Tim Ward wrote:
"R. Wubben" wrote in message
I'm thinking of a Scheibe SF-25/Slingsby T.61:
Vne is 99 knots.
Gross wt. is 1260
I'm not sure what stall speed is, probably about 40 knots or so.

So based on that, one would think it would qualify. What I'm curious
is if it would fall under the glider OR the "light sport airplane"
section. Does the FAA even recognise the motorglider class when
talking about LSA?

Out of curiosity, what advantage do you see in having it registered as a
LSA?

The 10,000 foot rule applies to Sport Pilots, not aircraft, so this
is no problem (the LSA certification isn't more limiting to the aircraft).

Perhaps he doesn't have a glider license, and wants to
take a passenger, but has no examiners nearby (only CFIs). And
maybe he has a bunch of airplane pilot friends who'd consider
a partnership, but won't take a checkride to do so.

Maybe he wants to do his own yearly condition inspections.

Perhaps another question is, what are the disadvantages?

Well, because maintenance can be performed by someone who
has only taken a 80-hour course and inspections are done by
someone with only 16 hours of training, there may be a perceived
loss of value at resale. Certainly a new buyer of an LSA
will want a careful inspection, perhaps more careful than if
a full A&P signed it off every year.

For similar reasons, an insurer may have a different rate for
a Standard vs. SLSA vs experimental or ELSA certificate.
I haven't seen this in the past (there is a J-3 Cub I know of
that the owner made experimental, and the insurer didn't
even blink). But I would certainly check with an insurer before
making any choices about what certificate to get. Glider vs.
airplane, SLSA vs. experimental vs. standard vs. ELSA, etc.
may have some effect. I simply don't know.

I've bought or sold maybe a dozen aircraft, and insurance shopping was
always done before a transaction.

For me, the most interesting part of this whole thing is how the
insurers are going to react. From the rumblings of Costello, it
sounds like the airworthiness certificate and the rating of the pilot
aren't as important as the make and model, and the pilot's time in make
and model.

If you call an insurer and ask, please write back and let us know...
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Mark J. Boyd