Getting back to gliding

[K Smith]

I haven't flown since 1993, and am now a diabetic who gained a large amount
of weight. I have finally gotten off my lazy butt and decided to drop the
weight and get back in a sailplane. I hope to be back in shape by this
winter sometime. What I need to know is if the medical requirements have
changed since the early 90's. I don't take insulin and have no other
problems caused by diabetes and should be good to go medically. I know that
to regian my power privlages I would have to jump through a bunch of
government hoops, but it did not used to be this way for soaring.

Any info would be much appreciated.

Thanks
K Smith
Tennessee

[Vaughn Simon]

"K Smith" > wrote in message
...
>I haven't flown since 1993, and am now a diabetic who gained a large amount of
>weight. I have finally gotten off my lazy butt and decided to drop the weight
>and get back in a sailplane.

Great! It will be great to have you back in the sport. More importantly,
losing weight will probably help your diabetes and will help you fit into a
(sometimes) tight glider cockpit. It is a win-win situation.

Back when I first decided to learn how to fly, I took a look at the useful
load capacity of a typical training glider. That opened my eyes and gave me the
incentive I needed to downsize my waistline by several inches.

Vaughn

[Vaughn Simon]

"K Smith" > wrote in message
...
>What I need to know is if the medical requirements have
changed since the early 90's.

Sorry, I neglected to answer your question. There have been no huge changes
in medical requirements since the 90's except for the new light sport
regulations. As long as you have not been turned down for your last FAA medical
certificate application, your valid driver's license is all the medical that you
need to fly one of the new light sport airplanes (LSA). Many of those LSA
airplanes are useful load "challenged" so if you are heavy you may have trouble
finding a light enough instructor so that the two of you can fly.

Gliders still require no medical certification, but there (obviously) must be
no medical reason why you can't fly.

Vaughn