New Sport Pilot and Sport Pilot Instructor PTS changes are coming.

FAA recently published proposed changes to the Sport Pilot and Instructor PTS. The intent is to align the PTS with the new Sport Pilot regulations (MOSAIC). As an example, they want to remove the term Light Sport Aircraft because that term was eliminated when the regulations changed. 

Because all ACSs and PTSs are incorporated by reference in FAR 61.14, any changes must go through the rulemaking process. This means FAA has to publish the proposed changes, create a public comment section, and collect these comments for 60 days, typically. 

After that, the rulemaking process starts. Because the proposed changes don’t impose any additional costs or burdens on the public, there is no need to conduct an accounting review of the cost of implementing the rule. FAA says the cost impact on the agency is minimal. 

With this in mind, these changes will go through pretty quickly, maybe in the 1st Quarter of 2026. 

To view the proposed changes or to comment, click this link.

Two new meetings are scheduled for Part 141 Modernization

There were two 141 Modernization meetings set during the Government shutdown. One was in October and the other in November. The FAA has rescheduled these meetings to January 6-7 at the FAA regional headquarters in Ft Worth, TX. The scheduled February 5 meeting will be at the same location. 

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afx/afs/afs800/afs810/modernization_of_part-141_initiative

The purpose of the meetings is to get recommendations for changes to FAR Part 141. The FAA intends to completely rewrite Part 141. 

There are currently five committees that address this. One is qualifications and renewal, curriculum, technology, quality management, and safety. There are also subcommittees under the umbrella 5. I sit on the curriculum, testing, and technology sub-committees. 

The plan is to complete the remaining two meetings and present these recommendations to the National Flight Training Alliance, a private organization to process these recommendations. They will then format them into an FAR-type document and forward that to the 141 team within the FAA. After their review and adjustments, it will go into rulemaking. We won’t get anything new for a while. 

It is clear they want to fast track the effort, but three years would be a minimum amount of time to get it done. Remember, the Sport Pilot new rules took 10 years.

Some Errors We Found in the Airplane Flying Handbook

The latest Airplane Flying handbook FAA-H-8083-3C has several errors. In the next few months, I’ll show you all that we have found. In this article, I’ll focus on Chapter 7 - Ground Reference Maneuvers. 

In almost every ground reference image, the airplanes are shown with the longitudinal axis on the ground track.  For example, the S-turns across a road image the airplane's ground track is flying a perfect semi-circle, maintaining a fixed distance around the pylon.  The longitudinal axis of the airplane is shown flying on the ground track.  This isn’t possible with wind because the airplane must be banked so as to crab when it’s not directly upwind or downwind.  So, looking at all of the points where the airplane is crosswind, the airplane would be banked so as to point into the wind enough to keep the ground track the same all the way around the point.  So, if you were looking at the pylon, the only time it would be on your line of sight would be directly upwind or downwind.  If the airplane is crabbing, by banking, outside of the ground track, then the pylon will be behind your line of sight.  If the airplane is crabbing by banking inside the ground track, the pylon will be ahead of your line of sight.

The error in the images repeats for almost all of them.  There are a few exceptions where the crab is shown, in the airplane on the top of the image in the turns-around-a-point image, but only slightly.  This leads one to believe that the longitudinal axis of the airplane is always on the ground track, wind or not.

S-Turns Across A Road - Image shows no crabbing, even though there is wind

Turns Around A Point - The top airplane is shown crabbed.  The bottom one only slightly

One simple image conveys something pilots struggle to understand. Vy vs Vx - not the definitions, the theory

Sometimes an image can convey complicated concepts well, and sometimes the attempt fails.  Below is an excellent graphical example that helps explain Vy and Vx.

The maximum rate of climb, Vy, occurs where the curve achieves the highest point on the Y axis of the graph.  That will occur at the speed shown on the X axis.  If an airplane is flown at Vy with a headwind or tailwind, the rate of climb will not change.  The time to reach altitude will not change; however, the airplane's position on the ground will change.  With a headwind, climbing at 700 ft/min, the airplane will be 700 ft higher in one minute and at less distance than the same airplane flown with a tailwind.  Still, 700 feet in one minute, but in a different location over the ground.  So then, the angle changes.

The best angle of climb, Vx, is a function of the rate of climb and the speed.  At the location of the maximum rate of climb on the graph, you can see that the speed is approximately 70.  Let's assume the rate of climb would be 1000 ft/min.  At the location of the Vx speed, the speed of the airplane would be approximately 50.  The rate of climb would be around 900 ft/min.  Less than 1000 ft/min, but the groundspeed is slower, resulting in a steeper angle.  In this example, in one mile, the airplane going 70 would achieve an altitude of 855 ft, while the airplane going 50 would be 963 ft.  The airplane going 70 will be further across the ground, but not at a higher angle.  This also means that the angle changes with a headwind or tailwind because the groundspeed and the rate of climb both determine the angle the airplane will climb.

ProTips

1. CFI passenger currency.

When you need to do three takeoffs and landings within 90 days, you can save by doing this. Ask your student if it would be OK for you to do your three takeoffs and landings on this flight. Record the Hobbs when you take over, and record the ending Hobbs when you are done. That’s the part of the flight you will pay for. The student is not out of anything, but you save the taxi and run up Hobbs.

2. Obtaining your CFI recency of experience end date

If you can’t remember your recency of experience end date, go to the Airman Registry page at FAA.gov. Enter your name, and you’ll get info on your pilot and CFI certificates. 

3. Learn tech in stages, don’t try to get it all at once. 

When getting used to new technology, do a little at a time. For example, take a 30-minute course on how to use an iPad before starting to use ForeFlight. Learn how to mirror your iPad screen to a smart TV or on a Zoom call. Get proficient as you go, and it will go much more easily.