MOSAIC changed what Sport Pilots are allowed to fly, including aircraft that never used to qualify.
Effective October 22, 2025, 14 CFR §61.316 decoupled Sport Pilot privileges from the old Part 1.1 light-sport aircraft definition. Instead of being limited to aircraft built to the old 1,320-pound, two-seat LSA spec, Sport Pilots — and Private, Commercial or ATP-certificated pilots choosing to exercise Sport Pilot privileges — can now fly any aircraft meeting a performance test, regardless of its original certification category.
The core test
- Clean stall speed (VS1) of 59 knots calibrated airspeed or less — no maximum takeoff weight
- Up to four seats — but a Sport Pilot may carry only one passenger, regardless of how many seats the aircraft has
- Retractable gear, controllable-pitch propellers, high-performance and complex aircraft — newly allowed, but only with the required training and instructor endorsements
- Night flight — newly allowed with training and endorsement, but only if the pilot also holds at least BasicMed or an FAA medical certificate. A Sport Pilot flying on a driver's license alone remains day-VFR only
- A new helicopter privilege — limited to light-sport helicopters equipped with simplified flight controls
Two different pilots, one privilege
This affects two distinct groups. New Sport Pilots gain access to a much larger range of aircraft than the old rule allowed. And separately, pilots who already hold a Private, Commercial or ATP certificate can choose to fly under Sport Pilot privileges specifically to fly without a medical certificate at all — a step beyond BasicMed, which still requires a one-time medical exam. Exercising Sport Pilot privileges requires only a valid U.S. driver's license as self-certification, with the tradeoffs above.
Which legacy aircraft might qualify
Because the test is now about performance, not aircraft category, a meaningful share of the existing general aviation fleet may qualify — including standard-category and experimental amateur-built aircraft never built to the old LSA spec. Commonly cited examples that fall within the 59-knot threshold include the Cessna 150, 152, 170, 172 and some 182 configurations, most of the Piper Cherokee/Archer/Warrior family, and models like the Piper Comanche 180. Some popular aircraft do not qualify — the Cirrus SR22 and Beechcraft Bonanza, for example, have clean stall speeds above the limit.
Eligibility depends on the specific model year and configuration, and on the difference between the indicated stall speed shown in a Pilot's Operating Handbook and the calibrated stall speed the rule actually uses — a distinction that has put more than one aircraft on the wrong side of the line. The FAA has not published an official qualifying list. Confirming your specific aircraft's calibrated VS1 is exactly the kind of detail worth getting right before you assume anything about your coverage or your privileges.
What this means for insurance
This is genuinely new ground for the insurance market, and we'll be straightforward about that. Questions carriers are actively working through include how a policy should treat an aircraft that will now also be flown by Sport Pilot-certificate holders under an open-pilot clause, whether moving to Sport Pilot privileges changes how your own risk profile is viewed, and how underwriting adapts as more pilots make this choice. We don't have a settled industry answer to hand you — what we can do is help you ask the right questions before your renewal or purchase, rather than finding out the hard way.