MOSAIC is here.
Bristell is ready.
MOSAIC is the FAA's biggest expansion of the Light Sport rules in 20 years — the category you already fly, now far more capable. The Bristell B23M was built for it.
Aviation just got more accessible — and more capable
MOSAIC — the FAA's Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification — is a final rule, published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2025. It retires the two-decade-old 1,320 lbs (600 kg) Light Sport Aircraft weight limit and replaces it with a performance-based standard centered on stall speed.
The result: light sport aircraft can now be heavier, faster, and far better equipped — with more useful load, retractable gear, constant-speed propellers, and advanced avionics. For US pilots, a whole new class of aircraft just came within reach.
Bristell comes to MOSAIC with an airframe that is already type-certified: the B23 is approved under EASA CS-23, and the B23-912 has held an FAA Part 23 type certificate since September 2025. MOSAIC aircraft are accepted against industry consensus standards rather than against a type certificate, so the certificate is not a shortcut through the paperwork. What it means is that the structure, systems and flight-test evidence behind the B23M were substantiated to type-certification standards years before the rule arrived.
The capability leap
Six limits the old Light Sport rules imposed — and what MOSAIC allows instead. Read each card top to bottom: before, then after.
Weight limit
What qualifies an aircraft
Top speed
Landing gear
Propeller
Avionics
What MOSAIC means for you
More aircraft, more privileges, the same easy start — here's how the rule changes things for the pilot in the seat.
A much bigger sky
The EAA estimates expanded Sport Pilot eligibility now covers roughly 70% of the existing US general-aviation fleet — a dramatic widening from the old Light Sport category.
New privileges, earned
Night flight, retractable gear, and constant-speed propellers are now open to Sport Pilots with the right training and an instructor endorsement (night also needs a medical or BasicMed).
Still simple to start
A Sport Pilot certificate needs no FAA medical — a valid US driver's license is enough to fly day VFR with one passenger. MOSAIC keeps the on-ramp easy.
In effect today
The expanded pilot rules became effective October 22, 2025. The new-aircraft certification framework follows on July 24, 2026. The capability is here now.
The Bristell B23M
The B23M is the MOSAIC configuration of the B23 — the type-certified airframe (EASA CS-23; FAA Part 23 as the B23-912) flown in more than 30 countries, now set up for the US market. Maximum takeoff weight reaches 1,653 lbs (750 kg), leaving up to 661 lbs (300 kg) of useful load.
The Garmin AXIS glass cockpit. A standard BRS whole-aircraft parachute. A generous 51 in (130 cm) cabin — among the roomiest in the class. And across the Bristell portfolio, retractable landing gear and constant-speed propellers — exactly the capability MOSAIC now rewards. We didn't scramble to meet the rule. We were already there.
The MOSAIC-ready lineup
The B23M leads the range — backed by a full family of Bristell aircraft engineered for the MOSAIC envelope.
Bristell B23M
The MOSAIC flagship — three engine options from the Rotax 912 iS Sport to the 160 HP 916 iS, with up to 661 lbs (300 kg) of useful load.
Esplora
Bristell B8M
High-wing, all-metal, strutless — a stable, roomy trainer.
Esplora
Bristell RG M
Retractable landing gear and constant-speed prop — built to turn the new envelope into cruise speed.
Esplora
Bristell TDO M
Taildragger configuration built for backcountry and grass-strip flying.
EsploraConfigurations and engine options vary by aircraft. Talk to our US team to confirm which variant fits your certificate and mission.
Proven on European flight lines. Built for yours.
The B23M flies on the same all-metal airframe that flight schools across Europe train on every day, delivered to the US as a Light Sport Aircraft under MOSAIC. More than 1,200 Bristell aircraft are flying in more than 30 countries, and the structure underneath this one is type-certified: EASA CS-23 across the B23 family, FAA Part 23 on the B23-912.
Sport Pilot to Private Pilot, one airframe
A student can start under Sport Pilot rules, where a valid US driver's license replaces the FAA medical, and stay in the same cockpit through the Private Pilot certificate, including the three hours of instrument time the PPL requires under the hood. Same panel, same handling, no airframe change mid-syllabus and fewer checkouts for your instructors.
Two adults and fuel
Up to 661 lbs (300 kg) of useful load means a full-size instructor, a full-size student, and real fuel — without trading one for the other on every lesson.
Garmin AXIS glass, standard
Every B23M ships with the Garmin AXIS glass cockpit: NAV/COMM radio and audio panel built into the display, SafeTaxi, synthetic vision and a dedicated emergency button, so one screen replaces the radio stack. Add the GMC 507 autopilot, ADS-B In and Out, an IFR-capable GTN 650Xi navigator or Night VFR equipment to match your syllabus.
Modern-fleet economics
Three fuel-injected Rotax engines, all with FADEC, all cleared for automotive MOGAS as well as AVGAS, with TBO up to 2,000 hours (1,200 hours on the turbocharged 915 iS). A new airframe instead of one pushing forty, and a cost per hour that holds up in a fleet budget.
