The best aircraft for sport pilots under the MOSAIC rule

Cruise speed, endorsements, and stepping up under the new sport-pilot envelope

May 20, 2026 · Updated May 25, 2026

For two decades a sport pilot certificate meant a two-seat, 1,320-pound airplane and little else. The FAA’s MOSAIC rule ended that. Since October 22, 2025, sport-pilot eligibility is defined by what an airplane can do rather than the category it was certificated under, and that change brought the Cessna 172, the Piper Archer, and dozens of other four-seat singles within reach of a sport pilot for the first time.

This guide covers the aircraft a sport pilot may now fly under MOSAIC. It is a different list from the light sport aircraft guide, which still covers the LSA category on its own terms. If you are shopping the light-sport market specifically, start there. If you hold a sport pilot certificate and want to know which type-certificated airplanes are now open to you, this is the list.

What MOSAIC changed

Before MOSAIC, a sport pilot was confined to the light sport aircraft category: 1,320 pounds maximum takeoff weight, a 45-knot clean stall speed, two seats, fixed gear. The airplane had to be built to that standard, which left most of the general aviation fleet off-limits.

MOSAIC replaced the category test with a performance test. Under § 61.316, a sport pilot may now operate any airplane that meets four conditions: a clean-configuration stall speed (VS1) at or below 59 KCAS, four seats or fewer, a single engine, and a non-pressurized cabin. The airworthiness category no longer matters. A standard-category Cessna 172 qualifies on its stall speed the same way a purpose-built LSA does.

The practical result is a much longer list. The Cessna 172 and 182, the Piper Archer and Cherokee Warrior, the Grumman Tiger, the Cardinal, and a range of legacy taildraggers all clear the 59-knot gate. The rule was published on July 24, 2025 and took effect for operating privileges on October 22, 2025 (FAA final rule, Docket FAA-2023-1377). AOPA and EAA both publish plain-English explainers alongside the regulation. Every airplane in this guide links to its detail page, where the eligibility verdict appears as a checked attribute rather than a claim.

Can you fly it? The MOSAIC checklist

For an airplane to be sport-pilot-eligible under § 61.316, it has to clear four gates:

Clean stall speed at or below 59 KCAS. This is VS1: the stall speed wings-level, flaps and gear up, at maximum takeoff weight. It is the criterion that disqualifies the most candidates: an airplane whose clean stall sits above 59 KCAS is out regardless of how it scores elsewhere.
Four seats or fewer. This is a count of installed seats, not occupancy. A sport pilot may still carry only one passenger regardless of how many seats the airplane has.
A single engine. Twins do not qualify, whatever their stall speed.
A non-pressurized cabin. Pressurized singles such as the P210 are out.

Rotorcraft and powered-lift fall under separate provisions of § 61.316; this guide covers fixed-wing airplanes.

One number is worth a closer look, because it is the one that trips buyers up. Manufacturers usually publish stall speeds in indicated airspeed (KIAS), but the rule is written in calibrated airspeed (KCAS), and the two drift apart near the stall, often by 5 or 6 knots on a certificated airframe. The indicated number tends to read low, so an airplane advertised at 57 KIAS can land on the wrong side of the 59 KCAS line once the calibration is applied. To stay clear of that trap, this site marks an airplane sport-pilot-flyable only when its published stall sits at or below a conservative 56 KIAS, a few knots under the gate on purpose. Treat the green badge on each detail page as a safe first screen rather than the final word: for any airplane close to the limit, confirm the calibrated stall speed in that specific model’s POH before you count on it.

What matters when choosing one of these aircraft

The eligibility list is long. The right airplane for a sport pilot is a narrower question, and a few things weigh more than they would for a private pilot:

The four-seat, one-passenger asymmetry. A sport pilot may carry one passenger no matter how many seats the airplane has. Fly a four-seat 172 as a sport pilot and three of those seats sit empty. Paying for cabin space you cannot legally fill is real money, in both purchase price and fuel burn. Two-seat airplanes like the Cessna 152, the Diamond DA20 Katana, and the Super Cub remain rational choices for many sport pilots even now.
Cruise speed and useful load. The newly eligible four-seat singles do not buy much speed over a strong LSA; a Skyhawk and a fast light-sport both cruise near 120 knots. What the four-seater buys is useful load and the room to add IFR capability later. The honest tradeoff is cabin and payload, not pace.
Engine and overhaul cost. Four-cylinder Lycoming O-320 and O-360 engines (the 172, Archer, Warrior) are among the cheapest piston engines to overhaul. Six-cylinder engines such as the 182’s O-470 cost meaningfully more, and that difference lands in your hourly reserve. At the modest mission profiles most sport pilots fly, the reserve number often matters more than the speed.
The transition, and insurance. Stepping from an LSA or a fresh certificate into a type-certificated four-seat airplane is a genuine transition, and underwriters treat it that way. Insurance on these types usually carries a transition-training requirement regardless of your total time. Build the dual instruction into the purchase budget rather than around it.
Maintenance regime. Most of this list is type-certificated, which means an annual inspection signed by an A&P/IA rather than the lighter LSA condition-inspection regime. The annual costs more. The offsetting advantage is the parts and service network for legacy Cessnas and Pipers, which nothing in the light-sport world matches.
Where you fly. Trainers and budget cross-country: the 172, 152, Warrior, Archer, and DA20. A faster step-up: the 182. Backcountry and tailwheel: the 180 Skywagon and Super Cub. The kit-built path: the RV-12. The picks below are grouped along these lines.

