I don’t know about you, but I can guess that Mosaic Fatigue is setting in to a lot of quarters. Some pilots have done an extraordinary job of digging into this 318-page document to distill essential parts that need to be addressed. Many pilots get exhausted just looking at the NPRM. …Me, too.
I look forward to more reporting on aircraft. Nonetheless…
Mosaic has given us an inside look at how FAA works. Many improvements resulted when industry worked in harmony with government officials. Nonetheless, careful study found areas of concern in the NPRM. Recent articles in other publications hit essentially the same points as I did in my talk (slide). Those points were partly my thinking, but I also relied on other experts to whom I had posed a variety of questions.
Still, some of the best commentary has come from non-experts, regular pilots who were concerned about a certain part of the NPRM and explored it thoroughly.
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Mosaic, The Movie — Are You Excited?! Comment Window Is Closing; Please Act Soon!
Recreational flying fans… I don’t know about you but I’m getting pretty tired of studying Mosaic. It’s been on my mind every day since FAA issued it on July 24, 2023, just before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh started.
I’ve studied this pretty closely — thanks SO much to Roy Beisswenger for his effort to make a Study Guide. This is not an easy read but it has much we want plus a few things we question or want changed.
If you want some part changed, you have to comment. I can comment and many others have. That’s good but FAA needs a loud response. With 39 days left at posting time, 389 pilots have commented. YOUR comment is still needed.
To assure my facts were as accurate as possible, I consulted several other experts, each focused in specific areas of interest.
Linked with my own experience — serving on the ASTM committee for many years, going to visit FAA in their government offices in Washington DC (several times), and discussions with the LAMA board plus numerous other aviation leaders — the video below provides the best information I can offer at this time.
“Mosaic-Ready” Jabiru Elite Offers Luxurious Appointments and Smart Safety Features
At Midwest LSA Expo on Day Three, I interviewed two leading sellers in the LSA or Sport Pilot kit space, one imported model and one U.S. brand. They represent different approaches to the business yet each has been successful, one for 35 years and one for 40 years. These conversations were a great way to end Midwest 2023 on a high note… and on an exceptionally beautiful day.
I use the phrase “Mosaic-Ready” when talking about this Jabiru Elite because importer Scott Severen of US Sport Planes believes this company is poised and ready to be a Mosaic LSA or mLSA.
Right after I interviewed Scott, I spoke with Michelle Schlitter of Rans, who noted their S-21 Outbound, which qualifies as a SLSA today at 1,320 pounds, can quickly be “Mosaic-Ready” at 1,800 pounds at which it’s already been tested.
Other producers are also close to or at Mosaic-readiness.
With Time Half-Gone Already, Your Mosaic Comment Window Is Closing — Here’s Some Help
Mosaic was a subject of intense conversations at AirVenture Oshkosh 2023. In a surprise to many of us, FAA released the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for Mosaic ahead of schedule. Lots of people who needed to study it were already en route to the EAA show for a week, 10 days, or more.
If you haven’t been paying attention, MOSAIC is an acronym for a regulation that affects all aircraft with Special airworthiness certificates. Aircraft built by Cessna, Piper, Cirrus, Diamond, and others instead have Standard certificates and are not touched by this Mosaic regulation. In contrast, all LSA, Experimental Amateur Built airplanes, and warbirds have Special certificates. (FYI, I stopped writing Mosaic in all-caps because it looks like shouting.)
If you already know enough, here are the links you need:
Download USUA/LAMA MOSAIC NPRM Study Guide Version 1.0, PDF document with bookmarks and helpful organization
Article on using the Study Guide
Make a comment, direct link to FAA’s comment page
Read what other commenters have said, FAA comment page
The Clock Is Ticking…
FAA offered 90 days to comment on their proposal that started out as 318 pages of text that no one would call fun reading.
Making a Study of Mosaic Easier and Faster — LAMA & USUA Join Forces to Help You
FAA proposed regulation has powerfully captured the attention of many pilots. Pilots have tons of questions. We have some answers. Everyone has a lot to read.
But… uggghhh! Who wants to read this stuff? If it doesn’t put you to sleep, it might infuriate you.
Overall, FAA’s proposal has been warmly received as it opens the door to more capable aircraft that a Sport Pilot can fly. That’s good but the document has problems, too. Following are four examples…
This article is a longer, more challenging read than one about an aircraft.
If you prefer to listen or watch, I recommend the podcast and a video below.
Mosaic’s language invigorated many readers when the NPRM expressed support for a Sport Pilot (certificate holder) to fly at night — with proper training and a logbook endorsement. Yet then the proposal refers to other FAA regulations that require BasicMed or an AvMed. If you must have a medical, you are not exercising the central privilege of Sport Pilot.
Here Come Mosaic LSA or mLSA — Montaer’s MC-04 and Texas Aircraft’s Stallion
Is this an exciting time for aviation? Have you been one of the many pilots anticipating Mosaic and the promise it brings for more capable aircraft? The new proposal is loaded with ideas we requested.
