Which one is right for you?
Now that you’ve established that you want to become a pilot. You need to understand your options and decide if you want wo go for your Private Pilot License or your Light Sport License. Below is some helpful information that can assist you with your decision.
The top reasons we see for folks going with Light Sport:
- Medical issues – Folks either lost, cant get, or are concerned about getting denied their medical certificate. If this is you go for your LSA certificate.
- Cost – Based on the FAA minimum hourly requirements the Light Sport Certificate surely is cheaper. However, you will still go through nearly 80%+ of the same training that the Private Pilots do. If you plan to do more than purely a hobby its strongly recommended to pursue the Private Pilot Certificate.
- Hobby Only – If you don’t plan to do any of the following, then the Light Sport Certificate maybe good for you.
- Pursue aviation professionally
- Fly with more than 1 passenger
- Fly at night
- Fly in instrument conditions (IFR)
- Fun Newer Aircraft Trainers – Most of your primary training aircraft for your Private Pilots License are going to be your older planes from the 70’s. These are mostly going to consist of Cessna 150’s/172’s and Piper Warriors, Cherokees, Archers, etc. These plane do make good stable trainers, but often times are very outdated, beat up, and have older technology. Light Sport manufacturing has been increasing year over year and continues to grow driving some amazing and affordable aircraft to the market. Many new flight schools are transitioning to these planes as they are easy to for students to learn and the newer avionics really assists with situation awareness. The planes are not only designed and manufactured with improved methods, but also come with some amazing new avionics, great sight picture for visibility, ergonomically designed cockpits for flow checks, and have great power to weight ratios leading to superior performance over your basic general aviation trainer aircrafts.
What's the difference between Private Pilot and Light Sport Pilot?
Private Pilot
$8,000 - $12,000
- 40 hours Total Time
- 3 hours dual instruction
- 5 hours solo – day: includes one flight of at least 150 nautical miles, with one leg of more than 50 nautical miles
- 3 hours night dual: one cross-country flight at least 100 nautical miles
- Night training requires a total of 10 takeoffs and 10 landings.
- No Passenger Limit
- No Restriction to aircraft size
- You can Fly at Night
- Medical Certificate Required third class in minimum
- Tests Required are Written, practical, and oral
Light Sport Pilot (LSA)
$4,000 – $6,000
- 20 hours Total Time
- 2 hours dual instruction
- One solo flight of at least 75 nautical miles total distance, with one leg of more than 25 nautical miles.
- -
- -
- 1 Passenger Limit
- Aircraft limitations are 1,320 pounds
- Night Flight Prohibited
- No Medical Certificate Required (valid drivers license)
- Tests required are Written, practical, and oral
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I Keep My Costs Low for my Pilot Training?
Each of us are unique as we all learn and retain information differently. This is largely why there is no blanket hard fast number on the costs of your flight training. That said here are a few tips to keep your training costs under control.
- Consistency – There is a strong connection between the number of times you train each week and your ability to advance through the training efficiently. If your looking at purely optimizing your training schedule 2-5 (1 hour flight) lessons scheduled each week. This will keep things fresh and you should have some good consistency in the event of a lesson cancelation. As you advance you will start going over 1 hour, but starting off your brain will become overloaded and you will hit a learning plateau.
- Written Test Prep – Some instructors prefer/recommend that you have your written tests completed prior to starting your training. While this can be good, if your the type that can remember all this content. Then pull it out of the brain storage area and apply it to the training environment. Another effective method is to get a jump start on your written test prep, by reviewing the syllabus or training plan with your instructor and learning about what topics you should hone in on. This will help correlating it to the next several lessons and solidifying that knowledge. The advantage to this is you’ll be able to read, interpret, correlate, and apply this knowledge to the real world. Now your not memorizing, you’re truly learning.
- Knowing What’s Next – Understand what to focus on with your next lesson is an imperative way to optimize your learning experience. If you can go home review those topics in one of the FAA sources, YouTube, or other online ground schools. Your going to be familiar with the content prior to meeting your instructor ask your questions, then go do your lesson and solidify the knowledge/skill.
Can I get my Private Pilot License after I get my Light Sport License?
Absolutely. As long as you meet the Private Pilot Requirements you can take the Private Pilot Checkride and get your new certificate.
Is the FAA Knowlege Test (Written Test) different for Private Pilots vs Light Sport Pilots?
Yes. They are officiall two different written tests. That being said that both query the same bank of questions from the FAA.