Sport pilot program takes flight at Gateway Airport

By Juliana A. Torres 
Staff Writer

On a clear day, perfect for flying, Roger Frechette wheels out a Remos GX aircraft, pulling it by the propeller on its nose out of the hangar at Kissimmee Gateway Airport. The tiny aircraft, with a wingspan of just more than 30 feet, stands barely taller than its owner and looks dwarfed amid all the empty space around it.

But with a driver license, 20 hours of training and just over $3,000, an individual could earn a license to fly it.

“All you need is common sense and a desire to learn something that’s challenging,” Frechette said.

Frechette is the owner of a new business at the Kissimmee airport, the Orlando-Gateway Sport Pilot Flight Training Center, which specializes in training prospective pilots for their sport pilot license. Although a sport pilot license only can authorize one to fly light-sport aircraft –smaller planes with only one or two seats –the training takes only about a third of the time and a third of the cost to earn a full private pilot license, Frechette said.

He said a sport pilot license puts flying within everyone’s grasp. The Federal Aviation Authority defined the rules for a light sport aircraft in 2004, setting the certification needed to fly them apart from recreational and private pilot licenses. Compared to 40 hours needed for a private pilot license, it takes just 15 hours in the air with an instructor and five hours alone.

While it’s possible to log those hours within three weeks (some of his students have done just that), the slow and steady approach works just as well, Frechette said.

“You can put in one to two hours a week, finish in six months and have fun doing it,” he said.

Frechette said several of his customers are from Europe or elsewhere outside the United States, because it’s cheaper, even after a hotel and airfare, to pay for the required training in the U. S. and then transfer it to the equivalent license in another country. Other customers were certified to fly other aircraft but have expired medical certificates, which are needed for other pilot licenses, and want to get back into flying.

Many students at the training center just want to start flying as soon as they can, he said.

The Remos GX is just one example of a light-sport aircraft. Though a relatively new model, it’s growing popularity as a private-use, training airplane mirrors what was once enjoyed by Cessna 150 models, Frechette said, pointing out the slim design and the ease of control once the plane is in the air.

“You don’t have to muscle it around,” he said, advising instead a light hand on the throttle. “It’s like a sports car in the sky.”

The plane Frechette uses has joint throttles and pedals so that the instructor can control the aircraft as a passenger. The new Remos model has wings that fold up so the plane can fit in tighter spaces, such as a trailer. At 2.3 gallons per hour, the Remos GX can fly up to nine and a half hours. It has max speeds of around 130 mph.

“It’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” Frechette said.

The Orlando-Gateway Sport Pilot Flight Training Center charges $149 per hour for dual instruction and $99 per solo hour. At a required minimum of 15 hours of dual instruction, five hours of solo practice, 10 hours of ground briefing at $500 and a sport pilot kit for $120, the program costs $3,350. Frechette said he offers financing to help customers handle the costs.

For those interested in flying, the center offers a $79 “discovery flight” that will allow you to try the plane in the air before committing to a program.

For more information, call 407-414-8359 or visit orlandogatewaysportpilot.com.