Our picks

Select up to 5 to compare side by side, or open any aircraft for full specs.

Cessna 152 Piston

107 kts 477 nm 2

The cheapest way to stay flying, and with two seats nothing is wasted under the one-passenger rule, so for a sport pilot whose flying is mostly solo or with one other person, the 152’s running cost is the deciding factor.

Cessna 177 Cardinal Piston

124 kts 604 nm 4

The comfortable, panoramic choice, since no other high-wing single sees out as well or boards as easily, the tradeoff being a pitch-sensitive stabilator that rewards type-specific landing practice before you rely on it.

Cessna 180 Skywagon Piston

140 kts 695 nm 4

The backcountry four-seater, and the factor that decides it is the tailwheel endorsement and the six-cylinder reserve you take on for genuine off-airport capability, worth it only if unimproved strips are actually your mission.

Cessna Skyhawk 172/Cutlass Piston

124 kts 640 nm 4

The deepest parts and instructor network in aviation, and the most liquid resale of any four-seater, so for a sport pilot who wants a first owned airplane with room to add IFR training later, few types are easier to own and move on from.

Cessna Skylane 182 Piston

145 kts 930 nm 4

The deciding factor is the six-cylinder O-470: its overhaul reserve runs well above the four-cylinder trainers, so the Skylane earns its place only if you regularly fly high, over mountains, or near gross, not if you mostly fly two people locally.

Tick 2 or more above to compare them side by side. selected (max)

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Endorsements you may need

Eligibility under § 61.316 gets the airplane onto your list. A handful of capabilities then sit behind additional sport-pilot endorsements, each a proficiency sign-off with an instructor rather than a written test. The ones that matter for the airplanes here:

Higher cruise speed (§ 61.327). Sport-pilot privileges now reach airplanes with a VH (maximum level-flight speed) up to 250 KCAS, but operating anything with a VH above 87 KCAS requires a one-time speed endorsement. Most of the four-seat singles here clear 87 knots, so plan on this one.
Retractable landing gear (§ 61.331(a)). Required before a sport pilot may operate a retractable-gear airplane such as the 172RG Cutlass.
Controllable-pitch propeller (§ 61.331(b)). A separate endorsement for constant-speed propellers, common on the higher-performance airframes.
Night operations (§ 61.329). Sport-pilot privileges are day-VFR by default. Night flying adds three hours of night training including a cross-country with a landing at an airport at least 25 nm away, and it raises the medical bar: night operations require an FAA medical or BasicMed, not the driver’s-license medical that covers daytime sport flying.
Controlled airspace (§ 61.325). Operating in Class B, C, or D airspace or at a tower-controlled airport needs the airspace endorsement.
Tailwheel (§ 61.31(i)). The conventional-gear airframes here, the 180 Skywagon and the Super Cub, call for a tailwheel endorsement like any other airplane.

Each airplane’s detail page lists the endorsements and ratings its airframe attributes call for. Use it to confirm which apply before you buy: an endorsement you do not yet hold is training time and cost to fold into the plan, not a reason to walk away.

Buying advice

Join the type club before you buy. The Cessna Pilots Association, the Cessna 180/185 Club, the Super Cub community, and EAA carry more practical knowledge about these airframes than any spec sheet. Owners will tell you which model years to avoid and which airworthiness directives bite.
Pay for an independent pre-buy. Use an A&P/IA who is not the seller’s mechanic. A real pre-buy on a legacy Cessna or Piper means compression numbers, oil analysis, a logbook and AD review, and a corrosion inspection, especially on airframes that have lived outside.
Read the panel for what it will cost you. Many 172s and Archers on the used market still wear legacy avionics. Budget for ADS-B Out at minimum. If an instrument rating is part of your longer plan, price the IFR retrofit before you buy, not after.
Model the real operating cost, not the sticker. Hangar, insurance, the annual, and the engine reserve add up to the number that actually decides whether you keep the airplane. The comparison tool’s operating-cost figures are the place to build that estimate honestly.
Buy for the mission you fly, not the one you imagine. A two-seat airplane you fly often beats a four-seat airplane you cannot afford to run. The one-passenger limit makes that calculus sharper for a sport pilot than for anyone else.

Frequently asked questions

I held a sport pilot certificate before MOSAIC. Do I get the new privileges automatically?

Yes. Existing sport pilots gained the expanded operating privileges on the October 22, 2025 effective date, with no re-certification required for the wider airframe envelope. The per-airplane endorsements still apply.

Why does the four-seat, one-passenger rule still apply?

The certificate, not the airplane, sets the passenger limit. A sport pilot may carry one passenger regardless of seating. MOSAIC expanded which airplanes a sport pilot may operate; it did not touch the passenger limit that lives in the certificate itself.

Can a sport pilot fly IFR after MOSAIC?

No. Sport-pilot privileges remain VFR-only. An airplane on this list may be IFR-equipped, but flying IFR requires an instrument rating, which is a separate certification path.

Can a sport pilot fly at night now?

Only with the night endorsement under § 61.329, which adds night training and a cross-country, and only while holding an FAA medical or qualifying under BasicMed. The driver’s-license medical that covers daytime sport flying does not cover night operations.

Is the LSA category gone?

No. The light sport aircraft category remains a real airworthiness category, and the LSA guide still applies to buyers shopping that specific market. MOSAIC expanded what a sport pilot may fly without changing what an LSA is.