As we’ve watched aircraft and fuel prices skyrocket amid a “hard” insurance market, we’ve been wondering whether those variables are conspiring to push prospective pilots to work for a sport pilot rating rather than the private ticket and whether current pilots are downsizing to light sport aircraft and taking advantage of the more liberal sport pilot medical regulations.
Frankly, we got mixed results from our queries to flight schools, insurance brokers and pilots who were flying light sport aircraft. Nevertheless, we came to the conclusion that the sport pilot regulations are quite popular because they are allowing a significant number of pilots to keep flying who would have otherwise hung up their goggles.