Sport Pilot vs Private Pilot - Is it Worth It? What Needs to Change? 

Sport pilot is WAAAYYY cheaper than private pilot were talking $9,000 difference.. and if ur not going to make it a career then sport pilot is for you! U can have a blast go backwoods flying and do whatever u really want.. I'm a pilot, but care nothing about going up to 10,000 feet.. I love low and slow.. And if your like me sport pilot is all you need..

Light sport is absolutely worth it. I am doing my checkride next month. Now. When I become a light sport pilot and purchase my plane next year, I will have the plane equipped with IFR rated radios. Now when I pursue my private pilot, I can use my own plane to get my ppl. I can also fly to anywhere in the country plus the Bahamas, when I am not training with an instructor, I can fly all across the country and those hours count toward my private pilot.

Really easy. INCLUDE CESSNA 120, 140, 150, and 152 in the light sport category. Planes you can get for $25k on the used market and anyone can train you in.

Great presentation and delivery. You bring up and present some very valid points. Thank you.

In Europe it´s very common for Light sport flying. For people who don´t want to travel with plane and just fly for pleasure, there is nothing better than LSF. You will get the medical easier. You can pass exams easier and you need just only 40% of the money you will need for flying as PPL. Also every flight will be 40% cheaper as you will need as PPL.

Very informative for someone looking at the different types of aviation licenses. Thank you!

I recently decided to go for my sport pilot license. It's been my goal my entire life to get my private pilot license but because of my eyes (barely under the requirements) and a medication I take now, I can't go towards a private license. I am healthy and safe to fly though. I just barely don't fit the requirements for private license. However, I'm not gonna complain. I just wish I could fly with more than one other person and I wish I could fly at night. Oh well. I can still fly. And I'm excited to take to the skys!

A lot of schools that do Light Sport are using the Czech Sport Cruiser so for 5 grand you'll be getting certified on the Dynon glass cockpit. For some of us with a Medical thing I can fly now.

Some corrections: 1) You cannot get a Light Sport certificate if you've "lost" your medical. If you've never had one OR you let it expire, then yes, you can. If you fail a medical, fail to complete a medical after beginning the process, or have it revoked, you cannot use Light Sport privileges until you've regained your medical. 2) There is no power limitation for Light Sport. 3) 120K is not the maximum speed. It is the maximum speed in level flight at sea level under continuous rated horsepower and standard atmospheric conditions. 4) You can fly in any airspace other than Class A, provided you have the proper endorsements from an instructor. 5) Yes, you can do your training in a non-Light Sport aircraft, but you can only solo in an aircraft that qualifies as Light Sport eligible. 6) Shop around for flight schools. You can get training for less than $150/hr, and rentals under $100. My local flying club is $60/hr wet for a Cessna 150, plus $20/mo dues.

I have vision issues and may not be able to pass the medical for Private Pilot. My only plans are for flying low and slow underneath 10K. This is looking good!

You brought up some details I wasn’t aware of, love the discussion. It’s true, the overlap is weird and at a glance it in the beginning it seemed like LSA was going to help... but now, it doesn’t seem worth it, one should likely just stay on track to get private pilot lic unless there is a specific circumstance like a medical.

Great video I am currently doing my light sport due to med

Your points are very accurate. I am no longer able to get my private pilots medical because of a heart attack in 2004. I had almost completed my private pilots training. I was even on the 141 program. Because of employment needs I ended up moving to Dallas, TX and soon after suffered the heart attack. Though it's now 2020 and I've had zero heart issues I find the requirements to get back into earning my private pilots license almost impossible to afford and very difficult to meet per FFA requirements. I fully understand the reason for concern, but the FAA does not take into account the 16 years I've had of absolutely no issues, none, zero. Then comes the Sport class. Hey, I can get back into flying! Except even in a very major metro area such as Dallas, TX I can't find one CFI that instructs for the Sport class license. Let me back up a second because you also made this point..I did find one school that does instruct, and they want $9,000 to do so! You've got to be kidding! With standard aircraft selling cheaper than sport aircraft, earning a private class license being cheaper, I just don't understand why we even have the sport class at all. Add to that the 2000ft AGL limitation and it makes no sense at all. Every pilot knows altitude means more time to turn an emergency into a good outcome. I plan to retire soon in Southern Colorado. Can you imagine being stuck at 2000ft AGL in mountain country? I don't mind most of the requirements and restrictions for the sport pilot, not even the pilot and single passenger rule, but limited altitude, not being able to find a CFI, and the expense kills the deal. And what's up with requiring a light sport to train in? That's a training killer. Wish I could get into the air again, but that doesn't look like it's going to be possible.

