Resignation then Euphoria

What is happening with the FAA’s new regulation? Short answer: You may have to resign yourself to a somewhat longer wait.

Word in knowledgeable circles as of early March is that the FAA will likely not announce MOSAIC at Oshkosh in July. I hear your groans of frustration. Truth is, the FAA likes to announce new sector regulation at major media events like EAA AirVenture. The agency may be a Washington bureaucracy, but it clearly understands the value of good public relations. Announcing the final details of a much anticipated program like MOSAIC would definitely be good news in Oshkosh, so there would have to be good reasons not to. 

Those knowledgeable circles involve people with deep inside connections talking to highly placed agency officials. The FAA is now in what’s called “ex parte,” meaning a quiet period when it will not speak publicly about a pending regulation. Nonetheless, reading between the lines suggests that a new administration with ambitious economic goals will not prevent MOSAIC, but more time is needed to be sure rule writers satisfy requirements from new leadership. There is also the issue of government funding. No one is quite sure where the FAA will land—there’s simultaneous talk of improving safety and quality while reducing costs. 

Pilots will not like this further delay, but here are two reasons why this is not a major concern.

First, the delay will not be long, say those with inside information. President Donald Trump’s administration wants a stronger economy. If the FAA is persuasive that MOSAIC will help, it may be accelerated, those with connections believe.

However, the industry is growing concerned about tariffs. I’ve written earlier that many MOSAIC light sport aircraft (LSA) candidates are already flying in Europe and elsewhere. These will supply American importers quickly after MOSAIC is released, but prices may leap if tariffs apply. Tariffs might also influence prices for U.S.-based manufacturers as well. 

Therefore, the second reason is that the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) has joined with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), its GA counterpart, to appeal to the Trump administration to treat aircraft distinctly, specifically, with no tariffs. Aircraft components have often received similar treatment, so the industry request is normal and ordinary. That effort is beginning. It is unusual but satisfying that the two manufacturer organizations coordinated on a matter affecting their members.

Keeping America the world’s largest and strongest aviation market is a point the current administration should be able to appreciate.

Known to many as “those guys from that company that fly their new airplanes around the world,” developer The Airplane Factory (TAF) from South Africa may be one of the most prepared for MOSAIC. 

TAF has several times flown a new design around the globe. Its latest, the Sling HW (for High Wing), has been flying since 2022. It’s already a well-developed design that carries forward a lot that Sling has learned building two-seat trainers and its four-seat TSi. (In fact, the HW has the same wing as the TSi, just mounted on top.) In many respects, this could be the quintessential MOSAIC model. A modern Cessna 172, anyone?

How’s this for tempting? A Rotax 916-powered HW can carry four people with a claimed useful load of 1,060 pounds, cruising at 145 knots on just 7.5 gph of auto fuel. The turbo Rotax means it climbs well to altitude and cruises fast once it gets there. It is, of course, an automated engine, and the airplane features the latest avionics.

Before you ask, prices have not yet been set. Before you get unhappy about that, you can hardly blame manufacturers due to the waiting game that is presently MOSAIC. Mature builders realize they need to come out of the gate with their strongest offering. Most will avoid showing their hand prematurely.

Well-equipped, more capable aircraft will arrive at a higher price point. Fortunately, pilots can access a large variety of them from the most affordable to highly sophisticated.

Current LSAs are now well-refined flying machines, but they remain two seaters limited by law to 120 knots. They are also weight limited by regulation. Some, but not all, might get a gross-weight increase under MOSAIC.

Yet if you can live within those parameters, a fleet of LSAs now includes a growing number of low-time used aircraft available, in many cases for less than $100,000. Slimmer budgets can find numerous choices among a diverse field, some below $50,000.

The truth is that the arrival of sleek, fast, roomy MOSAIC LSA means that more current LSAs will enter the used market. Perhaps one or the other is your euphoria?