The LSA Repairman: Maintenance or Inspection Rating?
The Light-Sport Rule establishes a new repairman certificate with two ratings (Ref: 14 CFR §65.107): Inspection and Maintenance.
There is only one repairman certificate, but two ratings: The “repairman (light sport) with an Inspection rating” (LSRI) and the “Repairman (light-sport aircraft)—Maintenance rating.” (LSRM) The inspection rating is available by attending a 16 hour, two day repairman course. The maintenance rating is only available by attending a much longer 80-120 hour Repairman course.
Experimental Light Sport Aircraft
As a sport pilot flying an ELSA for pleasure, you only need the 16 hour inspection course. Classes are normally schedule on the weekend and offered across the country Successful completion of the LSA Repairman Inspection course, allows you to apply for an FAA Repairman Certificate for any Experimental Light Sport Aircraft which you own or one you purchase in the future. (this does apply to Experimental Amateur Built as well, since Oct 2025) You do not have to be the builder. You simply have to have successfully completed the 16 hour training course for LSA Repairman Inspection in the assigned “class” of the selected
course (airplane, weight shift, powered
parachute, glider, gyroplane, or lighter-than-air). There is no expiration date on the certificate of course completion. You do not need to currently own an ELSA or EAB.
(There isn’t any authorization required to perform the maintenance on experimental aircraft.) However, if you fly two different class of aircraft, say, airplane and weight shift, then you will have to take one 16 hour inspection course for weight shift and another 16 hour inspection course for airplane.
The good news: There are no renewal
Once you earn your repairman certification , there are no limits on how many aircraft in the select category you may own. Additionally, all maintenance is already allowed. There is no requirement for a repairman certificate to perform maintenance on your E-LSA or EAB.
Special Light Sport Aircraft
Owners of a Special Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA) must attend at 15 day workshop (15 day/120 hrs). Successful completion of the Repairman Maintenance Rating allows you to perform the maintenance, the annual condition inspection, and the 100 hour inspections (required only for aircraft used for hire) on any Special Light Sport Aircraft, Experimental Light Sport Aircraft, or experimental amateur built in the assigned “ category” of the course (airplane, weight shift , glider, powered parachute). This is an FAA approved workshop and an FAA certificate is issued after successful completion. You do not have to own the aircraft. You do not even need to be a pilot and you may charge for your services.
Unlike the Repairman-Inspection rating, a person with the Repairman-Maintenance rating can perform maintenance and inspections on anyone’s S-LSA E-LSA or EAB and charge for his/her services. For this reason, he is sometimes referred to as a “Sport-Mechanic.” There are no prerequisites for the training course. In fact, a Repairman with a Maintenance rating need not even be a pilot. Additionally, the repairman may also keep a portfolio of his work and apply for authorization to take the A&P written and practical exams for general aviation after working in the field for 30 +months under his/her own supervision.
The LSRM may also serve as a stepping-stone to the DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative.)