Sport Pilot Instructor Priviledges

escapepilot

Well-Known Member
Someone on another board posted this question and I couldn't find the definite answer in the FARs. Anyone know?

"Can a sport pilot Instructor give a tailwheel endorsement to a private pilot in a sport pilot legal airplane?"
 
Someone on another board posted this question and I couldn't find the definite answer in the FARs. Anyone know?

"Can a sport pilot Instructor give a tailwheel endorsement to a private pilot in a sport pilot legal airplane?"

My guess would be no since sport aircraft are an individual category. The tailwheel endorsement is for an airplane. For instance, you cannot give a tailwheel endorsement in a glider for this exact reason.

I can't remember how the FARs word it to show you and I don't have the time to look now, but off hand I would guess no.

Update: 61.31 (i) (1) "...person may act as pilot in command of a tailwheel airplane unless that person has received and logged flight training from an authorized instructor in a tailwheel airplane..." So no you cannot :(
 
I am totally out of my realm here, but if you are a sport pilot instructor, giving instruction in a light sport plane,.... why not?
 
I am totally out of my realm here, but if you are a sport pilot instructor, giving instruction in a light sport plane,.... why not?

A light sport aircraft would not require a tailwheel endorsement, just as you don't need your tailwheel endorsement to fly gliders. Tailwheel endorsement is an airplane add-on so it must be completed in an airplane. At least this is my understanding of the regulation and what we were taught at the school, we couldn't receive our tailwheel sign-off in a glider because the training required had to be completed in an airplane.

Edit: We are all out of are realm with this sports pilot crap, this is just my interpretation which I derived from the interpretation for gliders with respect to tailwheel endorsement training.
 
I checked w/ a DPE today and she agreed w/ me. A sport pilot instructor CAN to tailwheel endorsements IF they are given in a tailwheel LSA (i.e. Cub, Champ, etc).

61.31 (i) (1) "...person may act as pilot in command of a tailwheel airplane unless that person has received and logged flight training from an authorized instructor in a tailwheel airplane..." The gray area is the "authorized instructor" part and she and I feel that the instruction given would be the same in a Cub regardless if it was a CFI giving it or a sport pilot CFI. She said if its not prohibited in the sport pilot prividledges section, then its OK.
 
"Can a sport pilot Instructor give a tailwheel endorsement to a private pilot in a sport pilot legal airplane?"

Yes, he can.

My guess would be no since sport aircraft are an individual category. The tailwheel endorsement is for an airplane. For instance, you cannot give a tailwheel endorsement in a glider for this exact reason.

I can't remember how the FARs word it to show you and I don't have the time to look now, but off hand I would guess no.

Update: 61.31 (i) (1) "...person may act as pilot in command of a tailwheel airplane unless that person has received and logged flight training from an authorized instructor in a tailwheel airplane..." So no you cannot :(

Please explain to me, when a Light Sport Airplane is not an airplane.

1.1defininitions
Category:
(1) As used with respect to the certification, ratings, privileges,
and limitations of airmen, means a broad classification of aircraft.
Examples include: airplane; rotorcraft; glider; and lighter-than-air;
 
A light sport aircraft would not require a tailwheel endorsement, just as you don't need your tailwheel endorsement to fly gliders. Tailwheel endorsement is an airplane add-on so it must be completed in an airplane. At least this is my understanding of the regulation and what we were taught at the school, we couldn't receive our tailwheel sign-off in a glider because the training required had to be completed in an airplane.

Edit: We are all out of are realm with this sports pilot crap, this is just my interpretation which I derived from the interpretation for gliders with respect to tailwheel endorsement training.


I think I got what you are saying..Correct me if I am wrong...

You can fly a light sport, glider, ect.. with a tailwheel without an endorsement because the endorsement doesn't exist?
 
I think I got what you are saying..Correct me if I am wrong...

You can fly a light sport, glider, ect.. with a tailwheel without an endorsement because the endorsement doesn't exist?

Precisely.

I misunderstood your question escapepilot, sorry and great thanks for the information on that. Correct me if I am wrong though, isn't a cub certified as an airplane?
 
I would say 'No'. Sport Pilot instructors should not exist.

Really, you hate light sport that much? How many people do you know that have the CFI-S rating? Probably very few, because, well, there are very few. Probably the only people who have it are people who have no interest in ever flying professionally. I've flown with one such CFI-S, who owned the light sport school. It really doesn't make sense for somebody who wants to fly professionally, because, well, you have to have 150 TT, with 100 PIC. Most of the people, who go to pilot mills aren't going to have that 100 PIC until they are nearly to a CSEL rating. Thus, its just easier to get the full blown CFI.

Regardless, LSA's are a blast to fly. Lots and lots of fun. Low and slow or decent speed, depending on what you want to do.
 
When stuck for a sport pilot answer, you can always call the FAA folks who specialize in that area. The contact is:

Larry L. Buchanan
Branch Manager AFS-610
Phone: (405) 954-6400
 
Regardless, LSA's are a blast to fly. Lots and lots of fun. Low and slow or decent speed, depending on what you want to do.

Yes, they are.

They're also, for tricycle-geared LSAs, TWICE as likely to crash as a GA airplane, and an incredible 4.5 times as likely in a taildragger (according to insurance company figures published in May's Plane and Pilot). These figures uphold what the rest of us professional pilots already know. There is no substitute for proper training!
 
Yes, they are.

They're also, for tricycle-geared LSAs, TWICE as likely to crash as a GA airplane, and an incredible 4.5 times as likely in a taildragger (according to insurance company figures published in May's Plane and Pilot). These figures uphold what the rest of us professional pilots already know. There is no substitute for proper training!

Yup. That's why Falcon (one of the insurance company's) switched to a 5 hours dual before solo clause in their policies. I've been checked out in 2 different LSA's. The CTSW and Remos G3. I had what amounted to a pencil whipped G3 checkout, to the point that I was really skeptical of the school fro a while. Then, I had a 5 hour CTSW checkout. I felt I could actually land that thing, only after about 5 full hours of training.

But, if you look at who's crashing the LSA's, it isn't sport pilots. Its Private/Comm/ATP pilots, who think they fly like every other airplane.
 
But, if you look at who's crashing the LSA's, it isn't sport pilots. Its Private/Comm/ATP pilots, who think they fly like every other airplane.
Which is why they need a real instructor with some experience to teach them otherwise, rather than a private pilot.
 
Which is why they need a real instructor with some experience to teach them otherwise, rather than a private pilot.

I would agree with that. But, would you agree, that a full blown CFI with 5 hours in a light sport isn't going to do as well as a CFI-S, who has somewhere around say 75 hours in one?
 
I would agree with that. But, would you agree, that a full blown CFI with 5 hours in a light sport isn't going to do as well as a CFI-S, who has somewhere around say 75 hours in one?

Possibly, yes. I have flown the Indus Thorpedo and the Evektor Sport Star, and IMO, neither one was built for student training.
 
I would agree with that. But, would you agree, that a full blown CFI with 5 hours in a light sport isn't going to do as well as a CFI-S, who has somewhere around say 75 hours in one?

Possibly. But a CFI with 1000 hours teaching will probably do better than a CFI-S with 150 hours of flying.
 
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