While every worthwhile activity in life entails some element of risk, being a pilot is an area where you have an enormous amount of control over your exposure to risk. The pilot has the final say in the kind of weather they fly in, the terrain they fly over, the kind of airplane the fly in, the amount of extra fuel they carry, etc.  Therefore, flying is all about risk management. We accept risk in every activity of our lives.

Becoming a safe and proficient pilot is like learning any new skill. It may seem difficult at first, but once you are in the middle of the learning process you will be surprised at how quickly you will learn and retain the information.  Each skill is built upon the previous one learned, and soon you will find yourself comfortably flying the airplane all by yourself.

In an effort to make the process of learning to fly simpler and less expensive, the FAA created the Sport Pilot license which enabled pilots to fly aircraft in the Light Sport category. The design and manufacture of LSA’s are certified under a different authority (ASTM International standards body) rather than the FAA.  This has, in general, made LSAs more affordable.  LSAs may not have more than two seats and cannot weigh more than 1,320 lbs (1,430 for aircraft that can land on water).

LSAs also have limitations on airspeed and complexity (no retractable gear or variable pitch propellers).  Since LSAs are a new category of aircraft, most still have that "new airplane smell" and only cost a fraction of conventional certificated aircraft.

One of the benefits of LSA aircraft is that they can be equipped for IFR flights (like ours).  This can make training for your Instrument Rating much less expensive.

In a word – fun.  With nearly 100 different LSA manufacturers, the choice was far from easy.  We spent a great deal of time researching the different models and finally settled on the Tecnam Sierra, one of the best handling and easiest LSAs to fly.  It also has a canopy that slides back during flight to give you that amazing ‘cruising down the freeway with the top down’ feeling…except your actually FLYING!

Until hydrogen-power becomes a reality, we must continue to use existing fuels to power our vehicles.  The Tecnam Sierra is as “green” as a typical economy car.

Flying to Lake Tahoe and back you will consume about the same amount of gasoline as you would in a Toyota Corolla.  And we guarantee the ride in the Sierra will be a lot more fun!   The Tecnam Sierra is significantly quieter (62db) than regular aircraft (>85db) and our airport neighbors really appreciate that.

Depending upon the ratings you desire, you could spend many thousands to earn all available ratings up through the Airline Transport Pilot certificate.  However, at Sea and Sky Aviation we are particularly focused on getting non-pilots in the air.  The Sport Pilot Certificate is the easiest and least expensive pilot certificate.  However, we are able to offer all the advanced ratings to students who wish to continue their training and want to save money by flying less expensive light sport aircraft.  Sport Pilots typically will spend around $4,600 to earn their pilot certificates whereas Private Pilots will spend between $9 - 10,000 to complete their training.

Whether you're completely new to aviation or have flown aircraft before, Sport Pilot is the new way to fly that is easier, more affordable, safe, and loads of FUN! Sport Pilot enables enthusiasts to learn to fly and gain access to aircraft in half the time and for half the cost of previous alternatives.

Learn more about becoming a Sports Pilot here.