wrote:
On Feb 18, 9:49 am, Marc Ramsey wrote:
I doubt very many Sparrowhawks are legal Part 103 ultralights, most are
quite simply over the weight limitation. Owners of "fat" ultralights
are being "encouraged" to recertify under LSA (though I believe there
was a grace period which may be over, by now). If you're willing to
take your chances on not getting a ramp check involving a scale, then
there probably is no reason to switch.

LSA certification does allow for the manufacture of a two seat training
glider that can be used commercially, without going through a
multi-million dollar certification process. And yes, the 10,000 foot
limitation goes away if the PIC has a private license...

Marc

I do not disagree with what you are saying but you have not answered
my question which is why register say a single place glider as a LSA
glider instead instead of as a regular glider (experimental or
standard).

Sorry, I missed that part of the thread.

Except for the 2 place trainer which, as you point out, might make
sense what's the rationale for a single place glider?

For most, none, for single place gliders that already meet the LSA
restrictions (1-26, K6, K8 come immediately to mind), owner maintenance
could be an advantage in some (very limited) circumstances. The only
real advantage would be with a US manufactured single place glider that
can't meet 103 restrictions, and can be made to meet the LSA
restrictions. The problem with a not quite 103 legal Sparrowhawk is
that the FAA does have rules on the book that restrict series
manufacture and sale of non-type certificated non-ultralight aircraft.
They've been looking the other way for a while (is anyone really
building a Lancair Evolution in their garage?), but they could easily
change their bureaucratic minds...

Marc