To earn a sport pilot certificate you must be at least 17, able to read, speak, write and understand English, hold either an FAA medical certificate or a valid US driver's license, log at least 20 hours of flight time under 14 CFR 61.313, pass a sport pilot knowledge test, and pass a practical test with an examiner. Since the FAA's MOSAIC rule took effect, the aircraft you may fly are defined by performance and design limits in 14 CFR 61.316 rather than by a 1,320-pound weight cap, which is the single biggest change to these requirements in twenty years.
This page is the checklist version: every requirement, in the order you will meet it, with the regulation beside it. For the certificate explained as a whole — what it is worth, what it costs, where it stops — start with our sport pilot license guide. If you are still choosing between certificates, our sport pilot vs private pilot comparison works through that decision.
A Note On The Word "Permit"
A large number of people search for a "sport pilot permit" or a "sport airplane license". Neither is an FAA term, and nothing the FAA issues is called a permit. What exists is the sport pilot certificate, issued under subpart J of 14 CFR part 61, and it is a full pilot certificate with privileges, limits and a practical test, not a provisional document or a learner's permit. The everyday word "license" is fine in conversation, and we use it on this site because that is what people say, but the paperwork the FAA sends you will say certificate. If you have been told a sport pilot certificate is a lesser qualification, that is wrong. It is a narrower one.
Eligibility: Who May Hold One
14 CFR 61.305 sets two eligibility requirements for a sport pilot certificate. You must be at least 17 years old, or 16 if you are applying to operate a glider or balloon. And you must be able to read, speak, write and understand English, with the FAA able to place limits on the certificate where a medical reason prevents that.
There is no upper age limit, no citizenship requirement for the certificate itself, and no educational requirement. Non-US citizens training in the United States must complete the TSA flight training security program before flight training begins, which is a separate process from the certificate requirements and applies to sport, private and every certificate above them.
You will also need a student pilot certificate before you fly solo. It is free, it does not expire, and it is applied for through IACRA with your instructor. Our page on the IACRA student pilot certificate walks through the application, and student pilot certificate explains what it does and does not authorize.
The Medical Requirement, Or The Absence Of One
14 CFR 61.23(c) lets a person exercising sport pilot privileges hold and possess either a medical certificate issued under part 67 or a valid US driver's license, provided the aircraft meets the performance limits and design requirements of 61.316. You must comply with every restriction on that driver's license and with any judicial or administrative order affecting it.
The driver's-license option is closed to you if, at your most recent application for a medical certificate, you were not found eligible for at least a third class; if your most recently held medical certificate was suspended or revoked; if a special issuance Authorization was withdrawn; or if you know or have reason to know of a medical condition that would make you unable to operate an aircraft. The order of events matters enormously here, and we have given it a page of its own: sport pilot medical requirements explains why you should never apply for an FAA medical on a whim if you think you might be refused.
The 20 Hours: 14 CFR 61.313 In Full
For a sport pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land privileges, 61.313 requires a minimum of 20 hours of flight time, structured as follows.
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Total flight time | 20 hours |
| Flight training from an authorized instructor in a single-engine airplane | 15 hours |
| Solo flight training in a single-engine airplane | 5 hours |
| Cross-country flight training | 2 hours |
| Takeoffs and landings to a full stop at an airport, each involving a flight in the traffic pattern | 10 |
| Solo cross-country flight | At least 75 nautical miles total distance, full-stop landings at a minimum of two points, one segment of at least 25 nautical miles straight-line between takeoff and landing |
| Flight training in preparation for the practical test, within the preceding 2 calendar months | 2 hours |
| Credit available in a qualified flight simulation training device or aviation training device | Up to 2.5 hours |
Read that table as a floor rather than a plan. Twenty hours is the number the regulation will accept; the number you will actually fly depends on how often you fly. Students who come twice a week commonly finish between 25 and 30 hours. Students who come once a month commonly do not finish at all, because each lesson is spent rebuilding what the last one taught. This is the most reliable prediction anyone in flight training can make, and it applies identically to every certificate.
