kts calibrated or less, a Sport Pilot cannot legally fly it.
So, in our example with The Impossible Airplane, the clean stall speed of an RV-10 is 62 kts, outside the allowed range of a Sport Pilot. Thus, a pilot will need to be a PPL and hold a current Third Class Medical/Basic Med in order to fly an RV-10. But hopefully, a couple of years down the road, a Private Pilot will be able to buy a factory-built RV-10 and other new Sport Category Aircraft at a more affordable price than a traditionally certified equivalent aircraft.
We hope this helps you understand the changes from MOSAIC. Keep in mind that the official aircraft manufacturing category requirements at the time of writing have not been released. They are expected sometime in 2026, so look for future Sport Category Aircraft at upcoming AirVenture and Sun N Fun. If you want to learn more, we recommend AOPA’s MOASIC FAQ: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2025/august/14/mosaic-explained-faq
The Sport Pilot license has been a niche pool of knowledge for about twenty years now. We are very excited to see it become the default entry for GA pilots!
Van’s Aircraft is a sponsor of RFI and The Impossible Airplane.
