
Home Sport Pilot Shop Eligibility Requirements for Sport Pilot Medical Requirements for Sport Pilot Sport Pilot Privileges and Limitations Light Sport Aircraft Definition of LSA S-LSA / E-LSA Categories, Classes, and Sets Vintage Aircraft and Sport Pilots Production LSA Find a Sport Pilot Flight Instructor Links Training Materials	Classes, Categories, and Sets of Light Sport Aircraft Some new Sport Pilot students find the FAA's divisions of Light Sport Aircraft to be hopelessly confusing. But it's really not all that difficult when you look at it systematically. LSA Categories and Classes The FAA divides LSA into six categories, two of which have additional classes (Land and Sea): Airplane, single engine (Land / Sea) Glider Lighter-than-air Rotorcraft (gyroplanes only; no helicopters) Powered Parachute Weight-shift control (Land / Sea) The categories are obviously based upon major differences in the essential design of the machine and how it flies, and are pretty easy to understand (as are the Land and Sea classes). LSA Sets What drives some students batty is the further subdivision of LSA into sets. But once again, it's really not that difficult to understand. Simply stated, a "set" of aircraft includes all aircraft in a given category and class that share certain design and performance characteristics. A Sport Pilot may fly any aircraft in the same set as one in which he or she has obtained the required training and logbook endorsements. For example, Set AP-2 encompasses all tailwheel airplanes with a maximum KCAS (knots calibrated airspeed) of less than 87 knots. If you are endorsed to fly an aircraft of any make and model that falls into Set AP-2, then you also may fly other LSA that have tailwheels and whose maximum speeds are less than 87 KCAS. In order to fly aircraft in another set, however, you would have to receive additional training and a logbook endorsement. In addition, to fly LSA in a different category and class from those in which he or she is already endorsed, a Sport Pilot must obtain additional training in the "new" aircraft from one instructor, and a checkride and endorsement from a different instructor. For a chart of all of the aircraft sets, please click here. The Logic Behind Sets The Sport Pilot rule allows people with no previous aviation training to become pilots with as little as 20 hours of flight time. This greatly reduces the expense of learning to fly, thus opening the skies to thousands of people who previously only dreamed of becoming pilots. But the speed with which one can become a Sport Pilot requires that their training be tailored to a particular aircraft configuration. It would be unrealistic to expect someone to learn how to safely fly every aircraft within a given category and class in the short time it takes to earn a Sport Pilot certificate. (And when you think about it, how many Sport Pilots have multiple aircraft to choose from, anyway?) The use of sets allows Sport Pilots to focus their attention on quickly learning how to safely fly a particular configuration of aircraft, with the option of obtaining privileges to fly aircraft in other sets later on, if they so desire.

Light Sport Aircraft

Classes, Categories, and Sets of Light Sport Aircraft

Some new Sport Pilot students find the FAA's divisions of Light Sport Aircraft to be hopelessly confusing. But it's really not all that difficult when you look at it systematically.

LSA Categories and Classes

The FAA divides LSA into six categories, two of which have additional classes (Land and Sea):

Airplane, single engine (Land / Sea)
Glider
Lighter-than-air
Rotorcraft (gyroplanes only; no helicopters)
Powered Parachute
Weight-shift control (Land / Sea)

The categories are obviously based upon major differences in the essential design of the machine and how it flies, and are pretty easy to understand (as are the Land and Sea classes).

LSA Sets

What drives some students batty is the further subdivision of LSA into sets. But once again, it's really not that difficult to understand.

Simply stated, a "set" of aircraft includes all aircraft in a given category and class that share certain design and performance characteristics. A Sport Pilot may fly any aircraft in the same set as one in which he or she has obtained the required training and logbook endorsements.

For example, Set AP-2 encompasses all tailwheel airplanes with a maximum KCAS (knots calibrated airspeed) of less than 87 knots. If you are endorsed to fly an aircraft of any make and model that falls into Set AP-2, then you also may fly other LSA that have tailwheels and whose maximum speeds are less than 87 KCAS. In order to fly aircraft in another set, however, you would have to receive additional training and a logbook endorsement.

In addition, to fly LSA in a different category and class from those in which he or she is already endorsed, a Sport Pilot must obtain additional training in the "new" aircraft from one instructor, and a checkride and endorsement from a different instructor.

For a chart of all of the aircraft sets, please click here.

The Logic Behind Sets

The Sport Pilot rule allows people with no previous aviation training to become pilots with as little as 20 hours of flight time. This greatly reduces the expense of learning to fly, thus opening the skies to thousands of people who previously only dreamed of becoming pilots.

But the speed with which one can become a Sport Pilot requires that their training be tailored to a particular aircraft configuration. It would be unrealistic to expect someone to learn how to safely fly every aircraft within a given category and class in the short time it takes to earn a Sport Pilot certificate. (And when you think about it, how many Sport Pilots have multiple aircraft to choose from, anyway?)

The use of sets allows Sport Pilots to focus their attention on quickly learning how to safely fly a particular configuration of aircraft, with the option of obtaining privileges to fly aircraft in other sets later on, if they so desire.