"Mark Zivley" wrote in message
. com...
This will be my last post on this. Letters are not that big of a hassle.
Let's face it, they provide no tangible value and a program letter will
not prevent the kind of accident you described.

If someone builds a home-built then yes, I can see that it might be nice
if they crash within 20nm of their home airport, but for factory built
gliders the accident rate is almost entirely pilot error.

Anyway, it would sure be nice if the SSA could eliminate program letters
for factory built gliders. Nuf said.

Mark


Mark.

Yes it would be nice if that could happen, but I don't see it happening.
The issue is this. You cannot operate an aircraft without an airworthiness
certificate.
You do not qualify for amatuer built/experimental for obvious reasons.
It wasn't certified in the US by the manufacturer, so the powers that be
created
experimental/exhibition&racing. At the time the law was created, sailplanes
were a very small blip
on the radar and program letters were read very closely if you were
operating a warbird,
primarily jets. The Fresno incident just about killed non-certified
aircraft op's in the country.
They are a bit of a hassle, but are necessary because of the class the
aircraft operates under.
Until the classification requirements change, the program letter is the only
thing that allows you to fly.

Scott.