Utah gyroplane clears FAA hurdle

The Federal Aviation Administration has qualified the single-seat SparrowHawk gyroplane made in Utah under a new sport pilot license that will simplify the rules for flying.

The 148-horsepower SparrowHawk is being readied for bigger sales by gyroplane developer Groen Brothers Aviation through dealerships for $30,380 shipped in crates. Groen Bros. makes the kit planes at a Salt Lake factory.

The manufacturer planned to handle its own sales in Utah but turned to a Spanish Fork dealer, AirGyro Aviation, which plans to show off the plane at a demonstration Sept. 1, when the FAA makes sport licenses available.

The new license will lower the barriers to becoming a pilot and an aircraft owner, FAA administrator Marion Blakely said when she announced the change in July.

"We want to make aviation safe and affordable for recreational pilots," Blakely said.

It will take as few as 20 hours of training to legally pilot a SparrowHawk, down from 70 hours of flight time for a regular pilot's license. Anyone with a driver's license could qualify for the sport license without the stringent medical exam required of pilots flying more sophisticated aircraft.