wrote:

I never have understood the recreational pilot's license. It
takes pretty much the same amount of time, and still requires the PTS,
checkride, and medical.

The original proposal was another attempt to eliminate the requirement for a
medical certificate. It would have been popular if it had been implemented that
way. The proposal got all the way to the DOT and the DOT added a requirement
for a medical certificate. After that, the rec pilot was attractive to only a
few people.

Sport Pilot will be similar if the DOT does it again.

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that cannot
be learned any other way. Samuel Clemens