On 8 Feb 2004 08:54:58 -0700, (Mark James Boyd)
wrote:

A coupla things. No pilot is required to wear parachutes
if he is the sole occupant.

Next, aerobatics is a little ambiguous. 91.303 says
"an intentional maneuver involving an abrupt change
in an aircraft's attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal
acceleration, not necessary for normal flight."

In 91.307(c), every occupant must wear a parachute
to execute an intentional manuever that exceeds 60 degrees
of bank or 30 degrees nose-up or down attitude relative to
the horizon.

So "aerobatics" (including stalls, chandelles, lazy-8s, steep
turns 50 degrees, etc.) can be done without parachutes (although
there are still requirements to stay away from airways, cities,
airport airspace, low vis, above 1500 ft AGL, etc.).

Ahh.. I have to apologize. In my other reply I forgot to mention the
guy who bailed out of his Lo-100 that had lost a wing inflight while
doing aerobatics.
He started to leaeve the glider at 3.000 ft, the chute opened less
than 100 ft above the ground.


Bye
Andreas