MOSAIC Is Done!
By EAA Advocacy Staff
MOSAIC is done. After more than a decade of work by EAA, the FAA, and numerous others, MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) is now a final rule. The rule was announced by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy on Tuesday afternoon at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025. A generation after the creation of the original sport pilot and light-sport aircraft (LSA) rules, today we celebrate Sport Pilot 2.0 and LSA 2.0. Ninety days from now, about three-quarters of the general aviation fleet will be accessible to sport pilots and those exercising sport pilot privileges. One year from now, new and modern aircraft will begin entering the fleet with minimal certification costs.
Building upon the foundation of the original sport pilot rule, MOSAIC greatly expands the range of aircraft that meet the LSA definition, and thus the range of aircraft available to sport pilots or those exercising sport pilot privileges. The limitation that has always hampered the usefulness of the sport pilot certificate has been the size and capabilities of the aircraft. Powered landplanes were limited, among other parameters, to 1,320 pounds’ maximum takeoff weight and two seats. This covered many simple postwar trainers like Cubs, Champs, and Taylorcrafts, as well as new designs from Cessna, Piper, overseas manufacturers, homebuilt kit manufacturers, and more, but that weight limitation remained a bugaboo. For many designs, it kept useful load impractically low and produced aircraft that were great “Sunday flyers.” However, they were not capable and robust enough to serve in training and rental fleets and were less-than-ideal modern touring aircraft.
With MOSAIC, the weight limitation is removed. GONE! In its place is a new set of limitations; the primary limitation will now be a “clean” stall speed (VS1) of 59 knots calibrated airspeed. Aircraft with up to four seats are now allowed, although sport pilots will still be limited to one passenger. Sport pilots are also now allowed to fly aircraft with controllable-pitch propellers and retractable landing gear, with the appropriate training and endorsements.
Equally exciting to the future of aviation is the aircraft certification reform included in the rule. New aircraft are on the way! The original LSA rule proved that safe, modern aircraft could be certified with a minimum of FAA oversight by using industry consensus standards and simple forms of validation. Now, LSA 2.0 is set to deliver far more capability. For years, high certification costs have been cited as a barrier to affordable ownership of new aircraft. LSA 2.0 substantially cuts these costs for any aircraft meeting the new definition: four seats, constant-speed propellers, retractable landing gear, and fewer restrictions on powerplants (including allowing electric power). The result is a lot of room for continued innovation.
The final MOSAIC rule will be discussed in more detail in a feature story running in the September 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation. You can read the final rule via the link at EAA.org/MOSAIC.