Thank you!

Okay, thank you. Got your point.

I was pretty sure I was going to get my private, but after a few intro flights I think im going to go lsa instead for costs and my only reason for getting any certification is for occasional recreational use

I learned to fly in a glider, later a two seat Challenger 2. At the time I was being treated for kidney failure so it was the the best I could legally do. The cost was quite reasonable. $65/hr with instructor and $40/solo that was in 2012.

Good info.

I’m a private pilot with instrument rating for single engine land. I had to stop flying due to having to take zoloft for anxiety because of military service issues. I know they relaxed the rules a bit on SSRI about 10 years ago, but in order for me to try to exercise my private pilot I have to either A. Get another third class medical, or B. Get signed off for basic med. I absolutely have to take the zoloft every day or anxiety isn’t well controlled. If I wanted to stay on zoloft(which I do) and fly I must see a HIMS AME, and do all their ridiculous testing which costs around $5,000. That’s just for a chance for the FAA to hopefully give special issuance. If not, that’s $5,000 down the drain for nothing. On top of that, private pilot needs to go to drivers license to fly like sport pilot. I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops in order to fly my private pilots license. As it is now, I can only fly down to sport pilot because I can self check myself for medical conditioning. Adding further, as a Registered Nurse I know a thing or two about medical signs/symptoms. I should be able to certify myself. This whole system is ridiculous. Now for commercial pilot and higher then yes I agree with having a medical.

Yes,in Spain you study for the ppl even though it's light sports (ulm)

Question, I'm planning on getting my private license, but buying a light sport aircraft. Mainly because it's cheaper in fuel to fly. Can I use that to gain the 250 hrs of flight to work towards the commercial license? Or would it be better to just purchase a piper cherokee?

I do find it absurd that some of these LSA planes cost so much. That being said, I just want to learn how to fly and do it for the joy of it.

well this is 3 years old and things have changed and come late 2023 they are changing the lsp weight to include cessna 150 series planes... lsp training is much easier to find as well. also the training time (17 hours of it anyway) can be included towards the ppa license as well.

If you are PP rated and get to the point where you can't pass a full medical, or maybe you haven't flown in a while, haven't carried a medical for a number of years but would like to get back into flying recreationally, can you simply fly a light sport airplane without having to jump through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops to do it beyond getting a checkout in the aircraft you're interested in flying?

So I should get a light sport aircraft with IFR and use it to train my private pilot license.

How about doing away with the medical for private pilot? Maybe begin the medical requirement to become IFR ceetified. Maybe begin the medical requirement when a person wants to become certified for commercial or multi-engine. For a basic private pilot certification just eliminate the medical requirement. After all we're driving cars everyday. People with medical conditions that disqualify them from earning a PPL are driving huge RV's on the highway and towing trailers too. If you have a driver's license you should be able to earn a PPL. That's a very simple and practical solution.

Yes, all private pilot training time in a non Light Sport Aircraft (heavier aircraft such as a Cessna 172 or Piper) can be used/count as Sport Pilot Training time per 61.313 (a). Note in this regulation it does not say you can, but it does not prohibit. Single Engine Airplane. Most of the time the FAA regulations say what you can NOT DO, not what you can do. In fact, all your sport pilot training time can be done in a non LSA, per 61.313 (a) (such as a Cessna 172) EXCEPT the checkride. A sport pilot checkride MUST be done in a Light-Sport Aircraft per FAA-S-8081-29 Introduction Page 9. Some typical examples of why pilots going for a Sport Pilot Certificate would have training in non LSA are: Got training years ago in non LSA and wants to use this training time for sport pilot required time. No LSA airplanes available but plenty non LSA airplanes available. Student started training for Private and decided to do Sport Pilot instead (did not want to go for medical or wanted to get it faster, less expensive and/or less requirements. So you can use these hours and finish off in a LSA. They count.

the plan is to get the sport as a checkping so to speak. then go for the PPL. some people need that bookmark to help them get across the finish line. and sometimes its not about money, its more about getting that ppl whatever it takes, and sometimes that requires different strategies.

