This MOSAIC acronym has become the buzzword of the year and for good reason. It’s about time that the FAA’s July 2023 notice of proposed rulemaking on the MOSAIC initiative might significantly change the way sport pilots fly. There has been a lot of confusion around MOSAIC and there is a lot to sift through, so by demand, here’s a quick-hitting summary of what the proposed ruling could mean for sport pilots.
REVISED LSA SPEED AND WEIGHT
The proposal would put sport pilots in the left seat of a much wider variety of single-engine models. As an example, the existing 1320-pound weight and 120-knot top speed limits that have been in place for LSA models would finally go away. Instead, fixed-wing LSA aircraft would have a clean stall speed of 54 knots calibrated airspeed and a maximum cruise speed (in level flight) of 250 knots. While sport pilots would still be limited to carrying one passenger, they could fly models with up to four seats.