Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Teaching in an LSA

Asked by: 3298 views Flight Instructor, Light Sport Aircraft, Private Pilot

I do understand the basics of medical required while acting as a CFI, but here is one I've not heard an answer to. A CFI (regular CFI, not a Sport CFI) teaching a Private Pilot student in a Light Sport Aircraft, (Sportstar, Skycatcher, Remos, CT, Tecnam, etc), does he need a Medical Certificate?  The catch in my mind is that a medical is not required to act as Pic in the LSA (using Drivers License)

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Pilotgil on Nov 01, 2018

    No medical certificate is required by the CFI to teach in an LSA. Just make sure you have a valid drivers’s licence for the LSA; however, the student will need a 3rd Class or a current Basic Med AND held a previous class medical sometime after July 14, 2006 AND possess a U.S. driver’s license by the checkride.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Mark Kolber on Nov 03, 2018

    I think you will find your answer in 61.123(c). Generally speaking, the requirement for medical certificates and the authorization to fly without one, is not based on the certificate one holds. It is based on the pilot privileges one exercises. So, for example, even an ATP needs no medical certificate at all when exercising the “lesser” privileges of a sport pilot.

    Similarly, I’d go out on a (short) limb to say that when the holder of a CFI certificate with an ASE rating is only exercising the privileges of a CFI certificate with a “lesser” sport pilot rating, she only requires the level of medical qualification applicable to sport instructors.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.