Get Sport Pilot Certificate now or wait for MOSAIC?

Don’t wait. Who knows for sure when the changes will take effect? Start flying now, and when you can upgrade to Private, do it then, if you need to.

Long trips can be done in an LSA. Just do not count on keeping to a schedule. Plenty of folks have flown long distances - like across the country - in planes that are slower and less well-equipped than today’s LSAs and they did just fine. Low and slow is a ball.
 
ateamer said:
Long trips can be done in an LSA. Just do not count on keeping to a schedule. Plenty of folks have flown long distances - like across the country - in planes that are slower and less well-equipped than today’s LSAs and they did just fine. Low and slow is a ball.
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Long trips in an LSA? Yup, a former owner of my Ercoupe few it from Ohio to Alaska and back a few years ago. It still has a "destination" sticker on the side near the cockpit.
 
I've flown all over N. America single engine - mostly VFR - occasionally delayed a day by weather but for the most part able to make my trips when planned. If you have to be somewhere on a particular day, even flying single engine IFR is no guarantee you're going to get there. Thunderstorms, icing, etc., etc., are to be avoided regardless. If you must be there, fly commercial. I also agree that you need not wait to start flying. With a Sport Pilot license, moving to a different aircraft requires training and a sign-off regardless. Good luck and have fun!
 
MauleSkinner said:
Stearmans encourage precision navigation…if you fly directly over your checkpoint, the only way to see it is to roll the airplane over. ;)
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Plus, assuming MOSAIC goes through as proposed, it appears that it can be flown with a sport pilot ticket (or private without a medical)
 
MauleSkinner said:
My experience is the pilots who pretty much ALWAYS file IFR are poor judges of what a competent VFR pilot can accomplish.
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Heard this forever if you don’t have a twin with boots hot prop and hot plate you shouldn’t fly IFR. Mainly old airline pilots.
 
Remember, if you want to "step up" to a Commercial certificate, all of your flying including your X Country is all VFR.
 
CFI here - Sport Pilot Instructors are limited to instructing Sport Pilots but regular CFI's may instruct for any certificate that they're qualified for in the category and class of aircraft for which they are qualified. The bigger problem is finding instructors willing to do Sport Pilot instruction and aircraft to do it in.
 
Thank you for all of the helpful replies. I should have clarified that all of my flying will be for leisure without any particular time pressure. Since the speed gap between LSAs and popular single-engines isn't as big as I thought, an LSA might actually be what I'm looking for. Most of my flying will be within 100 miles of Houston (Houston-Galveston, Houston-Navasota, Houston-Brenham), and I'd like to occasionally fly to visit family in Tennessee when weather permits.

It looks like starting my training locally is the thing to do. If I were to buy a plane to do all of my training in, would the insurance costs be absurd since I'd have 0 flight hours and no license? And would I be able to get a realistic sense of what I liked if I took discovery flights in various LSAs or does it take more time in a plane to get a feel for it (I'm 6'2", so I'd need some room to feel comfortable on a long flight to Tennessee)?
 
I would start your Sport training in a regular Skyhawk to see if you like flying at all. If you do, then worry about finding an LSA to see if you fit. And then what LSA might work best ( RV12, etc. )
 
Aircraft ownership has its own steep learning curve and takes a good bit of time. I'd suggest not buying a plane before you learn to fly. After you fly a bit, you'll have a better understanding of what you will want to buy.
 
Training from a "sport pilot instructor"

If you get your sport pilot ticket, then the training from a sport pilot instructor counts towards a private. If you "switch" before you get the actual ticket, it does not.

61.109 (l)
Permitted credit for flight training received from a flight instructor with a sport pilot rating. The holder of a sport pilot certificate may credit flight training received from a flight instructor with a sport pilot rating toward the aeronautical experience requirements of this section if the following conditions are met:

(1) The flight training was accomplished in the same category and class of aircraft for which the rating is sought;

(2) The flight instructor with a sport pilot rating was authorized to provide the flight training; and

(3) The flight training included either—

(i) Training on areas of operation that are required for both a sport pilot certificate and a private pilot certificate; or
(ii) For airplanes with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS, training on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to the flight instruments, including straight and level flight, turns, descents, climbs, use of radio aids, and ATC directives, provided the training was received from a flight instructor with a sport pilot rating who holds an endorsement required by § 61.412(c).
 
True. I think you’ll be using a “regular” CFI instead of a Sport Pilot CFI anyway, so should be good. So many regular CFIs vs Sport CFIs.
 
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