You'd lose that bet, Tony - I'm another glider guy who called his FSDO
asking them to give him new operating limits. My op limits were dated
June 2002, and specified a home base airport. Had I stuck with these
op limits, I would have had a 3,000 mile (one way) drive to fly my
glider for proficiency!

Surprisingly, the new op limits are more permissive than the old op
limits. If I wanted, I could install appropriate instruments and fly
IFR now, whereas the old limits were for VFR flight only. I am also
now allowed to carry passengers, as long as it's not for hire. Neither
are of interest (or practical, for that matter), but it just goes to
show that new op limits are not always bad.

-John

Tony wrote:
true in most cases, especially with non amatuer built gliders that
require a program letter and stuff. however on my experimental-amatuer
built Cherokee II I was actually able to gain more flexibilty in terms
of required instrumentation by getting new operating limitations
issued last spring. everything else was the same except the very
friendly folks at the Wichita FSDO issued them using the standard
wording that all experimental amatuer built aircraft should get, that
is there are no instrument requirements as long as you are flying Day
VFR. The last guy had given it operating limitations which restrained
it to the 91.209 (I think) AIRPLANE instrument requirements.

But based on what I've seen on RAS and what I've heard I bet I'm about
the only glider guy in the country who has called the FSDO asking them
to give me new operating limitations.