This piece originally ran in the June 2023 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

In the April issue, Rick Larsen did an excellent job of expressing the joy of ultralight flight (“Fundamentally Fun,” Ultralight World). His statement about it being the “essence of flying,” “cleansing,” and “like sitting on the porch, a few hundred feet in the air” really struck a chord with me.

It reminded me of my early flights in my Hurricane ultralight: just low-slow cruising, and all the worries melting away for a while.

But Rick also mentioned an issue many of us run into eventually — the itch to share flight with others. In the United States, this means earning a pilot certificate at the sport level at a minimum. To some, even experienced ultralight pilots, this seems to be an insurmountable task. To other aspiring pilots, the sport privileges seem too limiting. Are they? Should you consider a private pilot certificate instead?

First, let’s look at what it takes to become sport pilot. (This will be along the lines of fixed- wing airplanes, as that’s my background. But much of the same can be said for other aircraft types.)

The Fine Print

Let’s go ahead and get one thing said. Reading the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR or, as most of us know them, the FARs) is about as much fun as a root canal. But at least the sport regulations were written a little more in line with common language. The simplest way to access the sport regulations is to simply Google search “CFR sport pilot” (or “14 CFR Part 61 Subpart J” if you prefer). Still, it’s not a fun read.

So, instead of a point-by-point discussion, let’s discuss the common misconceptions and concerns some students have, but bent toward someone who’s already an ultralight pilot.

Most people go straight to the minimum logged hour requirement first. In my opinion, that’s a mistake. True, part of the original idea of sport was to simplify the certification process. When you compare what it takes these days to obtain a private certificate, you almost certainly will have less hours logged to become a sport pilot. If you have a great deal of ultralight flight experience, and you can meet the CFI’s expectations early on, it’s possible you could finish up near the minimum 15 hours dual, 5 hours solo. But don’t count on it. The reality is closer to 30 total hours.

Instead, I like to look at it in separate tasks. One of the biggest tasks doesn’t require a CFI at all: personal study. Plenty of resources are available online; some are even free. Many students take advantage of online study programs such as those offered by Sporty’s, Gleim, King Schools, and ASA. A valuable benefit of some online schools is that they have the ability to issue you the signoff to take the actual FAA knowledge test. Otherwise, you’d have to spend many hours with a CFI, and the CFI has to be convinced that you can pass the test before they will provide the endorsement.

The online schools allow you to study toward the same results at your own pace and time. But just because you’ve passed your knowledge test, don’t think ground school is finished. Any CFI worth their salt is going to log several more hours of ground with you. But the fact that you’ve already passed an FAA knowledge test gives your CFI a lot to work with. More on that later.

Next, you have some flying to do, and skills to learn. A good CFI will guide you through the skills outlined in the FARs. A really good CFI will help you understand why the skills are important. If you’re already an experienced ultralight pilot, there’s good chance that you’ll have a great jump-start. Ultralights demand a higher level of stick and rudder skills, and you should move through the maneuvers quickly. In this case your CFI shouldn’t have to spend so much time teaching coordination, or landing, for example.

But this isn’t always true. I’ve helped ultralight pilots who have picked up some bad habits on a few occasions. A couple of common ones are always depending on power to land, or an abnormal fear of stalls. Sometimes the bad habits are downright dangerous, such as flying in really bad weather.

So, if your CFI is working out some of these bad habits, try to be patient and understand why it’s so important. Remember, it’s not just your CFI’s opinion. The FARs spell out the skills that are appropriate.

Finally, you have to prep for the checkride, or “practical exam.” If you haven’t already, you’ll be introduced to the FAA Practical Test Standards, or the Airman Certification Standards if applying for the private ticket. Here, you’ll really start to understand why your instructor harped on such seemingly picky things like the runway centerline, stabilized approaches, and compass headings. They have to so that you can meet these standards.

And don’t forget that the oral question and answer section of the practical exam is just as important as the flying portion. That’s where more ground school is usually involved. Your CFI has to be certain, not just guess, that you know the material. This is where all your previous personal study really pays off. The more you study, the less ground school is needed, and less time and money spent with your CFI reviewing all the subjects and taking practice tests.