As with the SP/LSA rule of nineteen years ago, these features of Mosaic are stimulating all sorts of expectations …but also some worry.
One concern is that new four-seat mLSA with all the bells and whistles will be expensive. Well, they will be — compared to current-day LSA. Yet they will still be half the price of a roughly comparable Part 23-certified aircraft. They will also perform better while using less fuel. Plus, they will be new and nicely equipped with the latest in digital instrumentation.
Contrasting that is an entire fleet of legacy GA airplanes that many pilots have been yearning to fly using a Sport Pilot certificate (or using the no-medical feature of Sport Pilot with their higher FAA ticket).
MOSAIC NEWS — FAA Running Ahead of Schedule? Unbelievable? …Proof Here, Now!
Whenever I write about FAA’s Mosaic regulation, especially when I mentioned the date they predicted, a substantial percentage of all readers shrug this off, believing that FAA will never complete it on time.
What if I told you they were ahead of schedule? Is that an unbelievable claim? Perhaps, but the proof is right here, right now! Can’t wait? Check the link below.
Consider the following communication from the ASTM committee working on LSA standards. In case you don’t know what that is, ASTM is an industry standards group that operates privately, creating and getting agreement on standards used by FAA to accept Light-Sport Aircraft into the aviation fleet. (This is different than conventional FAA “certification.”)
BIG MOSAIC NEWS
Honestly, from almost the beginning, FAA has moved faster than most of us imagined. At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 FAA announced they would remove the drone portion of Mosaic, which was delaying the overall regulation as that community works out their issues.
Sparker to Ignite Mosaic’s Energy? New and Upgraded mLSA from TL Ultralight
At Aero Friedrichshafen 2023, visitors saw numerous aircraft that could qualify as Mosaic Light-Sport Aircraft or mLSA. In nearly every aisle of the several large halls of Aero, visitors and journalists could see entry after entry apparently made-for-Mosaic. Indeed, so many entries potentially qualify for this coming new segment that I ran out of time to examine all of them.
We are headed into an interesting period of aircraft development and the subject of this article is a perfect example. Welcome to TL Ultralight’s enhanced Sparker.
The model was introduced to the European 600 kilogram (1,320 pound) standard but over the last year it has gone through an extensive evaluation and upgrade to carry a 750 kilogram load (1,653 pounds). It was also revised to accommodate Rotax’s 915iS and 916iS engines.
With greater capacity and with 160 horsepower available, I’d call this a mLSA or Mosaic-ready Light-Sport Aircraft.
After Spring Airshows, Mosaic Questions Emerge — Here’s What We Know Before FAA’s NPRM Is Released
LAMA, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, hosted a gathering of European manufacturers during last month’s Aero Friedrichshafen show. Van’s Aircraft President and Chief Engineer Rian Johnson accepted LAMA’s invitation and presented an update on Mosaic. As the leader of the ASTM committee working on LSA standards, he covered expected changes to help manufacturers prepare.
How can builders design for a regulation they haven’t seen? Thanks to the use of industry consensus standards, the lighter aircraft industry is more aware than you might expect.
Understandably, manufacturer interest is keen; it’s their business. At the same time, individual pilots increasingly raise similar questions.
Top-Four Questions
I’ll address some common inquiries before getting into specifics of the LAMA meeting. The following reflects questions I’ve often heard, along with my responses. As you read these, remember, I am merely one reporter describing discussions I’ve heard. Disclaimer: Information in this article is not official and may not reflect what FAA is planning.
Mosaic-Ready Powerplant… BRP-Rotax Surprises Sun ‘n Fun with a Powerful New Announcement
Sun ‘n Fun 2023 — Day 1
During 2023, in only three months, I’ve lost count how many airframe producers have told me a story that goes something like this…
“We (some manufacturer) offer two 100-horsepower choices: a Rotax 912ULS (carbureted) and 912iS (fuel injected), plus the new 141-horsepower 915iS (fuel injected, intercooled). Yet everyone is ordering the 915.” More power always draws interest.
As you read yesterday, BRP-Rotax has bumped up the juice on the 912iS. Paul Mather of M-Square reported, “Rotax’s latest 912iS now offers 105 horsepower.”
This increase is not particularly unusual. BRP-Rotax has long been quite conservative with their initial numbers. Before 915iS was ready for market, the Austrian manufacturer said to expect 135 horsepower. It turned out to test at 141 continuous horsepower, a 4% increase.
And Now…!
Rotax’s newest 916iS
At their Sun ‘n Fun 2023 press conference, Rotax said, “We are proud to achieve a new level of performance with the launch of our Rotax 916iS/c aircraft propulsion system, which makes it perfectly suitable for four seater planes and for high performance two seaters.” Float-equipped airplanes may embrace the more potent engine as an aid to break water faster.
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