charlie foxtrot wrote:
To those of you who have an Experimental Certificate, do you have it
liscensed under Exhibition and Air Racing or something else? Do you
need to submit an annual Program Letter to the FAA? Any advice you
have will be a great help!

Some FSDOs are known to be a bit more flexible in their interpretation
of the various advisory circulars that determine exactly what is
required of the owner of an aircraft with an experimental aircraft. I
have obtained operating limitations in recent years that only required a
new program letter when I wanted to make changes in my "program". Given
that my program letters explicitly listed just about every soaring site
in California and Nevada as a "home base" for proficiency flying, and
that my limitations also allowed me to practice for, or participate in,
SSA sanctioned contests and FAI badge/diploma flights anywhere in the
continental US, there was never any need for changes.

My suggestion is that you ask around locally, and find out which FSDOs
will deal with you as if you're flying a MiG-21, and which are a bit
more reasonable with gliders. If possible, obtain copies of liberal
operating limitations and program letters that were accepted by a local
FSDO in the recent past, and ask if you can get the same. Also
understand that the DARs apparently have less flexibility in this regard
than the FAA...

Marc