All of this being said, there’s still what can be a big problem for aspiring sport pilots coming from an ultralight background. More than likely, they’ll have a difficult time finding an instructor with a training aircraft anything like their ultralight.

If they’re lucky, they may find a CFI willing to teach in what has come to be called a “legacy light-sport,” such as a tailwheel J-3 Cub or Aeronca Champ. This may seem intimidating, but remember, if you’re a really “good stick” with an ultralight, you’ve got a huge advantage.

In fact, in my experience, fixed-wing ultralight pilots tend to transition to tailwheel flying quicker than most. They’ve never had the chance for their feet to get lazy. Or, maybe they’ll find an instructor with a more modern special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA), such as an Evektor SportStar. In either case, try to look at this as an avenue to increase your skill and understanding. After all, your sport pilot certificate will open the door to all of these types of airplanes.

What Limitations?

But what about someone completely new to the scene that’s not sure if they can live within the sport limitations? To answer, let me share a recent flight.

I had promised my son, Ethan, some solid cross-country flight instruction. A day came along with good weather and nothing on my schedule that couldn’t be postponed. We got to the airport a couple of hours before noon, and I ran him through the basics and prepped the airplane. The destination was Pine Mountain, Georgia (KPIM, Harris County Airport), partly because of the friendly staff at the FBO, but mostly because of the delicious barbecue available just a couple miles down the road from the airport.

As we departed Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport (25J) in the Quad City Challenger II at about noon, we weren’t surprised that the air was bouncy. You can’t expect such a light airplane with such large wings to fly smoothly in such rough air. It was nice to fly with Ethan to a new destination. Skirting the restricted airspace at Fort Benning, we landed at Pine Mountain.

After meeting the new attendant, securing the airplane, and topping off the fuel tank, we arranged transport to the restaurant and had a great lunch. A couple of hours later, we were aviating again, but this time in somewhat smoother air, and now flying to the west of the Class D airspace of KCSG and Lawson Army Airfield. After about three hours of flight time, we were back home in Cuthbert. About 175 miles covered. All in all, it was a great flight. We had fun, a great lunch, and Ethan picked up a few more skills. And, by the way, the whole trip didn’t even cost $100 bucks, including lunch.

If you read that and thought, “What a cool adventure” or “What a fun way to spend the afternoon with your son,” you’ll probably be just fine with the sport certificate. Maybe in time you’ll want to travel farther and faster, but sport aircraft can cruise as fast as 120 knots (138 mph). We were only averaging about 60 mph.

I’ve flown faster S-LSA across the county, and let me tell you, the cruise speed and navigation capabilities weren’t limiting at all. In fact, I had both an autopilot and two GPS systems at my disposal, plus the portable GPS I brought along. Weather, now that was limiting, but no more so than someone flying a Cessna as a private pilot without an instrument rating.

If you read about our trip and thought, “Nice, but I want to take the whole family,” or “I would have flown it at night,” then maybe the sport ticket isn’t for you. As a private pilot for more than 30 years, I can say I’ve carried more than one passenger a total of three times. And, night flight doesn’t do anything for me. I kind of like knowing what I’m going to land on when the engine quits. I’m funny like that. Seriously, though, it’s best to figure out what kind of flying you’re really into first, and go from there.

Pick Your Poison

Either way, welcome to your next addiction. It could be worse, and it’s certainly less expensive than some. Even if you decide that the sport certificate isn’t for you, I highly suggest getting some quality stick time in an ultralight-like trainer or a good ol’ J-3 Cub or Champ. Those skills can last a lifetime.

Mark Murray, EAA 394554, of Georgetown, Georgia, was always fascinated by airplanes, and then discovered ultralights thanks to an article published in National Geographic in 1983. In 2008, he earned his light-sport repairman maintenance rating and turned his hobby into a business, eventually becoming a CFI and an A&P mechanic.