To apply for a sport pilot certificate, you must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the following aeronautical knowledge areas:

(a) Applicable regulations of this chapter that relate to sport pilot privileges, limits, and flight operations;

(b) Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;

(c) Use of the applicable portions of the "Aeronautical Information Manual" and FAA advisory circulars;

(d) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems;

(e) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;

(f) Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence;

(g) Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance;

(h) Weight and balance computations;

(i) Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems;

(j) Stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques, if applicable;

(k) Tumble entry, tumble avoidance techniques for weight-shift-control aircraft category privileges;

(l) Aeronautical decision making and judgment; and

(m) Preflight action that includes;

(1) How to get information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and

(2) How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered.

§ 89.Section 53. What flight proficiency requirements must I meet to apply for a sport pilot certificate?

To apply for a sport pilot certificate, you must receive and log ground and flight training from an authorized instructor on the following areas of operation for airplane single-engine, glider, gyroplane, airship, balloon, powered parachute, and weight shift control privileges:

(a) Preflight preparation;

(b) Preflight procedures;

(c) Airport, seaplane base, and gliderport operations, as applicable;

(d) Takeoffs (or launches), landings, and go-arounds:

(e) Performance maneuvers, and for gliders, performance speeds;

(f) Ground reference maneuvers (not applicable to gliders and balloons);

(g) Soaring techniques (applicable to gliders only);

(h) Navigation;

(i) Slow flight and stalls (stalls not applicable to lighter-than-air aircraft and gyroplanes);

(j) Emergency operations; and

(k) Post-flight procedures.