Hangar Debrief
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4 articles tagged Regulation
Upgrade & Maintain
14 CFR part 91: the inspections and checks that come due by the calendar
Part 91 sets five recurring items by the calendar: the annual inspection (12 calendar months), the ELT inspection (12), the transponder test (24), the altimeter and static system test for IFR (24), and the VOR check for IFR (30 days). An experimental aircraft's inspection is set by its operating limitations, not by section 91.409.
11 Oct 2026
Test & Fly
14 CFR 61.316: the aircraft a sport pilot may fly, and who else may use the rule
Since October 22, 2025, a sport pilot may fly an airplane with up to four seats and a flaps-up stalling speed of no more than 59 knots CAS, with no weight limit. One passenger remains the limit. A private pilot flying on a driver's license instead of a medical certificate may fly the same aircraft under the same limits.
11 Oct 2026
Upgrade & Maintain
Light-sport repairmen may now do condition inspections on amateur-built aircraft
A light-sport repairman can now do the condition inspection on an amateur-built airplane, and an owner can earn that rating in a 16-hour course. But most airplanes' operating limitations don't allow it yet, and the owner has to ask the FAA to amend them.
11 Oct 2026
Design & Build
14 CFR part 22: light-sport category certification rules in effect since July 24, 2026
New light-sport category aircraft are now certificated under 14 CFR part 22, which sets no weight limit and allows airplanes with up to four seats and a stalling speed of up to 61 knots CAS. Aircraft certificated before July 24, 2026 keep their original limits, and a kit follows the standards in place when its statement of compliance was signed.
11 Oct 2026