What You Must Know: 14 CFR 61.309
Before taking the knowledge test you must receive and log ground training on the aeronautical knowledge areas in 61.309. They are, in the regulation's own order: the applicable regulations relating to sport pilot privileges, limits and flight operations; NTSB accident reporting requirements; use of the Aeronautical Information Manual and FAA advisory circulars; use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation by pilotage, dead reckoning and navigation systems; recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and obtaining and using weather reports and forecasts; safe and efficient aircraft operation including collision avoidance and wake turbulence; the effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance; weight and balance computations; principles of aerodynamics, powerplants and aircraft systems; stall awareness, spin entry, spins and spin recovery as applicable; aeronautical decision making and risk management; and preflight action including runway lengths, takeoff and landing distances, weather information, fuel requirements and alternatives.
Our sport pilot package includes 10 hours of ground instruction at $110 per hour of value, which is deliberately more ground time than the private package carries, because the sport syllabus compresses the same knowledge into fewer flying hours. Our ground school in Los Angeles covers how that instruction is delivered.
What You Must Be Able To Fly: 14 CFR 61.311
The flight proficiency areas of operation for a sport pilot applicant are preflight preparation; preflight procedures; airport operations; takeoffs, landings and go-arounds; performance maneuvers; ground reference maneuvers; navigation; slow flight; stalls; emergency operations; and post-flight procedures. Certain areas apply only to gliders, helicopters or lighter-than-air aircraft and drop out for an airplane applicant.
Those headings are also the structure of your checkride, so treat them as the syllabus. If you can perform every element in every area to the Airman Certification Standards on a day when you are being watched, you are ready. If one area is consistently weaker than the others, that is the area the examiner will find.
The Aircraft You May Fly: 14 CFR 61.316 After MOSAIC
This is the requirement that changed. Before 2025, sport pilot privileges were tied to the definition of a light-sport aircraft with a 1,320-pound maximum gross weight for landplanes. The pilot rules no longer use a weight test. Under 61.316, you may act as pilot in command of an aircraft that, since its original certification, meets these limits.
| Limit | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Stalling speed without lift-enhancing devices (VS1) | Not more than 59 knots CAS for airplanes, at maximum certificated takeoff weight and most critical center of gravity. 45 knots CAS for other aircraft |
| Seating capacity | Maximum four persons for airplanes, two for other aircraft |
| Cabin | Non-pressurized, if the aircraft has a cabin |
| Landing gear | Fixed, unless you hold the endorsement in 61.331 |
| Propeller | Fixed, ground-adjustable or automated controllable-pitch, unless you hold the endorsement in 61.331 |
| Powered aircraft other than balloons or airships | Loss of partial power must not adversely affect directional control |
Two cautions. First, four seats does not mean four people: 14 CFR 61.315 still limits a sport pilot to one passenger, whatever the aircraft holds. Second, 61.315 also caps you to aircraft with a maximum speed in level flight with maximum continuous power (VH) of 87 knots CAS or less unless you hold the endorsement in 61.327(b). In practice VH is the number that decides whether any particular airplane is available to you, and it is the first figure to check on an aircraft you are thinking of renting or buying. Our page on the FAA MOSAIC rule sets out the full change and its dates.
The Endorsement Ladder
More than any other certificate, the sport pilot certificate is built out of endorsements. The certificate itself is narrow, and each endorsement widens it. These are the ones that matter for an airplane pilot in Los Angeles.
