Private certificate in LSA?

Arbiter419

Arbiter419

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CAucker
Hello everyone,

I've got a potentially easy question, but here's some background information first.

I have about 22 hours total, 10 or so and solo of those logged in a 172 at Selinsgrove which I rent(ed) for $97 an hour wet. They just got a Flight Design CTLS (seen here: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showpost.php?p=543666&postcount=1) and it's now going for $90/hr wet...basically, because it's cheaper to fly, I'm wondering if it's possible for me to do my training for a private pilot certificate in that aircraft.

Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that because of this new LSA, the 172 is now $115/ hour wet.
 
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I guess you could do it in a LSA but does it have all the necessary equipment you would need for your PPC and for your check ride. To be blunt. $97 and hour wet is an excellent rate and my personal feeling is that if you are progressing quickly and it appears you are. The $7.00 extra per hour for the 172 is gonna be peanuts in the end. I'd stick with the 172.
 
No reason you couldn't use the LSA to do a private certificate in. The Flight Designs are a lot of fun to fly. Maybe go take a flight in it before committing yourself to it? Can't hurt to at least try it.
 
Assuming the LSA has the necessary equipment, yes, you can do your PP training and practical test in a LSA. The two biggest issues are usually having a nav radio of some kind (VOR, GPS, whatever) and sufficient flight instrumentation for the "flight by reference to instruments" tasks -- and most popular LSA's at flight schools have them.

However, you didn't ask whether that's a good idea or not. As just one flight in that LSA will show you, it flies very differently than the C-172 in which you've been training. If you intend to keep flying LSA's once you get your certificate, then changing horses would be a good idea. If you intend to do your flying in that 172 later on, I suggest you stick with it now.
 
AdamZ said:
I guess you could do it in a LSA but does it have all the necessary equipment you would need for your PPC and for your check ride. To be blunt. $97 and hour wet is an excellent rate and my personal feeling is that if you are progressing quickly and it appears you are. The $7.00 extra per hour for the 172 is gonna be peanuts in the end. I'd stick with the 172.
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According to his edit they jacked the 172 up to $115 an hours so he's now looking at a $25 hour delta. The real question is how long would it take him to get up to soloing in the CT. LSA take a bit of time to adjust too before you could be turned loose to continue solo work.
 
Wow thats odd they jack up the price of one plane beacuse they now have a less expensive one. ( scratches head)
 
Thank you for all the replies!

I'm leaning more towards the fact that it will take me more than a few hours to get me to solo ready status in the Flight Design and that my dad will have to be checked out to teach in it before he can teach me...so there goes even more money. Also, there's the fact that I'm as close as I am to the PP requirements in the 172...and the Flight Design doesn't even really look like an airplane ;)

In all seriousness though, where I'm going in aviation, I think sticking with the 172 would be my best bet. We've already started on basic IFR, and I'm not a big fan of glass cockpits in GA aircraft...plus I like being able to have a friend in the backseat.

What say you?
 
AdamZ said:
Wow thats odd they jack up the price of one plane beacuse they now have a less expensive one. ( scratches head)
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Yeah, I don't know...I guess it's all about money?

Anyway, I posted this at the Purple board to get some more opinions :)
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
No reason you couldn't use the LSA to do a private certificate in. The Flight Designs are a lot of fun to fly. Maybe go take a flight in it before committing yourself to it? Can't hurt to at least try it.
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But you need to do it with a CFI-A not a CFI-SP other than that, it doesn't matter.

Lots of people around that got their tickets in Champs, Cubs, T-Crafts before "LSA" was even invented...
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
But you need to do it with a CFI-A not a CFI-SP other than that, it doesn't matter.

Lots of people around that got their tickets in Champs, Cubs, T-Crafts before "LSA" was even invented...
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I don't know how many CFI-SP's are out there, to be honest with you. The guys who teach PPC and weight shift aircraft might be CFI-SP, but I don't know of very many teaching in airplanes.

If I was going to compare a 172 to a Flight Design, I'd say one is much more fun to fly. The Flight Designs are so much more responsive to control inputs. One negative is they tend to bounce around in turbulence quite a bit more, but that's common with all LSA's (low wing loading).
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
I don't know how many CFI-SP's are out there, to be honest with you. The guys who teach PPC and weight shift aircraft might be CFI-SP, but I don't know of very many teaching in airplanes.

If I was going to compare a 172 to a Flight Design, I'd say one is much more fun to fly. The Flight Designs are so much more responsive to control inputs. One negative is they tend to bounce around in turbulence quite a bit more, but that's common with all LSA's (low wing loading).
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I know at least two CFI-SPs that aren't licensed to teach PPLs. They're out there.
 
gismo said:
I know at least two CFI-SPs that aren't licensed to teach PPLs. They're out there.
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Yup, and they are what's needed to keep the sport end of aviation alive. I've got no problem with those guys, as long as they realize they can't do anything beyond sport pilot instruction, and are willing to tell prospective students that.
 
I just want the training given by a CFI-SP to count towards a private... but I'm not hopeful that the reg is gonna change.
 
TMetzinger said:
I just want the training given by a CFI-SP to count towards a private... but I'm not hopeful that the reg is gonna change.
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It's currently under review by the Sport Pilot reg committee and supported by at least EAA. We'll see what happens.
 
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