I'm afraid I won't be able to get my medical because of a dui, with the sport license I can fly more than 50 miles away from my home base am I correct?

I have friend that got his sport license, and my best friend has his private pilots license. I have flown with both of them several times. The sport guy has a newer l600 he got it for 90k. The private pilot has a late 60s model piper Cherokee, he got for 40k needed some work, he fixed it up for about 30k and its a really great plane, I love to ride in it. I may be wrong, but in my opinion the Cherokee is a way way better ride. Smoother more powerful and a bit more room. If not for a head injury that gave me seizures, I would already have my private pilots license. But hey, i get free flights so its not to bad.

So strange to read the reactions here. I am just a YT fan of aviation channels, so watch all sort of categories - from executive jet to gyroplane. And did not realize how many traditional pilots and private plane owners were unfamiliar with LSA. The price range comparison from top to bottom is unreal, and the government control is similarly all across the board. But the one thing I did notice, and it is obvious to me as a non-flyer, is that the lower cost, smaller and less complex aircraft provide more sheer fun than the upper class set. They all have their place, and it is a magnificent field to get into. But if you really see the bush plane pilots, the STOL airplanes, the cheap little lightweights, and, yes, even the funny gyro rotary planes - they just have a blast at what they do. Very little cross-country, high-speed stuff or large airports and tense ATC moments at all. Yet they are overall a much happier, more satisfied, and easy going bunch than their 'elite' counterparts. You really don't need to fly 400 mph for thrills or grease a landing spot on the center line of a 12,000 ft runway for satisfaction. It takes as much skill to land in a pasture or zing through a canyon at 70 mph. And the group activities with fly-ins and meets is a whole different low-key culture than the 'millionaires parking lots' with the row of gleaming jets and turbine-powered beauties. But I see a new boom in budget flying coming on fast.

I think they should merge lsa into a PPL. As you said, relieve some of the restrictions. As a pilot, I should know how to fly at night and I should be able to travel significantly faster than an automobile. I always questioned that once I get a class 3 Medical, I can't go backwards. Someone who never got a C3 Medical can potentially fly with less experience that have and may have the same or lesser health than me.

He's not comparing apples with apples, comparing used general aviation (GA) aircraft with the cost of new light sport aircraft (LSA). And you can't compare a 30-40-50 year-old aircraft with one that is less than 15 years old. Typically, the avionics in the old vs. new planes are VERY different. Updated avionics are expensive, but usually worth it. LSA has been around long enough now that you can buy used aircraft was less than was mentioned in this video. The training time and cost to get my Sport Certificate was less than half of what it would have cost to get the the Private in my area. My LSA can burn auto gas (mogas) at a much lower cost than 100LL that most GA aircraft use.

Master plumber here, always interested in flight. Building a house and hangar at my local airport for a pilot customer....Maybe I can convince him to teach me how to fly in exchange for plumbing his house and hangar. :P

My understanding is that you can train in a non LSA aircraft as long as the instructor is a CFI...

I have a sporty's due to a heart arrhythmia and I still enjoy the freedom of the sky.

I want to get a Sport Pilots license so I can fly two place Experimental Light Sport Aircraft Like Rans planes, Zenith planes, Kitfox planes, Quicksilver planes and Kolb planes. I was getting into Ultralights and was 5 lessons into it when the announcement for Sport Pilot came out. It convinced my Ultralight instructor to stop giving lessons with his Ultralight 2 place Trainer Rans S-12. With nowhere to complete my lessons and my deployment looming, I sold my Quicksilver and stopped chasing the dream of flight. I'm now retiring from my job at age 52 and took a look at the Sport Pilot Rules again and would like to complete that program. The problem is I have not been able to find anyone willing to give lessons due to not having a plane available that fits the program. I can go purchase a plane for for between $6,000 and $40, 000 dollars Rans S-12s are out there on the used market. If I can't find an Instructor for Sport Pilot EAA has an Academy at Oshkosh but it's $10, 000 dollars. The plus is it's all done in one shot after completing the Sporty's online ground school. I knew, as soon as Sport Pilot was passed, the LSA would be really expensive because it's just more expensive to produce an aircraft today. Every time government steps in, things get complicated and expensive.