| Regulation | What It Allows | What It Requires |
|---|---|---|
| 61.325 | Class B, C and D airspace, and airports with an operating control tower | Ground and flight training on radio use, communications, navigation systems and radar services; operations at towered airports including three full-stop landings each involving a flight in the traffic pattern; the applicable part 91 rules and ATC clearances; plus an instructor endorsement of proficiency |
| 61.327(a) | Aircraft with a VH of 87 knots CAS or less | Ground and flight training in such an airplane, plus a proficiency endorsement |
| 61.327(b) | Aircraft with a VH greater than 87 knots CAS | Ground and flight training in such an aircraft, plus a proficiency endorsement |
| 61.329 | Night flight | Three hours of night flight training including a night cross-country and ten takeoffs and landings, plus a medical certificate under part 67 or the alternative in 61.113(i) |
| 61.331 | Retractable landing gear, or an airplane with a manual controllable-pitch propeller | Ground and flight training in an aircraft with that feature, plus a proficiency endorsement |
| 61.321 | An additional category or class of aircraft | Training and a proficiency endorsement for the new category and class |
Why The 61.325 Endorsement Is Not Optional Here
Van Nuys is a Class D airport sitting directly beneath the Los Angeles Class B shelf. Without the 61.325 endorsement a sport pilot cannot depart from it, cannot return to it, and cannot talk to the tower that owns the airspace over the runway. Every sport pilot student we train receives this endorsement as part of the course for that reason. If you are comparing sport pilot quotes from different schools, ask directly whether the airspace endorsement is included and what happens to the price if it is not. A course that leaves it out is not a cheaper course; it is an incomplete one.
The Two Tests
The sport pilot knowledge test is a computer-delivered multiple-choice exam taken at a PSI testing center, and you need an instructor endorsement to sit it. It is shorter than the private pilot test but works identically: you schedule it, you bring government-issued photo identification, and you leave with a printed Airman Knowledge Test Report. Our page on where to take the FAA written test in Los Angeles covers scheduling, identification rules and what to bring.
The practical test is an oral examination followed by a flight, conducted against the Sport Pilot Airman Certification Standards by a designated pilot examiner or an FAA-authorized sport pilot examiner. The oral is built around the same knowledge areas as 61.309, usually anchored to the cross-country you were asked to plan. The flight covers the areas of operation in 61.311. Our guide to what to expect on an FAA checkride describes the shape of the day.
The Order To Meet Them In
The requirements are written as a list, but they are met in a sequence, and doing them out of order is how people waste money. This is the order we use.
- Settle the medical question before anything else. If you intend to fly on your driver's license, do not submit a medical application to find out whether you would pass. If you are confident of a medical, apply and hold it, because it keeps the night endorsement open later.
- Fly a lesson. Everything after this is easier to judge once you have handled the airplane for an hour. It also starts your logbook.
- Apply for the student pilot certificate through IACRA. It is free and it takes a few weeks to arrive, so start it early rather than on the morning you are ready to solo.
- Work through the 61.309 knowledge areas alongside flying, not after it. Ground training that runs in parallel with lessons is retained. Ground training crammed into the fortnight before the test is not.
- Solo, then build the 61.313 experience. Ten full-stop landings, two hours of cross-country training, five hours of solo and the 75-nautical-mile solo cross-country.
- Take the knowledge test once your instructor endorses you. Sitting it mid-course rather than at the end is the pattern that finishes fastest, because the test report becomes a study list for the oral.
- Collect the endorsements you need. Airspace under 61.325 and the matching 61.327 endorsement for the airplane you fly.
- Fly the two hours of test preparation within the two calendar months before the practical test, then take the checkride.
The step people get wrong most often is the fifth, because solo flying feels like an achievement rather than a requirement, and it is tempting to keep repeating the parts you enjoy. The regulation asks for specific solo experience in specific shapes, and an instructor tracking it against 61.313 will get you there in fewer hours than an instructor who is not.
How The Requirements Map To Our Course
Our sport pilot package is $8,400 and contains 25 hours of flight in the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, 3 hours in the Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, 25 hours of dual instruction and 10 hours of ground instruction, with books and materials included. The 25 aircraft hours are five above the regulatory minimum because 20 is not a realistic completion figure for most people, and because the airspace endorsement work at a Class D field under Class B takes real flying time. Payment is $2,500 down and three installments of $1,966. The full breakdown is on our sport pilot license cost page.