Already flying the line in Europe
The same airframe is a working trainer across Europe. Horizon Swiss Flight Academy, one of Switzerland's largest flight schools and a sister company to Helvetic Airways, put the type-certified B23 into its fleet for PPL-to-CPL hour building, and its instructors rate the stall recovery among the easiest they have flown.
Certified-airframe engineering
The B23M is not itself type-certified, but the airframe under it is: EASA CS-23 across the B23 family, and an FAA Part 23 type certificate on the B23-912 since September 2025. It carries the same protection system against direct lightning strike effects that EASA approved on the B23-915 IFR in April 2026, alongside a BRS whole-aircraft parachute and four-point harnesses as standard.
Available in the US today
Pilot rules — live now
Expanded Sport Pilot privileges took effect. The bigger sky is already open.
New-aircraft certification
The MOSAIC framework for certificating new light sport aircraft takes effect.
Order & fly today
Fly the FAA Part 23 certified B23-912 today and reserve your MOSAIC-ready B23M for the July 2026 phase. Book a demo flight.
MOSAIC questions, answered
The essentials on the rule, your privileges, and flying a Bristell in the US.
What is the FAA MOSAIC rule?
MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) is the FAA's final rule, published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2025. It retires the 2004 Light Sport Aircraft weight limit and replaces it with a performance-based standard built around stall speed — opening the door to a far more capable class of light aircraft.
When does MOSAIC take effect?
In two phases. Expanded Sport Pilot privileges have been in effect since October 22, 2025. The framework for certificating new light sport aircraft takes effect July 24, 2026.
How is a MOSAIC aircraft more capable than a legacy LSA?
Think of MOSAIC as the Light Sport category you already know — with the limits lifted. The old 1,320 lbs (600 kg) weight cap is gone, replaced by how slowly an aircraft flies: a clean stall speed of 61 knots (70 mph) or below. That one change unlocks higher gross weights and useful load, top speeds up to 250 KCAS (288 mph), retractable landing gear, constant-speed propellers, and advanced avionics — capability the old LSA rules never allowed.
Can I fly a Bristell as a Sport Pilot under MOSAIC?
Yes — that is exactly what MOSAIC opened up. To fly an aircraft under Sport Pilot privileges it must have a clean stall speed of 59 KCAS (68 mph) or below, carry no more than one passenger, and be flown day VFR. Bristell configures B23M variants to meet the Sport Pilot envelope — tell us your mission and our US team will confirm which one fits your certificate. A higher certificate unlocks more of each airframe's capability.
Do I need a new certificate or another checkride?
No new certificate. MOSAIC did not change your Sport Pilot certificate — it expanded what that certificate lets you fly. You keep flying day VFR with one passenger. A qualifying aircraft's added capabilities, such as a constant-speed propeller or retractable gear, simply need a short instructor endorsement, and stepping into a roomier, faster airframe is worth a few hours of transition training.
Can I order a Bristell for the MOSAIC era today?
Yes — you can order now. The Bristell B23-912 is FAA Part 23 certified and available today, and the B23M is engineered MOSAIC-ready for the expanded envelope. The FAA's framework to certificate new light sport aircraft opens July 24, 2026; order now to be first in line, and our US team will match your order to the right certification path. Book a demo flight and we'll walk you through options, availability, and delivery timing.
Does MOSAIC let me fly at night or under IFR?
Night: yes — with additional training, an instructor endorsement, and a medical or BasicMed, Sport Pilots can fly at night under MOSAIC. IFR is different: a MOSAIC aircraft can be equipped with IFR-capable avionics, but Sport Pilots still fly VFR only. A higher certificate is needed to fly IFR.
How many people can a MOSAIC aircraft carry?
A MOSAIC light sport airplane can be built with up to four seats. A Sport Pilot, however, may still carry only one passenger (two occupants total). Pilots holding higher certificates can use the additional seats.
Is the Bristell B23M a good flight-school trainer?
It is built for it. One airframe can carry a student from their first lesson under Sport Pilot rules through to higher certificates — same panel, same handling, fewer checkouts. Up to 661 lbs (300 kg) of useful load means a full-size instructor, a full-size student, and real fuel without trading one for the other, and the standard Garmin AXIS glass cockpit is the panel students want to train on. With Rotax efficiency and a new airframe, the cost per hour works hard against an aging fleet. Ask our US team for a flight-school and fleet quote.
What is the difference between the Bristell B23 and the B23M?
The B23 is our type-certified airframe — EASA CS-23 in Europe and FAA Part 23 in the US (certified as the B23-912, with further variants in progress) — flown in more than 30 countries. The B23M is the MOSAIC configuration of that same airframe, adapted for the US market — the proven structure and build quality, set up for the expanded MOSAIC envelope, with a maximum takeoff weight 1,653 lbs (750 kg) and up to 661 lbs (300 kg) of useful load.
Feel what the new rule flies like.
Thirty minutes in a Bristell says more than any spec sheet. Book a demo flight with our US team — we'll match the aircraft to your certificate.