Was chatting with an FAA engineer about an unrelated matter and the subject of JAR specs for sailplanes came up. I mentioned almost in passing that it sure seemed like if any new ground was plowed on batteries it would be OSTIV and EASA that paved it.

He replied that if a manufacturer actually recommended newer chemistry batteries as replacement for the OEMs that are no longer available the FAA would most likely have no issues extending a formal okey dokey and blessing.

Anybody got a friend at Blanik CZ? I know folks running LiFe anyways but it would be a nice change of pace to see the regulations catch up to technology, even if it's only for a little while.