The unofficial start to the air show season gets under way with opening day on Tuesday and AVweb has reporters at Sun 'n Fun 51 to cover the news and announcements. The show starts with a panel discussion of industry leaders on what is expected to be the big aviation story of 2025. It's expected that the final rule on the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) will be announced this year, most likely at AirVenture in late July, and it will have a major impact on recreational aviation.
If lobbyists like Dan Johnson and Roy Beisswenger had STFU five years ago when the first simple expansion of sport pilot to include slightly larger, heavier, faster but still simple aircraft like 172s was proposed with NO changes to Instructor qualifications and NO expansion of privileges to include commercial and revenue generating activities, thousands of elderly pilots would not have been denied use of their beloved aircraft the last years of their lives. But NO! These two had to selfishly keep traveling to Washington and interfering in FAA task force meetings in fealty to LAMA and ULA and other greedy industry folks to complicate things and demand commercial uses and full acceptance of less experienced/qualified UL instructors: additions of absolutely no use to 98% of sport pilots seeking to continue simple self certifying privileges in simple non-complex fixed-gear aerocraft for personal non-revenue purposes. They couldâve let that initial massive expansion of the âeligible legacy aircraftâ list go through immediately years ago and then argued over their particular far more complicated desires afterwards. But they didnât. Thanks for nothing fellas.
Regardless of LSA expansion, insurers are unlikely to cover elderly pilots. Will the FAA mandate proof of liability insurance as a precondition to re-registering aircraft? Iâm not sure older pilots will be the principle beneficiaries of Mosaic.
I take it you donât remember how long it took to pass the Light Sport/Sport Pilot rules or the Primary Category and Recreational Pilot rules that came before it. Both took over a decade and were delayed multiple times. In the case of Primary Category and Recreational Pilot, the FAA watered down those regulations to oblivion in the final ruling, which is why nobody uses them. Government moves at the speed of continental drift. If Dan Johnson and Roy Beisswenger never existed it still would have taken at least this long and would probably have been a fair bit worse. There were serious flaws in the proposed rule that wold have broken things that didnât need the FAAâs âfixingâ on the maintenance and aircraft certification end of things.
Agreed⌠insurance is probably going to be the main issue for older (70+) pilots if MOSAIC ever sees the light of day. Access to aviation will most likely be in the hands of the actuaries.
âFly safely and stay proficientâ⌠a phrase to live by for those of us who are in the âthree score and tenâ category⌠and hope that we can afford the cost.
Excellent advice, Bruce, but erroneous analysis.
I have a highly ethical 70-something close friend who (rather than risk another medical) had to sell his beloved 170 and step down to a classic 11AC Chief. He was able to get full ( including âin motionâ) coverage instantly from AVEMCO on his hangared $20,000 classic for a little over $1000 a year. He canât be the only old timer with 50 accident free years behind him can he?
If Dan and Roy had not selfishly insisted on overloading the simple Vs increase with commercial ops and dumbed down UL features he couldâve kept that C-170 that held so much history⌠and entry/exit comfort⌠for him.
According to the âSport Pilot Encyclopediaâ the LSA concept was to benefit both ends of the spectrum. A more affordable, safer introduction to real airplanes for entry level pilots. A no medical option for elderly and disabled pilots who could still operate simple fixed pitch fixed gear aircraft safely outside metropolitan areas, day CAVU.
It was NOT intended whatsoever for Danâs desired commercial ops (which have always appropriately generated the highest scrutiny and complex regulation from the FAA), to expand Royâs UL/powered chute instructor privileges without full CFI standards, experience and training, or to include Bonanzae.