More privileges for Sport pilots and more affordable light airplanes—that’s the promise of MOSAIC, a sweeping new proposal from the FAA this summer. Industry expert Dan Johnson has been tracking this reform for years, and he gives us a behind-the-scenes tour in this episode, including which legacy airplanes will now be available for Sport pilots and what new airplane designs might emerge. Dan also talks about timing for the final rule, the LSA safety record, and why ultralights are overlooked. In the Ready to Copy segment, he shares his favorite airplanes from AirVenture 2023, why he loves the AirCam, what he’d change about the FAA.
Quotes:
- What MOSAIC is: “It’s an expansion as well as a modernization.”
- Older airplanes and Sport Pilot: “It does throw the door wide open to those so-called legacy airplanes like the 172, 182.”
- Third class medical: “The accident statistics surrounding medically-related problems are just vanishingly small. No one really disputes that, and yet there is this real clinging onto the aviation medical.”
- When MOSAIC will be final: “I would say basically January 2025 is when this thing will hit. And I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t because I think they’re pretty darn close to the mark now.”
- Advanced avionics in LSAs: “I thought an autopilot on these airplanes was an abomination! You’re supposed to enjoy moving the stick around.”
- Ultralight rules: “If rules are good—to me—they are few, simple, and memorable. And Part 103 fits that perfectly.”
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