Sport Pilot

In short, a Sport Pilot certificate is one way to become a pilot. A certificate is what you get at the end of training, you may hear it being called a license, but there really isn’t a “pilot license”. 

A Sport Pilot is able to fly Light Sport Aircraft and meets the requirements set by the FAA to operate an aircraft. The certificate is earned by completing a training program that includes ground training, dual instruction time to learn flight maneuvers and solo flight time to learn cross-country and single pilot techniques. We recommend budgeting ~$10,500 to complete your sport pilot rating, depending on frequency of flying and readiness for lessons. We estimate the following: 30 hours of dual training, 10 hours of solo time, and 20 hours of ground.

What Can I Do As A Sport Pilot?

  • Fly any distance within the US during the day
  • Fly any Light Sport Aircraft
  • Bring a passenger along
  • No medical required, fly with your driver’s license

For the sport pilot certificate, you must:

  • Be at least 17 years old (or 16 years old if you are applying to operate a glider or balloon).
  • Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English.
  • Hold at least a third class medical, or hold a current and valid U.S. driver’s license for operations in light-sport aircraft other than a glider or balloon.

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.
    • 2 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 and class per FAR 61.317.