December 16th 12, 07:00 AM
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Junior Member
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First recorded activity by AviationBanter: Dec 2012
Posts: 1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T[_2_]
On Jan 4, 9:39*pm, Mike the Strike wrote:
On Jan 4, 11:46*pm, T wrote:
On Jan 4, 1:40*pm, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Jan 5, 1:09*am, Mike the Strike wrote:
Except that the Sport certificate is only valid for flying light sport
aircraft. *I am not aware that any two-seat LSA gliders exist.
The only thing stopping most of them is a too-high Vne. There are a
number of older two seat gliders with Vne until 120 knots:
Ka7: 92
ASK13: 108
Janus: 119
It's easy, and I suspect even legal, to simply make up a plate with a
lower Vne than the manufacturer originally specified. There are many
cases where a glider model's Vne has been reduced due to problems
discovered later such as flutter. Can you (or your engineer) reduce a
single glider's placarded Vne because of repairs, or simply because
you feel that it is "old"? It's no great hardship in most glider
flying to lose a few knots off the top speed.
I've definitely seen a powered aircraft operated as a LSA by replacing
the placard with one specifying a lower MTOW (which was then
ignored...).
No.. you cannot change the MTOW or Vne of an aircraft, airplane or
glider from what it was originally certified at just to make it
qualify for LSA. If you have seen this in powered aircraft, do you
have an example you would like to cite?
In any case, it is not legal, and if the pilot did so to be able to
fly under LSA rules sans medical, he may have just invalidated his
insurance, his airworthy certificate and would be subject to penalties
and possible loss of certificates from the FAA.
Reducing an "experimental" aircraft due to "re-enginnering" would
subject the aircraft to a new airworthy certification and review and a
new round of flying off phase 1 and phase 2 requirements. And if it is
an imported aircraft.. even more headaches are possible.
T
I still maintain my original assertion that no gliders have been
certified by FAA as LSA. *Certainly a number could meet the
limitations, but decertification would be non-trivial. *If I am wrong,
please cite specific aircraft.
Mike
You may be correct that no gliders have been certified in the light
sport category.
But the do not have to be certified as light sport to be flown by a
light sport pilot.
They only need to be certified in the standard or experimental
category and their listed certified MTOW and Vne meet the light sport
criteria.
T
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I know I picked up on this tread long after, but you are incorrect. The LSA speed limitation does not apply to the airframe Vne. the 120 rule is the maximum continuous straight and level flight speed at sea level. I fly under sport pilot, and legally fly SLSA, ELSA and experimental aircraft that have Vne of over 150kts. So unless a glider can maintain a continuous 120kts straight and level flight at sea level. I don't see this as an issue.
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