MOSAIC and the LSRI Course Review

Like many of you, I was thrilled to hear during AirVenture 2025 the FAA had issued the Final Rule for the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) on July 18, 2025. The initial stage—which became active on Oct. 22, 2025—included changes to pilot training and certification rules and privileges, repairman certification and maintenance rules, and Class G airspace and right-of-way rules. The second stage—which rolls out on July 24, 2026—will include the removal of the “light-sport aircraft” definition from 14 CFR § 1.1, amended airworthiness certification requirements, and changes in operations including operating limitations.

My particular enthusiasm for MOSAIC stemmed most from the stage 1 rollout. You see, in December 2024, I had acquired from a salvage company a 2002 GlaStar, an Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft (E-AB) that had been submerged in floodwaters during Hurricane Helene here in western North Carolina. (More on that in a future story.) The previous owner was a friend of mine but not the original builder. And the original builder had long since passed away. So, like all E-ABs that had been orphaned by their original builders for one reason or another, and ownership transferred, the only option for the annual condition inspections sign-off during that period was a certified A&P. It didn’t matter whether the new owner had built one, five, or 50 identical aircraft previously, the work they were legally allowed to perform was regular maintenance and modifications. Condition inspections were off-limits. And finding an A&P willing to inspect and sign off on an experimental aircraft that does not have a type certificate to reference for compliance, and no formal standard for documentation, can be a feat unto itself. So, if I put myself in their shoes—in the age of an overly litigious society—I can’t say I blame them.

So, as of AirVenture 2025, and the MOSAIC news, and me being 6+ months into my GlaStar restoration, my attention naturally turned toward the annual condition inspection required to return the aircraft to service. MOSAIC opened the door for one of two new repairman ratings: the Light Sport Repairman Inspection rating (LSRI) and the Light Sport Repairman Maintenance rating (LSRM). The former rating requires a two-day course focused on preparing E-AB and ELSA owners for conducting a safe condition inspection on their owned aircraft, despite not being the original builder or an A&P. The latter, the LSRM, is a more comprehensive 15-day course and, most notably in my opinion, allows the holder to conduct condition inspections on others’ aircraft, including the opportunity to be compensated for their work. Further, where previously anyone wanting to take the A&P written and practical tests would have to be endorsed by an A&P beforehand, the LSRM allows the holder to endorse themselves for the test, provided they have documented proof they’ve accomplished the hours and tasks required for the rating. In fact, according to the LSRI instructors I met, a measurable percentage of course graduates are using their LSRM rating as a path to their A&P and IA ratings. But bear in mind, the LSRI and LSRM courses and rating are category-specific. So, the suffix “Airplane” is added to the rating as Light Sport Repairman Inspection-Airplane (LSRI-A) for an E-AB or ELSA airplane, while other categories include Glider, Rotorcraft, Powered-lift, Weight-Shift-Control, Powered Parachute, and Lighter-Than-Air (LTA). The ratings are neither interchangeable nor transferable. You must complete the category-specific course to be legal for condition inspections on that category of aircraft.

For me, I was interested in the former—the LSRI-A—as I had no intention to expand services beyond my own personal aircraft condition inspections.

So, this was all good news. But good news, as they say, travels fast.

The Process

As October 2025 approached, I began exploring schools who conduct the LSRI course and quickly discovered only two outfits here in the states provide it for the Airplane category: Rainbow Aviation Services out of Kingsville, Missouri, and Sport Aviation Specialties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I opted for Rainbow as I was impressed with their credentials, especially their participation on the ASTM team in the development of the MOSAIC rules. Plus, the course that fits my schedule was to take place at their Missouri headquarters, about an hour outside of Kansas City. An easy enough trip for me from North Carolina.

The only downside was the date: Feb. 28, 2026. Nearly six months away! I thought, “Certainly my GlaStar would be ready to fly long before then.” So, while having the rating for future condition inspections will be great, I would have to locate an A&P willing to perform this next one. Or would I?

As it turned out, without belaboring the details, a few items, not the least of which were my career, the holidays, and some third-party dependencies, slowed my progress. So December came and went without the “second first engine start.” Maybe this LSRI by early March would be beneficial after all!

The Course

The Rainbow Aviation Services LSRI-A course I attended was held in Kingsland, Missouri, about 1 hour 15 minutes from KMCI in very well-equipped classroom, hangar, and shop environments. The class was hosted by Brian and Carol Carpenter, two extremely well-versed aviation experts with cumulative credentials as pilots, A&P/IA, CFII, and ASTM members. They are both very well published, and many of you may know Brian from his EAA “Hints for Homebuilders” video segments.

The course began promptly at 8 a.m. each day and wrapped up at 5 p.m. Each segment ran approximately 50–55 minutes, allowing for regular bio breaks. Lunch was an hour each day. Restrooms and refreshments were aplenty with a typical FBO-style “toss a buck in the jar” policy.

The operation sits in a separate set of structures from their private home on their property with a small lake and an unimproved 1,200-foot runway. The Carpenters are California transplants and former FBO owners and ultralight importers. Having grown weary of some of the business and zoning laws out there—as well as having been victims of a major property theft—they now call Missouri home. Though most of their classes are held on their home turf, they also provide this two-day class in select other locations in the U.S. (and abroad in exceptional cases as we learned).

Generally speaking, the class was well-organized and on-point. Brian handled all the aircraft theory and best maintenance practices while Carol was the documentation czar and regulatory history professor, and she administered the 50-question closed-book exam. She also seemed to handle most of the back-office activity, ever present in email in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the class. Brian and Carol traded topics throughout the weekend (presumably to give each other a break and not inundate the pupils with too much of one focus at a time). They also made the course interesting and fun with loads of comic relief and some all-too-relevant eye-popping aviation stories!

