Sport Pilot Instructor rating

Dustin

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What do you think about the Sport Pilot Rating? The Instructor needs 150 hours to qualify. Do you think this would be worth pursuing?

Thanks.

Dustin Smith
 
What do you think about the Sport Pilot Rating? The Instructor needs 150 hours to qualify. Do you think this would be worth pursuing?
Got an LSA to teach in, or a FBO that has one?

If you can get a medical, a "real" CFI makes more sense (IMO)
 
What do you think about the Sport Pilot Rating? The Instructor needs 150 hours to qualify. Do you think this would be worth pursuing?
I did it, and I think it was worth it.

With that said, you need to think about what you're setting out to accomplish. At least for now, any dual given by a CFI-SP will not count towards higher ratings for the student. (That's likely to change, according to the EAA, but when is an open question.) Are you looking to train students at the beginning of a path that goes up through commercial and a job in aviation? You're not as likely to get anywhere with that as you are with a CFI-A. Are you looking to teach because you enjoy teaching and want to help students in any way you can? Then it's more likely to be useful.

As Geoffrey noted, you'll need an LSA-eligible aircraft to teach in. This is not as big a barrier as you might think, since lots of small certificated airplanes fit the bill. (As a CFI-SP, you can teach in any airplane that meets the LSA definition.) Want to give people taildragger transition training? Buy a Cub or a Taylorcraft and go to town. Your endorsement counts just as much as an endorsement given by a CFI-A.

I don't know, but I suspect a CFI-SP who goes for a CFI-A later will have a considerably easier time of the second checkride, just as a CFI-A has an easier time of a MEI or CFII checkride. You've already proven you can fly and teach, so all that's left is to prove you know the additional elements. Take this as a guess with a grain of salt, though, as I don't know of anyone who's actually done it.

As with anything else in aviation, it comes down to taking a good hard look at what you want to do and then seeing if the ticket will let you do it.
 
With that said, you need to think about what you're setting out to accomplish. At least for now, any dual given by a CFI-SP will not count towards higher ratings for the student. (That's likely to change, according to the EAA,
The EAA must not have read the NPRM for the Sport Pilot CFI rule change, or else they're hoping that comments they've submitted will be accepted. While the NPRM does move the CFI-SP to the same Subpart J as the other CFI's, it does not as issued authorize them to give training applicable for the Private Pilot certificate training time requirement. See Docket FAA-2007-29015 for details.
 
The EAA must not have read the NPRM for the Sport Pilot CFI rule change, or else they're hoping that comments they've submitted will be accepted. While the NPRM does move the CFI-SP to the same Subpart J as the other CFI's, it does not as issued authorize them to give training applicable for the Private Pilot certificate training time requirement. See Docket FAA-2007-29015 for details.

They're hopeful that their comments will be accepted, and the FAA gave them (in discussions) reasons to be hopeful. That said, people and roles change at the FAA so until the final rule comes out, we'll just be hoping.
 
I would be looking at the CFI SP as another paid hobby. Not only would it give me the opportunity to fly more often but I would be able to assist others learning to fly. It seems that the Sport Pilot is a way to fly more inexpensive yet safely. If I do the CFI SP, it would be on the side of my full-time job. I just want to have fun, lol.
 
Is a Light Sport Aircraft that is a homebuilt available to use as a trainer by the CFI SP? Of course, that could bring a LOT of liability concerns into the equation. It would likely be best to just find a certified aircraft like the Champ to instruct in?
 
Call me crazy, but I wasn't anywhere near ready to instruct at 150 hours....
:rolleyes2:

And I was a pretty good student (PP @ 43 hrs, IFR @ 40.3, CP @ 153, etc...)
 
Call me crazy, but I wasn't anywhere near ready to instruct at 150 hours....
:rolleyes2:

And I was a pretty good student (PP @ 43 hrs, IFR @ 40.3, CP @ 153, etc...)
Don't you mean 253? 153 is a 97 hours short for CP required flight hours.
 
Is a Light Sport Aircraft that is a homebuilt available to use as a trainer by the CFI SP?
A CFI-SP can give training to the owner of an E-LSA in the owner's plane, but cannot give training to others in an E-LSA the CFI-SP provides. This is an Experimental issue, not an LSA issue.
It would likely be best to just find a certified aircraft like the Champ to instruct in?
I believe so -- do your teaching in an S-LSA.
 
What do you think about the Sport Pilot Rating? The Instructor needs 150 hours to qualify. Do you think this would be worth pursuing?

Thanks.

Dustin Smith

It is definitely worth it. My second cousin earned his PPL about three years ago. I did alot of his dual (including the required night and cross country) in a SLSA. A soon as he was approaching 150 hours, we started working on CFI SP. He took the check around 160 hours and was very well prepared for the FOI, knowledge, ground eval, and practical tests. He went to work right away. He was still in college and being a CFI definitely wasn't his primary source of income but he did get to fly a lot and gain a lot of experience. Plus, the extra study he put in for CFI made his aquisition of CP, IA, and MEL much easier.

Becoming a CFI SP definitely can make you a better pilot and give you the chance to share with aviation with others. I say go for it!
 
I believe so -- do your teaching in an S-LSA.

A champ is not an S-LSA. Its a certificated aircraft, which meets the light sport aircraft requirements. It never passed the S-LSA standards as set by ASTM, thus couldn't be an S-LSA.
 
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