FAA's Sport Pilot / Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA) AOPA Frequently Asked Questions About Sport Pilot  - VFR-NIGHT-IFR http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/advocacy-briefs/frequently-asked-questions-about-sport-pilot.aspx   SPORT PILOT / LIGHT-SPORT AIRCRAFT RULE   QUICK ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS Gross weight = 1,320 pounds (600 kilograms) Max Continuous Full Power Speed = 120 knots (138 mph) Max Stall Speed = 45 knots (52 mph) Two Place - pilot and one passenger Day VFR - see AOPA Q&A Driver's License Medical Approved - however, if you have received a letter with the word "denied" from FAA, not from your doctor, you must get a one-time special issuance or FAA authorization.  Even if you have been denied in the past, you can try again for special issuance (medicines have changed, for example). Rule Effective Date = SEPTEMBER 1, 2004 More Details: EAA's SportPilot.org Website - the best source for updates and analysis of the new rule. Gleim Publications now offers a Sport Pilot Kit designed to help expedite training for the sport pilot certificate. They offer a complete training program at an affordable price, with user-friendly self-study materials that are carefully designed to make it easy to learn and understand.  The Sport Pilot Kit contains everything you need (except airplane and instructor). The "sport pilot certificate" varies from existing private pilot certificates significantly including: 1.       Requires only 20 hours of flight instruction as compared to 40 hours for private pilot. 2.       Limits sport pilots to flying low performance airplanes: maximum weight 1320 lbs, maximum stall speed 45 knots, maximum speed 120 knots, fixed landing gear, and a fixed pitch propeller. The objective is to make the thrill, satisfaction, and excitement of aviation available to more people by reducing the complexity and cost. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sport Flying by Dan Ramsey, Earl Downs, forwarded by Tom Poberezny The FAA's new sport flying license will let people earn their wings for a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional license. The Complete Idiot’s Guide‚ to Sport Flying introduces this new field of flying to consumers, and shows you how to fly smart—offering tips on how to get more flying fun for less money. Sport Pilot Info: Click here to visit EAA's SportPilot website If I become a sport pilot, what can I fly? An aircraft that meets the definition of a light-sport aircraft may hold an airworthiness certificate in any one of the following categories of FAA certification: an experimental aircraft, including amateur-built aircraft, for which the owner must construct more than 51-percent of the aircraft. a Standard category aircraft; that is, a ready-to-fly aircraft that is type-certificated in accordance with FAR Part 43. a Primary category aircraft; that is, a ready-to-fly aircraft that is type-certificated in accordance with Primary category regulations. a "special" light-sport aircraft an experimental light-sport aircraft.