13 to 15k for a private pilots license, I'm glad you covered that and didn't cut the video off right before it. lol That cost sounds ludicrous, certainly not worth it to me, I just don't see what justifies that cost, LSA, license is half that cost on the surface, but the same cost probably once you realize that you can only find a teaching venue that charges double (per hr) what the PPL counterpart facility will charge.

I’ve read LSA aircraft can be used for IFR practice but not flown IFR or in IMC. It’s ridiculous the 150/152 meets LSA criteria except weight. Including these would make LSA more affordable.

Light sport is awsome if ur never going to make it a career.. u can fly some pretty awsome planes with just a light sport.. you can fly Cubs, kitfoxes anything that says experamental.. and run a rotax 915is..

Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that if you are rejected due to the medical, that can reject you from being able to pursue the SP. It appears that the rules push you to not get a medical at all to avoid being rejected.

Ive had a dui, low BAC but still am afraid I wouldn't be able to get my medical 3. It's not a cost thing but once you fail the 3 you lose the option for the sport.

Thank you for this wonderful information! I was freaking out thinking that I wasn’t going to be able to fly due to the fact that I was prescribed Adderall in the past. I haven’t taken it for a few months however I had a recent major operation on my lower back because of a herniated disc even though I’m actually fine and it was just a little piece that they took out because of my sciatic nerve pain. I’ll stick with the sports license until I can be off my meds which I voluntarily took a couple years ago as an adult and give it some time to heal from my operation and then potentially go apply for my PPL just in case I don’t apply for the medical and get denied and then I can get my sports license correct?

Can you get an instrument rating with a sport license?

Maybe because of your area you couldn't find a LSA and a CFI. In my area there is a TON of LSA's like the Flight Design CT, CT2K, CTSW, CTLS, , Jabiru 170's, 230's, 250's, Zenith Ch650, CH701, CH750. I could go on and on.

The Recreational Pilot certificate is very similar to the sport pilot and does allow you to fly any certificated plane such as the Cessna 150, etc. VFR only, no flying into Class B, C or D airspace, no night flying, only one passenger, fly only 50 miles from your departure airport. Cost is between private and sport and you can get endorsements or move on to private at a later date. For older folks who just want to go and fly, this is ideal.

Not to mention, background checks may limit your ability to hold a class 1. Sport pilot is the way to go so long as you have a DL.

Good analysis, except for one thing: You didn't really consider someone who wants to fly just for fun. Not a stepping stone, not looking to add on anything later, no interest in career change, no interestin flying at night or in clouds, not buying an airplane. LSA is perfect for someone like me. I've started private pilot training (already passed medical, written exam), now switching to LSA training. I realize there's no point in spending that much time and money on PPL.

Going to get my AME exam next week if I fail I'm lucky they do teach for sport

Hi I'm an Aviation ensthusiastic person I love flying and I will become a pilot I'm still working in few things that stand on my way. Please help me to apply for other students I've got metric students who want to become pilots they meet requirements as well

I do think light sport has problems. But I am a Glider Pilot and thinking about the power parachute and finding out the cost is really up there not that much competition unless you go back to Ultralight. I remember when people make training ultralight I always wanted one just to take up my wife that’s why I really think they should take a look at the rules again

A Cessna 162 is a LSA ... Sport Pilot in the USA is a drivers license. That's it. Bring a buddy and fly around. It's a great skill. A Piper Sport Cruiser used can be bought at $65K ...or just rent one when you need it. Far cheaper to get a Sport Pilot and stay with LSA -just as fun.

My father is an 8,000 hour pilot who gave it up to raise kids (my sister and I) and in the interim had some surgeries which made us unsure if he could even pass a medical. Before his break, he flew an ercoupe. With his house paid off and me on my way to getting back to debt free, an ercoupe may be a possibility again, and we’re learning to fly together at < 200/hr for cfi and plane. I’d love to know where you were learning for $150/hr, as I’ve not found that. To me, the lsa is a safer way to fly ultralights, and less like a real pilots license, but that’s possibly because all the lsa people I know fly things which are 103 or very close to 103 aircraft

I got lucky and found a CFI that owns a Champ. He's retired and not looking to make a killing. My instruction cost me 130 an hour with plane and instructor wet.

well your right I am old and poor I know that felling.

