Become an Ultralight Pilot

ULTRALIGHT PILOT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Overall, Ultralights have no regulated pilot training requirements and no aircraft maintenance requirements.

However, it must be understood that there are federal laws the ultralight pilot must follow. Not many and they are easy to understand and printed in the federal lawbooks in two pages. Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 103.

These are the legal rules by which you and I fly. These privileges, however lenient, carry responsibilities. The ultralight industry successfully self-regulated the freedom to fly with relatively few government regulations and public safety limitations. While there are no specific legal requirements, ultralight pilots must be trained just like any other pilot.

This is an interesting observation and a lesson to us all: The number of ultralight pilots who cannot afford basic piloting skills to fly the ultralight, somehow have enough money for ultralight repair/replacement, medical/hospital expenses and sometimes funeral costs. Make no mistake, getting training is a wise investment for all.

Typically, you train in a two-place light-Sport aircraft to the point where you are ready to confidently solo in calm, bumpy and crosswind conditions.

Additionally, there are no time, training or FAA tests for a single place ultralight. However, the federal laws FAR Title 14 Part 103 require the non-FAA licensed pilot to fly an ultralight with certain federal requirements for the safety of the general public which require significant education of the federal airspace and specific requirements to fly into some controlled federal airspace.

For an ultralight pilot to think he/she is operating without any federal regulations this is a misnomer. FAR Part 103 or officially Title 14 CFR Part 103 FEDERAL LAW specifies a number of federal regulations so some uneducated 103 pilot does not fly into a GA traffic, a commercial airliner or create a hazard to the general public. If you in a remote area this will not affect you as much but in more congested airspace flying an ultralight, this is a big factor. No one wants to get hurt flying an ultralight. Simple.

Simply put, if you are going to operate an ultralight in federal airspace, you need to know the laws that affect you, your family, your friends and the general public per Title 14 CFR Part 103.

If anyone thinks that those operating an ultralight are free from federal airspace regulations, think again. It is federal airspace, and you must abide by the federal airspace laws.

The following on-line course on Airspace for All Pilots provides the information and a great course for Ultralight pilots. What a prospective ultralight pilot should do is take the “Learn to Fly” course (for Airplane or Weight-Shift Control Trike) up to the stage where you are ready to go solo.

This is typically how an Ultralight pilot is trained. Just like a regular pilot up to the stage where you are ready to solo.

Again, if you want to get qualified to fly an ultralight trike, it takes about half the time as a sport pilot and one quarter the time as a private pilot trike.

Click here for specific costs for training with Sport Aviation Center.

For your information the Federal rules are following:

PART 103 – ULTRALIGHT VEHICLES

Source: Docket No. 21631, 47 FR 38776, Sept. 2, 1982, unless otherwise noted.

Subpart A – General

§ 103.1 Applicability.

This part prescribes rules governing the operation of ultralight vehicles in the United States. For the purposes of this part, an ultralight vehicle is a vehicle that:

(a) Is used or intended to be used for manned operation in the air by a single occupant;

(b) Is used or intended to be used for recreation or sport purposes only;

(c) Does not have any U.S. or foreign airworthiness certificate; and

(d) If unpowered, weighs less than 155 pounds; or

(e) If powered:

(1) Weighs less than 254 pounds empty weight, excluding floats and safety devices which are intended for deployment in a potentially catastrophic situation;

(2) Has a fuel capacity not exceeding 5 U.S. gallons;

(3) Is not capable of more than 55 knots calibrated airspeed at full power in level flight; and

(4) Has a power-off stall speed which does not exceed 24 knots calibrated airspeed.

§ 103.3 Inspection requirements.

(a) Any person operating an ultralight vehicle under this part shall, upon request, allow the Administrator, or his designee, to inspect the vehicle to determine the applicability of this part.

(b) The pilot or operator of an ultralight vehicle must, upon request of the Administrator, furnish satisfactory evidence that the vehicle is subject only to the provisions of this part.

§ 103.5 Waivers.

