Flying Private Pilot w/o Medical

[jiott]

A few of us have been having a discussion, but don't know any real answers. Here's the question: If you have a Private ticket but have voluntarily dropped the 3rd class medical and are flying with a driver's license medical, have you thereby forced yourself to fly totally by Sport Pilot rules, i.e. day only vfr, only light sport qualified aircraft, no vfr flight over cloud layers, etc.

I'm sure some of you CFI's and other knowledgable people out there know the answers. My take is yes, you have turned yourself into a Sport Pilot even though your ticket still says Private on it. Otherwise why wouldn't everybody forget the medical and keep flying Private with no loss of priveleges.

[rv9ralph]

You are correct. You would be limited to flying aircraft that fit into the Light Sport Category and operating under those rules.
However, if you pass a 3rd class medical you can again exercise your privileges under your Private Pilot certificate.
Another however, if you subsequently fail to pass a 3rd class physical, you are grounded until you can pass.

Ralph

[Paul Z]

Good Question, I fly only VFR, a daytime only, I have no landing lights, but I don't like night flying.

[SkyPirate]

Flying PPL without a 3rd class if you have transitioned D airspace and its logged you don't need a endorsement, if your SPL , you need an endorsement to land at a towered D airspace , not sure on the C airspace .. I stay out of that traffic

[TahoeTim]

You can get a b,c,d endorsement for sport pilot.

The bad thing about failing the third class medical is that it grounds you from all flying. I wish Congress would move on the PP drivers license medical bill.

[896tr]

I know several people that are flying without medical certificates. One of them even lands at a class B airport. So my question is, with current staffing and budget what are the chances of getting caught? And what kind of "penalties", if any, would likely be imposed? Inquiring minds want to know.
Steve

[Av8r3400]

I know several people that are flying without medical certificates. One of them even lands at a class B airport. So my question is, with current staffing and budget what are the chances of getting caught? And what kind of "penalties", if any, would likely be imposed? Inquiring minds want to know.
Steve

If these people are private pilots, flying without a third class medical under light sport rules, nothing will happen to them. They are perfectly legal.

If they are only LS pilots, flying without the control tower endorsement, yet working the system right, most likely nothing will happen to them.

[jrevens]

Something to also consider if you're breaking the rules - you're risking an awful lot if you have an accident where insurance is involved. You're also going to potentially hinder any possible easing of the current rules for everyone. I'm not trying to be preachy, but if you have much to loose, and you value the freedoms we enjoy now, think about it.

[Paul Z]

I went in and out of Boise , I have a Private Pilots License flying on my Drivers License. I would imagine if there were an issue with it Paul Leaderbrand would have told me.

[jrevens]

I went in and out of Boise , I have a Private Pilots License flying on my Drivers License. I would imagine if there were an issue with it Paul Leaderbrand would have told me.

Paul,
If your airplane is Sport Pilot legal - registered as 1320# gross, etc. - and you didn't lose your medical before deciding not to renew it, and you meet the other requirements to be Sport Pilot legal, then you are OK. I don't know what you mean by having an "issue" with it, but the rules are pretty clear in that regard. If you're not OK and you have an accident, for instance, your insurance company & the FAA are going to have a real issue with it. I don't know if Paul knew you had a medical or not, or if he asked you. I don't know if you have insurance to protect your assets or the people who you could potentially harm.
The point I was mostly trying to make is that it wouldn't take very many "incidents" or accidents where guys were found bending or breaking the rules to affect the probability of the feds allowing the additional easing of the rules that we're trying so hard to get right now. Guys should just think about it and don't do something dumb that might affect all of us, that's all I'm saying. I'm not naive enough to not know that there are, & always have been people flying airplanes illegally. It's just a different world today than when I started flying over 40 years ago.