Safety pilot in an LSA
Asked by: Brent 6366 views FAA Regulations, Instrument Rating, Light Sport Aircraft
Here's one I haven't been able to find any discussion on...
Imagine you have a pilot who holds a private pilot certificate, has a valid drivers license, and has recently completed a flight review. However, this pilot's medical certificate has expired (not revoked or denied). In other words, a pilot who is current and able to exercise the privileges of a Sport Pilot but not medically current to exercise the privileges of a Private Pilot.
91.109(c)(1) states that for flying in simulated instrument conditions, the other control seat must be occupied by a safety pilot who "possesses at least a private pilot certificate" and 61.3(c) is commonly cited as requiring that the safety pilot, as a required crewmember, must have a current medical.
My question is, can the hypothetical pilot I've described serve as the safety pilot in an LSA? My conclusion is yes because he holds a private pilot certificate, but need only be exercising privileges of a sport pilot to be a required crewmember in an LSA. This would lead to being able to use the sport pilot medical exemption found in 61.3(c)(2)(v).
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