No person may conduct operations that require a deviation from this part except under a written waiver issued by the Administrator.

§ 103.7 Certification and registration.

(a) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to certification of aircraft or their parts or equipment, ultralight vehicles and their component parts and equipment are not required to meet the airworthiness certification standards specified for aircraft or to have certificates of airworthiness.

(b) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to airman certification, operators of ultralight vehicles are not required to meet any aeronautical knowledge, age, or experience requirements to operate those vehicles or to have airman or medical certificates.

(c) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to registration and marking of aircraft, ultralight vehicles are not required to be registered or to bear markings of any type.

Subpart B – Operating Rules

§ 103.9 Hazardous operations.

(a) No person may operate any ultralight vehicle in a manner that creates a hazard to other persons or property.

(b) No person may allow an object to be dropped from an ultralight vehicle if such action creates a hazard to other persons or property.

§ 103.11 Daylight operations.

(a) No person may operate an ultralight vehicle except between the hours of sunrise and sunset.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, ultralight vehicles may be operated during the twilight periods 30 minutes before official sunrise and 30 minutes after official sunset or, in Alaska, during the period of civil twilight as defined in the Air Almanac, if:

(1) The vehicle is equipped with an operating anticollision light visible for at least 3 statute miles; and

(2) All operations are conducted in uncontrolled airspace.

§ 103.13 Operation near aircraft; right-of-way rules.

(a) Each person operating an ultralight vehicle shall maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid aircraft and shall yield the right-of-way to all aircraft.

(b) No person may operate an ultralight vehicle in a manner that creates a collision hazard with respect to any aircraft.

(c) Powered ultralights shall yield the right-of-way to unpowered ultralights.

§ 103.15 Operations over congested areas.

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons.

§ 103.17 Operations in certain airspace.

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle within Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from the ATC facility having jurisdiction over that airspace.

[Amdt. 103-17, 56 FR 65662, Dec. 17, 1991]

§ 103.19 Operations in prohibited or restricted areas.

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle in prohibited or restricted areas unless that person has permission from the using or controlling agency, as appropriate.

§ 103.20 Flight restrictions in the proximity of certain areas designated by notice to airmen.

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle in areas designated in a Notice to Airmen under § 91.137, § 91.138, § 91.141, § 91.143 or § 91.145 of this chapter, unless authorized by:

(a) Air Traffic Control (ATC); or

(b) A Flight Standards Certificate of Waiver or Authorization issued for the demonstration or event.

[Doc. No. FAA-2000-8274, 66 FR 47378, Sept. 11, 2001]

§ 103.21 Visual reference with the surface.

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle except by visual reference with the surface.

§ 103.23 Flight visibility and cloud clearance requirements.

No person may operate an ultralight vehicle when the flight visibility or distance from clouds is less than that in the table found below. All operations in Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D airspace or Class E airspace designated for an airport must receive prior ATC authorization as required in § 103.17 of this part.
Airspace Flight visibility Distance from clouds
Class A Not applicable Not Applicable.
Class B 3 statute miles Clear of Clouds.
Class C 3 statute miles 500 feet below. 1,000 feet above. 2,000 feet horizontal.
Class D 3 statute miles 500 feet below. 1,000 feet above. 2,000 feet horizontal.
Class E:
Less than 10,000 feet MSL 3 statute miles 500 feet below. 1,000 feet above. 2,000 feet horizontal.
At or above 10,000 feet MSL 5 statute miles 1,000 feet below. 1,000 feet above. 1 statute mile horizontal.
Class G:
1,200 feet or less above the surface (regardless of MSL altitude) 1 statute mile Clear of clouds.
More than 1,200 feet above the surface but less than 10,000 feet MSL 1 statute mile 500 feet below. 1,000 feet above. 2,000 feet horizontal.
More than 1,200 feet above the surface and at or above 10,000 feet MSL 5 statute miles 1,000 feet below. 1,000 feet above. 1 statute mile horizontal.

[Amdt. 103-17, 56 FR 65662, Dec. 17, 1991]