Brian kicked off the course with a bit of aerodynamics theory and continued through the weekend with a focus on weight and balance, flight control systems, balanced flying surfaces, materials contamination and corrosion, and engines and props. He also regularly underscored—with minimal exceptions—his confidence in the manufacturers’ prescribed methods for operating and maintaining their powerplants—be it a tiny two-stroke or a fire-breathing turbo.

Carol reviewed the FAR changes associated with 14 CFR Parts 65 and 43 as well as the process(es) newly minted LSRI-A course graduates would need to follow to obtain their “hard credentials” and amended airworthiness certificate operating limitations. Questions on any topics were answered thoughtfully and with the somewhat expected “it depends” caveats, reminding us we were (nearly all) certificated pilots and expected to apply our best judgment and decision-making to all situations.

My Review

I give the course high marks for accomplishing its stated goal as everyone in the class passed with high marks. If I had to make any recommendations, however, it would be to include more hands-on exercises. Our only real-world demonstration was the engine compression testing. But the classroom electronic whiteboard setup was helpful in Brian explaining complex topics visually without the need for hands-on logistics. And I imagine this is intentional as adding more exercises could easily turn an affordable, compact, 16-hour, two-day course into a three- to four-day commitment.

Yet still, I have to consider other factors when pondering the concept of a mere two-day repairman course. Wherein I personally found it comprehensive, I have considerable experience in E-AB and aircraft building, ownership, and aviating. So, the topics were mostly familiar to me. However, had I been a brand-new owner of an E-AB or ELSA built by someone else, without my own experience building and maintaining an aircraft, or a newer pilot, it would have been a bewildering “drinking from the firehose” experience—with limited hands-on inspection demonstration over the two days. Therefore, I would recommend anyone not intimately familiar with their aircraft hire an A&P to shadow them during their first condition inspection. I know I intend to do this on my first outing. And it should be much easier to find an A&P agreeable to this “second set of eyes” approach since they won’t be required to sign anything, alleviating any liability. My best words of wisdom would be “know your limitations and accept help, no matter the cost.”

Course cost was reasonable at $525 including materials, plus travel to Missouri and local accommodations, ground transportation, meals, etc. Accommodations nearby are quite limited—as are dining options—but everyone made do. You can even fly into the Carpenter’s private strip right there on their property after reviewing their arrival procedures. No one in this class opted for that and Sunday’s inclement weather was a strong justification for that decision. So, when all was said and done, the weekend cost me around $2,000. I probably could have done it for 30%–40% less but I don’t like sleeping in a tent anywhere other than Oshkosh. I’m sort of a diva like that.

Post-Course Follow-ons

After passing the test and receiving my course completion certificate, there were still two important follow-up actions to be performed to make the rating official. Carol was sure to outline these in the final course segment and in the tab-delimited course binder.

The first action is to submit the FAA application for your official Repairman Certificate with the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). This includes completing FAA Form 8610-3 and making an appointment for an in-person visit with an inspector. During this meeting, the inspector will review your application, your original course completion certificate, and your photo ID. (Note: do NOT sign nor date your application until in the presence of the inspector.) At that point, he or she will issue you a temporary paper certificate with the certificate number listed as “Pending.” In a matter of weeks, you will receive a hard certificate much like your pilot certificate. Contrary to earlier claims, this certificate number will not be the same as your pilot certificate number. That convenience only applies to pilots obtaining their A&P certificate, not the light sport repairman certificates. In my case, this process included an initial call to the FSDO to leave a message, then an email to back up my request, and then a follow-up call nine days later when I actually spoke with an office admin. She assured me I was “in the system” from my initial call and that someone would contact me soon. A week later, I had not heard from anyone, so I called again. This time I received a prompt return call from Inspector Reynolds. He was apologetic for the delayed response and surprised me with an offer to meet me at my home field to complete the application and issue my temp certificate. Despite popular jokes about the FAA being “here to help,” I didn’t get the sense there was an ulterior motive—and it would save me a four-hour round trip to Charlotte, so I accepted the offer. As anticipated, the visit was concise, courteous, and thorough. We even briefly discussed the process for returning my GlaStar to service—including the inspector confirming the changes I had made during the restoration were not considered major alterations since they complied with the factory-designed configuration options.

Next up, you’ll need to complete the electronic application Form 8130-6 for an updated airworthiness certificate with amended operating limitations. You will be asked to provide your current/original operating limitations and a letter stating the changes you’re requesting therein. In my case, I requested a change to include the addition for who could perform condition inspections consistent with the benefits of the LSRI certificate outlined in 14 CFR § 65.109. I also requested a change in the language for the softened limitations for flight over densely populated areas consistent with MOSAIC, and the change that any future return to Phase 1 testing be centered around my current airport rather than the original builder’s upper Midwest location. Though there is currently no intent to return to Phase 1 testing, this change accommodates any aircraft changes in the future that may require such. Better to make the change now than to wait for an additional operating limitations amendment when needing to return to Phase 1 testing later.

And, speaking of waiting … I submitted that application on March 9 and I have yet to be contacted by an Airworthiness Certification representative. Email responses have simply stated “it will be assigned to a representative in a reasonable timeframe.” I guess that statement, like many things the FAA says, is open for interpretation. The biggest concern there being the fact that I cannot legally complete the condition inspection and return my aircraft to service without the amended airworthiness certificate.

Alas, the waiting continues. For this reason, I recommend planning for no less than 60 days before you receive your paper repairman certificate and your amended airworthiness certificate. In the meanwhile, if you decide to attend the repairman course at Rainbow in Kingsville, Missouri, and want a recommendation for a romantic little cottage on a lake 15 minutes from class, send me a message.