Can a Sport Instructor give a tailwheel signoff to a private pilot?

[TRA]

Can a Sport Instructor give a tailwheel signoff to a private
pilot (ASEL)? If he can, are there any limits to what the
private pilot can fly?

[Jim Macklin]

§ 61.413 What are the privileges of my flight instructor
certificate with a sport pilot rating?
If you hold a fight flight instructor certificate with a
sport pilot rating, you are authorized, within the limits of
your certificate and rating, to provide training and logbook
endorsements for-

(a) A student pilot seeking a sport pilot certificate;

(b) A sport pilot certificate;

(c) A flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot
rating;

(d) A powered parachute or weight-shift-control aircraft
rating;

(e) Sport pilot privileges;

(f) A flight review or operating privilege for a sport
pilot;



short answer, no.

"TRA" > wrote in message
...
| Can a Sport Instructor give a tailwheel signoff to a
private
| pilot (ASEL)? If he can, are there any limits to what the
| private pilot can fly?

[Jim Macklin]

A sport pilot instructor can only instruct in LSA and can
only sign off sport pilots. It is possible there are some
cross-overs, such as tailwheel and a flight review in a LSA
would count for a flight review for all higher classes.

But the language is clear, a sport pilot instructor can
endorse for a sport pilot privilege. Whether that
endorsement can be extended beyond the sport pilot to a
higher class certificate is up to the FAA.
A sport pilot instructor in a J3 Cub (sport class aircraft)
and endorse a sport pilot for a tailwheel, but whether it
can be extended to a private pilot operating privilege under
61.31 has not been clearly explained.


"T o d d P a t t i s t" > wrote
in message
...
| "Jim Macklin" >
wrote:
|
| >§ 61.413 What are the privileges of my flight
instructor
| >certificate with a sport pilot rating?
| >(f) A flight review or operating privilege for a sport
| >pilot;
|
| >short answer, no.
|
| A private pilot is able to operate under the limitations
of
| a sport pilot. According to my last discussion with the
| FAA, a sport instructor can give a flight review to the
| holder of a private pilot certificate (or commercial or
ATP)
| and should require performance up to the sport pilot
| standards. That flight review is then valid for the pilot
| in all cat/class and for all privileges. If your
| interpretation were correct, then the above language
(which
| covers flight reviews and operating privs - like tailwheel
| endorsements) would prohibit the flight reviews too - in
| contradiction to what the FAA told me.
|
| It looks to me like the answer is "yes." A sport pilot
| needs the 61.31 tailwheel signoff and any private pilot
who
| wants to fly a tailwheel airplane under the included sport
| pilot privileges of his PP can get the signoff from a
sport
| instructor. As far as I can see that signoff would then
be
| good for all tailwheel airplanes, regardless of whether
they
| are LSAs or not, just as the flight review is valid for
all.
| For example, there is no multiengine tailwheel endorsement
| and you don't need a multiengine instructor to get the
| endorsement, yet the endorsement from an ASEL limited
| instructor would allow you to fly a multiengine tailwheel
| aircraft.
|
| Of course, this is just my opinion by analogy based on
what
| the FAA's sport pilot group told me. At the time I spoke
| with them they were sort of wondering if it made sense to
| allow a flight review to lesser standards, but that was
| their interpretation of the regs. Maybe it has changed
| since then.
| --
| Do not spin this aircraft. If the aircraft does enter a
spin it will return to earth without further attention on
the part of the aeronaut.
|
| (first handbook issued with the Curtis-Wright flyer)

[Jim Macklin]

Only the asked question get a ruling.



"T o d d P a t t i s t" > wrote
in message
...
| "Jim Macklin" >
wrote:
|
| >A sport pilot instructor can only instruct in LSA
|
| Correct.
|
| >and can only sign off sport pilots.
|
| I agree he can only sign off to the sport pilot level. We
| are discussing whether he can sign off higher level pilots
| to the sport level and whether that signoff then permits
the
| higher rated pilot to exercise the privileges of his
| certificate beyond the sport level. The question is much
| like whether a BFR from an ASEL limited instructor permits
| the recipient to exercise the privileges of his
certificate
| in other cat/classes (it does).
|
| >It is possible there are some
| >cross-overs, such as tailwheel and a flight review in a
LSA
| >would count for a flight review for all higher classes.
|
| I was interested, so I called the AOPA legal hotline for
| their interpretation. They say that the sport pilot
| instructor can give flight reviews and signoffs under
61.31
| to appropriately cat/class rated recreational and higher
| pilots. Of course, the instruction must be in an LSA that
| the instructor is legal to give instruction in and the
pilot
| must be cat/class rated to fly the LSA he's receiving
| instruction in.
|
| >But the language is clear, a sport pilot instructor can
| >endorse for a sport pilot privilege. Whether that
| >endorsement can be extended beyond the sport pilot to a
| >higher class certificate is up to the FAA.
|
| I did speak to the FAA on the flight review issue about 6
| months ago. They told me at the time that the SPI can
give
| a FR to a PP and that it would satisfy the PP's
requirement
| for a FR and make him legal in all cat/class for which
he's
| rated. They also confirmed that a renewal of the SPI
under
| Supbart K would renew any the Subpart H instructor ratings
| he held.
|
| >A sport pilot instructor in a J3 Cub (sport class
aircraft)
| >and endorse a sport pilot for a tailwheel, but whether it
| >can be extended to a private pilot operating privilege
under
| >61.31 has not been clearly explained.
|
| I agree - there's still some question there, but only
| because it hasn't been asked much. So far, the FAA and
the
| AOPA seem to be giving consistent answers on this. If
| there's anything definitive in writing, I haven't seen it.
|
| --
| Do not spin this aircraft. If the aircraft does enter a
spin it will return to earth without further attention on
the part of the aeronaut.
|
| (first handbook issued with the Curtis-Wright flyer)

[Jim Macklin]

The FAA writes rules and then when asked "what did you
intend" writes a legal opinion. Until the public asks the
question, the rule is not fully formed.

I think as a general policy, all citizens should exercise
the maximum leeway and use every possible ambiguity to their
advantage and make the government justify any restriction.


"T o d d P a t t i s t" > wrote
in message
...
| "Jim Macklin" >
wrote:
|
| >Only the asked question get a ruling.
|
| Do you want to flesh out the point you are making here?
| Perhaps just a bit?
| --
| Do not spin this aircraft. If the aircraft does enter a
spin it will return to earth without further attention on
the part of the aeronaut.
|
| (first handbook issued with the Curtis-Wright flyer)