Please clarify, you said in essence that sport pilot would be the way to go if you lost your medical. I thought that if you lost or were denied a medical you were not eligible for sport pilot. I went sport pilot because I am certain I have a disqualifying condition but as long as I am not denied a medical I can fly under sport pilot rules. As to doing it in the 20 hours, I have heard that one guy did it but they say there are aliens in area 51 too. I dont know maybe but certainly not my experience.

I love sport flying! I’ll take a biplane or glider over a Cessna 172(flying UPS truck) any day!

I don't think light sport worked out like they hoped and I really don't understand it now that we have basic med.

do you need a radio licence ?

By time a person is done sport pilot hours they might as well do PPL. I prefer PPL because you have options of planes to choose from, wider range to fly, upgrade to multi engine rating ect ect

If you have your medical revoked, failed or withdraw the medical after you apply you’re not eligible for LS lic.

I have to disagree, partly. Lisa prices may fall, as legacy aircraft are included in mosiac. However, I believe pa28’s l, 172’s and so on will rise as demand increases

Don't you need to pass a Class 3 Medical to get your student license in order to solo before you sit the LSA checkride anyway? So you need to pass at least one medical regardless.

Can a LSA license fly IFR given appropriate ratings?

My thoughts: Cost: yea. The cost of aviation has gone up. I googled what the average flight school cost was back in the 70s and i was able to see that it actually was less in today’s money. However it also varied on the school. There is a school in my neck of the woods wheee it is possible to get a ppl for under 5 grand. So based on that factor alone, you should be able to find a school that doesn’t cost as much right? Well... not so much. That brings me to my next point... Availability: so when Lsa came out, lots of schools ordered them. Not EVERY school, but a lot of them. And what did they go with? The Cessna 162! Well... after broken nose wheels, crashes and what have you, a lot of schools have found themselves skycatcher less. A good solution? Vans RV or something like that. Medical: so it’s no secret that the FAAs solution to safety is by looting you of your money. Especially if you’re like a friend of mine and have ADHD or high functioning autism. 2-3 extra grand out of your pocket with absolutely no alternative (such as insurance) when back in the day, it wasn’t even a disqualification on the medical isn’t fair for someone doing this as a hobby. Oh and the answer you get? “I’m sympathetic but if you can afford flight training, you can also afford this!” Well and that’s not even mentioning the other hoops they may make you jump through. Oh and if you get rejected/denied? All that money went to waste. And they don’t bat a second eye. Final: so given these factors (medical especially), it leaves us with 2 options: leave the country and get a ppl somewhere else where this bs isn’t going on or, get a light sport license! As I see it, light sport was made to combat the rising costs and the stricter medical crap. And if flight schools would’ve replaced the skycatcher with something more reliable and perhaps even affordable, it would be much better.

A major problem is Sport Pilot instructors are few and far between. The same thing is true of ultralight.

If you cannot receive a Class III medical certification, sport pilot is almost the only way to go (besides ultra-lights)

I have an adhd diagnosis from when I was a kid. That ruined my chances for a PPL?

I would like the lsa weight limit expanded to 3500 pounds. I'm 300 pounds. That is preventing me from flying an lsa at 1320 pounds. By the time me an instructor and fuel are on board we would be over 1320 pounds.

What amazes me is to get a private is FAR MORE expensive than getting a CDL A license to drive a truck. When compared, trucks have a far more failure rate than any airplane. As easy as it is to get a license to drive an 80,000 pound behemoth in traffic... its 4 times as expensive to fly a safe aircraft!!!!! Got the class A, now need the Class FLY!!!!!!!

I want to buy a new LSA and lease it to the flight school here in my local. maybe they get to use a nice plane. i get a deal on licensing..and some help paying for the plane?

