Many Opting To Become Sport Pilots

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Despite the cost of fuel, flight training is becoming more popular because there's an easier and cheaper way to get a pilot's license.  It's been available for some time, at half the time and half the cost.

Brent Butler is a new class of pilot.

"I really didn't want to fly at night or high altitude, and those are, so I don't have to train for those," said Brent Butler.

Butler will soon have his Sport Pilot License which means he can only fly certain airplanes, only in daytime, and only with one passenger.

That's all many pilots want to do.

"It really fills a niche that was being left behind by the traditional private pilot's license," said David Koehn with Fast Forward Aviation.

David Koehn runs a flight school that caters to pilots of light planes, like the Piper Cub.  He says the sport license is perfect for people who can't afford the time or expense of a private pilot's license and who don't want to do more than be a recreational pilot.

 "They want to go out and fly on sunny days.  Take a passenger and fly to the lake and go when the weather is good.  They don't want to fly on instruments.  They just want to fly for fun," said David Koehn with Fast Forward Aviation.

The sport license is fueling Tom Guttman's business.  He sells aircraft made just for sport pilots.

"It's a fun plane to fly.  It's a sport plane.  It goes back to the basics of flying.  It's a sport plane," said Tom Guttman of Airtime Aviation.

One of the planes is made in Germany and sells for $140,000.  It has the latest technology in the cockpit.  It is made of composite materials for light weight.  And, it has a parachute for safety.

"Less expensive, less maintenance, cheaper to fly and frankly a lot more fun.  It's fun to fly.  It's a sport plane," said Tom Guttman of Airtime Aviation.

Flying is not cheap, but getting started is less expensive than it used to be and that's getting more people into the cockpit.