New to Flying?
By Ed Downs
Let’s assume the reader of this month’s column is not an aviator, but would like to be. Perhaps you are a pilot and know of a friend who would like to learn to fly, but just can’t afford it. Is a Sport Pilot certificate really worth looking into? Would it be better to simply wait until you can get into private pilot training and be a “real pilot?” You have a lot of company if those questions are floating around your enthusiastic, but confused head.
First, a lot of potential aviators are getting hung up on the definition of a “pilot.” In other words, does that mean Sport Pilot, Private Pilot or, for that matter, Airline Transport Pilot? To this writer, a pilot is a person who may act as pilot in command of an airplane carrying at least one passenger. That pilot can rent or own and airplane, fly to distant places, have fun and use their experience to qualify for even more flying privileges, up to and including a job with the airlines. Sure, one can go the current contemporary route of obtaining a Private Pilot certificate, but consider the following: According to national averages, that route may cost between $8,000 and $9,000 and take up to a year to complete. Becoming a Sport Pilot pulls up a significantly different set of national averages. Costs range from $2,800 to $3,300 with total training time of less than 30 days. Some Sport Pilot training centers are even offering accelerated training programs that will have you officially stamped as a “pilot” in less than two weeks. Interested?
Okay, is the reader to believe that a Sport Pilot can have flying fun, carry a passenger and fly anywhere for nearly one third the cost of obtaining a private pilot certificate? Yep, that’s right. The trick is in the FAA mandated flying time for each certificate, with the actual average flying time figured in.
A Private Pilot certificate requires a minimum of 40 hours of total flying time, while the Sport Pilot certificate requires a minimum of 20 hours. Reality kicks in when we look at the national averages for the actual flying time each certificate requires. A Private certificate is actually taking nearly 80 hours of total flying time (dual and solo), while the Sport Pilot certificate is coming in at around 30 hours of total flying time. And, that Sport Pilot average is including the additional training and endorsements needed to qualify for the higher performance sport planes and complex airspace. Sure, Sport Pilots may not land at places like Los Angeles or San Francisco International, but this writer is pretty sure no recreational fun trip is worth the price of a hamburger at these airports! The fact is, this writer holds an ATP with multiple ratings, but presently exercises the privileges of a Sport Pilot. Fun trips and good fellowship are completely unaffected or restricted by use of my Sport Pilot authority.
Best of all, for those who enter aviation as a Sport Pilot, all of your training and flying time counts towards more advanced certificates. Would you like to tackle that new Remos, Cessna Skylane or Cirrus? Fine, simply continue your training, fly as a Sport Pilot in the meantime and shoot for an astronaut assignment. Keep track of what is going on in your local area right here in In Flight USA. Check out the advertising and listings that will soon appear in these pages that are dedicated to Sport Pilot opportunities. 2010 promises to be an exciting year in the recovery and growth of recreational aviation. Join in!