What sits outside the package: the FAA knowledge test at approximately $175, paid to the testing center; the examiner's fee, in the range of roughly $800 to $1,000 in Southern California; and a headset if you want your own. A student pilot certificate is free. If you use the driver's-license route there is no medical fee at all.
Related Reading
- Sport pilot license — the certificate explained in full, with privileges and limits.
- Sport pilot license cost — the $8,400 package broken into line items.
- The FAA MOSAIC rule explained — what Amendment 61-159 changed and when.
- Sport pilot medical requirements — the driver's license rule and its exclusions.
- Student pilot certificate — the free document you need before you fly solo.
- Cessna 162 Skycatcher — the airplane our sport pilot students train in.
Sport Pilot License Requirements FAQ
What Are The Requirements For A Sport Pilot License?
You must be at least 17, able to read, speak, write and understand English under 14 CFR 61.305, hold an FAA medical certificate or a valid US driver's license under 61.23(c), log at least 20 hours of flight time under 61.313, complete ground training on the knowledge areas in 61.309, demonstrate the flight proficiency areas in 61.311, pass the sport pilot knowledge test and pass a practical test.
Is There A Sport Pilot Permit Rather Than A Certificate?
No. The FAA issues a sport pilot certificate under subpart J of 14 CFR part 61. There is no such thing as a sport pilot permit, and the certificate is a full pilot certificate rather than a provisional one. The word license is common usage, not the regulatory term.
How Old Do You Have To Be To Get A Sport Pilot Certificate?
Seventeen for airplanes, under 14 CFR 61.305, or sixteen for a glider or balloon. You may begin training at any age and may fly solo from sixteen with a student pilot certificate, so younger students often start early and take the practical test on their seventeenth birthday.
Do You Need A Medical Certificate For A Sport Pilot License?
Not usually. 14 CFR 61.23(c) accepts a valid US driver's license instead, provided your most recent medical application was not refused, your most recent medical certificate was not suspended or revoked, no special issuance Authorization was withdrawn, and you know of no condition that would make you unable to fly safely.
How Many Hours Do You Need For A Sport Pilot Certificate?
Twenty hours minimum for airplane single-engine land under 14 CFR 61.313, including 15 hours of flight training, 5 hours of solo, 2 hours of cross-country training, 10 full-stop takeoffs and landings, a 75-nautical-mile solo cross-country and 2 hours of test preparation in the two calendar months before the test.
What Aircraft Can A Sport Pilot Fly After MOSAIC?
Any aircraft meeting 14 CFR 61.316: for airplanes, a stall speed of no more than 59 knots CAS, up to four seats, a non-pressurized cabin, fixed landing gear and a fixed, ground-adjustable or automated controllable-pitch propeller. 61.315 separately restricts you to a maximum level-flight speed of 87 knots CAS unless you hold the 61.327(b) endorsement.
What Endorsements Does A Sport Pilot Need In Los Angeles?
At a minimum the Class B, C and D airspace endorsement under 14 CFR 61.325, because Van Nuys is a towered Class D airport under the Los Angeles Class B shelf. Most students also take the 61.327 endorsement matching the speed of the aircraft they intend to fly.
Can A Sport Pilot Fly Cross-Country?
Yes. Cross-country flight is part of the training requirement itself, including a solo cross-country of at least 75 nautical miles. Once certificated you may fly cross-country within the sport pilot limits, which means daylight unless endorsed, one passenger, and below 10,000 feet MSL or 2,000 feet AGL, whichever is higher.
Start The Course, Or Just Ask
The quickest way to test whether these requirements suit your life is to fly one lesson and see. A discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes, you fly it from the left seat, and it logs as dual instruction toward the 20 hours. Enroll within 24 hours and it credits in full toward the course. If your question is about the medical rule, or about whether a specific airplane meets 61.316, book a free consultation and we will work through it with you. Call (818) 330-1318 any day between 9 AM and 9 PM. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.