Sport Light Aircraft regs

"Bill Daniels" wrote in message news:%SeLc.126806$a24.52280@attbi_s03...
The FAA has finally released the final SLA regulations for gliders.

The Gross is now 1320 pounds, the Vne is 120 knots.

It seems like good news. Any comments?

Bill Daniels

Good news for most - but the 10,000 MSL limit pretty much restricts
soaring here in the mountains (and isolates a few airports like
Jackson Hole). Maybe in time the FAA will allow an add on rating for
LSA glider pilots?
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Leon McAtee

"Leon McAtee" wrote in message
om...
"Bill Daniels" wrote in message
news:%SeLc.126806$a24.52280@attbi_s03...
The FAA has finally released the final SLA regulations for gliders.

The Gross is now 1320 pounds, the Vne is 120 knots.

It seems like good news. Any comments?

Bill Daniels

Good news for most - but the 10,000 MSL limit pretty much restricts
soaring here in the mountains (and isolates a few airports like
Jackson Hole). Maybe in time the FAA will allow an add on rating for
LSA glider pilots?
=============
Leon McAtee

I could be reading it wrong, but the 10,000 foot limit seems to apply to
Sport Pilots flying LSA's, not to rated glider pilots flying an LSA glider.
The comments with the regs clearly stated the concern about Sport Pilots not
having the training for high altitude flight. There was no mention that I
found of a Light Sport Glider being limited to 10k feet if flown by a rated
pilot.

It doesn't seem to be that much more difficult to get a Private Glider
certificate than a Sport Pilot certificate so I doubt that there will be
many Sport Glider Pilots. We need to watch for limitations relating to
rated pilots flying LSA's. So far, it looks pretty good.

One interesting passage talks about powered LSA's being permitted to tow
gliders for compensation. Do you suppose that a successful tug could be
built under the 1320 pound limit?

Bill Daniels

One interesting passage talks about powered LSA's being permitted to tow
gliders for compensation. Do you suppose that a successful tug could be
built under the 1320 pound limit?

Bill Daniels

Don't know about LSA reg, but as for the og, go and see
http://www.windcraft.fi/pik27/welcome.htm
Aki has posted previously by himself also...

By my first reading, this is what I understand:

A 10,000 msl altitude limit, so at Marfa the visiting Sport Pilot in their
Sport Glider must leave the thermal at 5,000' agl on a day with 16,000'
cloudbases. Not a good idea over our "scenic" mountain terrain.

Now look at the US Sport Pilot Medical requirements: Driver License will
suffice, HOWEVER if you were ever denied a FAA Third Class Medical Certificate
you must show FAA that the disqualifying condition has been remedied. For
Sport Pilots only. Still no medical (or "history") required for "regular" USA
glider/ motorglider pilots.

Also, appears FAA ammended FAR 61.69 Towpilot endorsement which will allow us
to tow light gliders like "Sparrowhawk" - legally.

This is my first reading of this very long document - so my comments here are
not gospel. Read it yourself on the www.faa.gov website.

Note: this message applies only to USA readers.

Burt Compton
Marfa Gliders, west Texas
www.flygliders.com