They're making it way more dangerous overall. I'm just going to buy an ultralight and run fs2020 till I'm solid. I could be doing this safely, but everyone values themselves way too much

Correction, with a Sports Pilot License you said one can only have 1 passenger. This is incorrect. With this license, there can be only the pilot in the plane, and ZERO passenger. The reason being that the pilot with a reduced rating should not risk someone other that him or herself in the plane, thus only the pilot by himself should rise only their life in the case of an emergency. The Sport license is a lonely license, and in my opinion, should not be allowed. Why, because someone without a medical can fly the plane, meaning someone with heart problems, on certain meds, and so on. In other words, a sport license is a risk to everyone on the ground because the plane being flown by a pilot at risk, is NOT a good idea for safety, and I believe was created only so the aviation industry could sell more planes, and not for real safety. Only my opinion from a Private Pilot rating from 1978, and having owned 2 aircraft in my time as a pilot. Go for the Private, you will NOT be disappointed, and your family will feel better about the whole thing! Safety is everything, not only the thrill of flight.

Cessna 150?152 and other similar small trainers should be light sport legal, in my opinion. Most LSA's require more attention to fly well than a Cessna 150/152/172. I own a Champ, and I can tell you that it is not forgiving of sloppy handling on take off and landing, compared to a Cessna single engine. A friend of mine gives the first 10-15 hours instruction in his Champ so that new pilots learn fundamentals. He then switches them to a Cessna 150/172/182 to finish their Private. He told me he has never had anyone that could not do good landings withing an hour or two in a Cessna using this training routine. Also, many of the new LSA's are higher performance than the old trike trainers. Why make a Cessna 150 non LSA when a Sling 2 will climb faster, cruise faster, and is similar in difficulty? By the way, don't get me wrong, I think single engine Cessnas are very safe, and wonderful airplanes. I wish I had my C172 back. Sold it in 1985 if I remember correctly. Crosswinds I sweat in the Champ, I would barely notice in that airplane.

The whole premise of the light sports category of aircraft, when the legislation was being formulated, was to make make aviation attainable for the average working person and youth And be a stepping stone to more advanced ratings. How misleading- article after article was written and conversations circled around DC and the FAA about how this would lower the cost of these planes to the price of a regular car. I’m not talking about experimental but light sport. Hell dive in a hundred grand- a hundred and Fifty grand. Didn’t do a thing. And sport pilot training if done proficiently still costs a lot. Insurance keeps climbing like a homesick angel. The big lie was reiterated by every aviation publication and industry leader in the world. Do yourself a favor- burn the log book, buy a paramotor, get properly trained, alleviate the stress of all the regulations and enjoy flying the way it was meant to be at its inception.

As usual, you, as a young CFI, assume that a person wanting to become a professional pilot in some fashion. You overlook the person who merely wants to fly for pleasure with a few friends, not necessarily at the same time. I owned a PA28-180 for five years. the number of flights with three or more people aboard can be counted on one hand. For most of the 750 flight hours I had flying the airplane, I was alone or with one passenger. The solo flights were frequently within 100 miles of my home base. Long XC flights were with my wife and were done 2.5-3 hour hops. I enjoyed flying at night and I sometimes made IFR flights. All except IFR and night flying can be accomplished in an LSA airplane. You seem to think that going up high is every pilot's goal. However many of us enjoy low flying at 3000-8000 feet MSL that enables us, and our passengers, enjoy the beautiful scenery spread out below the airplane. Admittedly, not having to worry about passing a medical exam as I have gotten older is appealing. This is something that you haven't had to face, but if you fly long enough you will experience the dreaded body changes. In any case, try thinking about the pilots who are not seeking an aviation career. If a sport pilot wants to progress after he has had a bit of fun-flying, the current FAR's allow him to apply his Sport Pilot Training toward higher ratings. If he doesn't want to obtain another certificate or rating why would you wish to demean his efforts.?

A piper warrior for $25?

