Private pilot to sport pilot

J

jcurry

Filing Flight Plan
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Jan 19, 2024
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Jcurry
Hello,
My name is Jack and I'm new to this forum. I apologize if I did not post in the proper section.
I am a private operating as a sport pilot. Does this mean I have to carry around endorsements or is it implied that I have had the required training to operate in B, C and D airspace as an example because I hold a private cert?
The regs state that for an existing pilot to act as a sport pilot, you must abide by the privileges and limitations of a sport pilot. One limitation is that you may not fly in Class B, C or D without a proper endorsement from an instructor. It makes sense to me that this would be implied that one would be qualified holding a higher cert but I have not been able to get a definite answer. A gentleman on another forum said he asked an FAA inspector this same question and was told he did not need to carry endorsements as it is implied due to his higher cert. Interested to hear thoughts on this.

Thank you,
Jack
 
jcurry said:
I am a private operating as a sport pilot.
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That is your answer. I'm a sport pilot so I had to get endorsements for >87 kts VH, B-C-D airspace, (I also did tailwheel but not required). At one time Sport Pilots had to carry their logbooks to show endorsements but that was changed. I do keep photocopies on my phone in case I'm ever asked. Your friend is correct.

BTW ... your DL is your medical so if it is ever not valid you cannot fly ...
 
Daleandee said:
That is your answer. I'm a sport pilot so I had to get endorsements for >87 kts VH, B-C-D airspace, (I also did tailwheel but not required). At one time Sport Pilots had to carry their logbooks to show endorsements but that was changed. I do keep photocopies on my phone in case I'm ever asked. Your friend is correct.

BTW ... your DL is your medical so if it is ever not valid you cannot fly ...
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DL must be a US driver license ?
 
Baked Potato said:
What does this mean? Why aren't you just a private pilot?

Expired medical?
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Hello,
I bought a LSA. I only fly my airplane so when my medical expired I did not renew it.
The reasons I didn't renew:
1. I don't need a medical (LSA)
2. I don't fly above 10k feet and can only think of a couple of times that I ever did. I live in the southeast.
3. I don't fly at night anymore.
4. The kind of flying that I do easily falls within the Sport Pilot parameters.
 
Daleandee said:
That is your answer. I'm a sport pilot so I had to get endorsements for >87 kts VH, B-C-D airspace, (I also did tailwheel but not required). At one time Sport Pilots had to carry their logbooks to show endorsements but that was changed. I do keep photocopies on my phone in case I'm ever asked. Your friend is correct.

BTW ... your DL is your medical so if it is ever not valid you cannot fly ...
Click to expand...
Thank you for your response. It occurred to me after reading your response and others that my "endorsement" is in my wallet in the form of a PPL. Sometimes I go down the rabbit hole when trying to interpret regs...
 
rhkennerly said:
You are actually a private pilot exercising sport pilot privilege. The higher hours, greater experience, & more advanced training are enough.
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Thanks for your reply. Makes sense.
 
jcurry said:
Thanks for your reply. Makes sense.
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Yes, when you decide to only exercise sport privileges, your private pilot certificate doesn't mysteriously disappear.

I have a commercial certificate. It doesn't somehow become a private certificate because I'm not being paid for flying.
 
jcurry said:
Hello,
I bought a LSA. I only fly my airplane so when my medical expired I did not renew it.
The reasons I didn't renew:
1. I don't need a medical (LSA)
2. I don't fly above 10k feet and can only think of a couple of times that I ever did. I live in the southeast.
3. I don't fly at night anymore.
4. The kind of flying that I do easily falls within the Sport Pilot parameters.
Click to expand...
The way I see it, at my airport great majority of flights in non LSA planes follow pretty much the same pattern so most pilots could get by with just a SP cert ( especially true when/if Mosaic goes into effect ). :)
 
Wait a year, the entire equation is likely to change.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Why is the tailwheel endorsement not required?
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It is required. 61.31 says "no person..." not " "no holder of a private certificate..." " or "except for the holder of a port pilot certificate..." There's even a safe harbor endorsement for it in AC 61.65.
 
midlifeflyer said:
It is required. 61.31 says "no person..." not " "no holder of a private certificate..." " or "except for the holder of a port pilot certificate..." There's even a safe harbor endorsement for it in AC 61.65.
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There is a grandfather clause there in (i)(2), Mark. I do not have an endorsement because of it.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
There is a grandfather clause there in (i)(2), Mark. I do not have an endorsement because of it.
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Yes, and I don't have the modern version of a complex or high performance endorsement.

But I have a funny feeling that someone with a sport pilot certificate wasn't logging PIC tailwheel time in 1991. Unless of course, they had a private or higher certificate at the time, it was later revoked, and they decided to go sport only.
 
What if you have a private for one class, and a sport in another class? E.g. I have my private for airplane, and sport for rotorcraft? When I'm flying a rotorcraft, do I need a separate endorsement to fly in B, C, or D?
 
Why not do Basic Med? Then you can fly any aircraft in category/class up to 6000 pounds (for now).
 
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