A huge, gigantic part of why general aviation is dying is because the culture of general aviation is hide-bound, ossified to the point of fossilization, and musty and dusty enough to trigger an allergy attack and send asthmatics into life-threatening paroxysms of coughing. What modern person wants to be part of the death of aviation? I mean, I drove out to my discovery flight in a '21 VW GTI, a modestly nice car. Then I got in the cockpit of a 25 year old (relatively new by flight school standards) Cessna 172, the design of which was derived from the 152, which was derived from the 120 and 140, which were designed in the '40s! So the design of the plane I flew is directly descended from planes that were designed right after WWII when Truman was still president. The 172 was introduced in 1956, when Eisenhower was still in his first term as president! In 1956, you could still buy a Packard, Edsal, Studebaker, DeSoto, and Rambler - all American-made cars at the cutting edge of design, right along with the Cessna 172. Cadillacs has giant fins and bumper bullets that looked like firm, gravity-defying double D-cup breasts for crying out loud! The plane I flew in looked like a dusty relic from Mad Men (but not nicely restored) or Leave it to Beaver. It didn't have a single modern amenity or design cue that I could related to, and I'm 64 years old. GA is dying because the whole look, feel, and culture of GA looks, feels, and smells 70 years old and boring AF. Even a brand-new 172 looks like a 67 year old airplane from a black and white movie. Now to take a look at a Tecnam P2008 ($250k nicely loaded with zero Hobbs hours) - especially w/o the gaudy graphics that make so many GA aircraft look like grubby old Winnebagos rusting away in trailer parks all over America. Same basic high-wing layout, but light years ahead of a brand-new 172. And like so many things from Italy, it looks like sex! And who doesn't like sex! Take a peek at a Bristell B23. Inside and out, it stirs the imagination and soul in a way that's not all that different from the dynamic sense of movement one feels when they see an F-16. Spend a minute looking at a JMB VL-3 or, God forbid, a TomarkAero Viper SD4 with its rear-hinged canopy. Even planes that almost look like animation or anime like the Flight Design F2 (with its 53" wide cockpit!) embarrass the poor bastard driving a 172. So for $200,000 - 300,000, one can get a new LSA at the high end of the luxury side of the LSA market or a used Cessna that was designed about the same time that Marilyn Monroe was on the cover of the first issue of Playboy Magazine! If you really have to have a part 23 bird and want that new car smell, you can drop $500,000 on a brand-new Cessna 172 that was designed before rock music amounted to a fart in a wind storm. It's not about money. America is full of yuppies and professionals, highly compensated lawyers, bankers, sales people, engineers, etc who would laugh at the cost of flight training and aviation. And a good many of these people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on cars, boats, and baubles to entertain themselves. Hell, some even ride fucking bicycles that cost over $10,000. And a lot of these people are keenly interested in active lifestyle past times and spend lavishly to pursue those activities. Even a broke-ass 18-year-old waiting tables for a living who drives up to flying lessons in a 10-year-old Honda gets out of a car that feels like something from the Jetsons compared to the archaic airplane she's about to get into. No, GA is struggling because it's still living in the era of Happy Days when Richie, Fonzie, and Potsie were hanging out at a soda shop as the epitome of cool. Until GA is unshackled from the boat anchor of its "glory days," it's doomed. LSA and SPL are the vehicles by which foreign competition will enter the market and new generations of pilots will shake up the big-3 American artifact airplane makers and inject some much-needed sense of modern life into an otherwise moribund culture.

Light Sport is the future of ‘Sport’ aviation. You are missing important points. 1, As a young person a PPL is probably of more use to you if you intend a career in aviation. 2, 99% of people in my world are Sport Pilots because they are not interested in an aviation career. 3, You should remember that you are speaking to a world wide audience and that many rules in the USA do Not apply. For instance: where I live there is no limit to top speed. Retractable undercarriage is allowed. In flight adjustable props are allowed. All in all there is no advantage to having a PPL unless you want to fly at night or over cities. And I for one certainly don’t want to fly above 10,000 feet because I want to see the view, that’s the point. My flying club used to be exclusively PPL Pilots but now it’s over 70% Sport Pilot.

Cheers for the Video! Forgive me for butting in, I would love your thoughts. Have you tried - Rozardner Flying Bird Reality (just google it)? It is an awesome one off guide for how to get pilot license without the normal expense. Ive heard some awesome things about it and my work buddy at very last got amazing results with it.

sounds like you want flying to be for the young and rich.

The Medical.. I have had my "Private" from 1978, and still fly today. My problem with the "no medical needed for a Sport license" is the fact that someone with a bad heart, or even bad eyes, can still fly over all of us on the ground, and present a risk for you and I by falling out of the sky above us, and not only killing themselves, but they could crash on you or me as well. Is this right, I think not! PRIVATE is the only way to go, PERIOD. Planes are much more affordable, and everyone is safer with licensed Private pilots overhead, instead of a sick individual that could die at any moment.

Most painful video I have ever watched...

you are unpersuasive to me.

Drama