Mark James Boyd wrote:

I really, really think ultralights becoming FAA aircraft
has MUCH more in common with gliders than airplanes.

The rules the ultralight community have lived by are MUCH more
alike the glider rules than the airplane rules.

All of the following characteristics match gliders AND ultralights.
NONE of the following characteristics match the majority of airplanes.

Ultralight aircraft (fixed wing, weight shift, powered parachute):

1) Have minimal instrumentation
2) Fly 99% day VFR
3) Fly 90% within 50nm of home
4) Have very light weight
5) Have very slow landing speeds
6) Have minimal training requirements
7) Have excellent motorized climb in FT per NM ratios
8) Need to be aware of the effects of turbulence, slope lift, etc.
9) Used to be hang gliders
10) Never required ELTs or Transponders
11) Fly frequently out of private, dirt, and cropduster strips
12) Remove or assemble wings without a mandatory mechanic signoff
13) Fly for fun instead of practical transportation
14) Wear chutes or install BRS parachutes commonly
15) Have a very high ratio of experimentals vs. standard aircraft
16) Commonly use a stick or bar instead of a yoke
17) Don't require any medical, and a denied medical is no problem

I can see why we disagree: we have very different opionions of what a
glider characteristic is.
Of those in your list, I'd say only # 8 is characteristic of a glider. I
certainly don't think ELT or transponder
usage has anything to do with being a glider, but is just pilot
preference, nor do medicals, pilot rescue systems,
and so on. In fact, I'd say the list fits _ultralights_ a lot better
than gliders. The craft we fly are
markedly different from a Quicksilver


Airplanes don't have ANY of this in common with ultralights.

For me, the essence of airplane is not the instruments, ELTs, medicals,
etc. These are just features of
regulations, as "airplane" can go from an Aeronca Champ to a 747. What's
common is the use of the motor
to sustain flight.

Gliders have ALL of this in common. Think about it.

So do model airplanes and their pilots. Think about it.


Look at that Quicksilver picture again. It's a glider.
USUA, ASC, and the Ultralight part of EAA are
gonna need support to get these things into the FAA system by
Jan 31, 2010. SSA and ASA seem to me the BEST fit these guys have.

Best Fit still does not mean "good enough". If they don't fit with those
other folks, either, maybe by 2010,
there will be a place for them. I don't think it's in soaring. We can
and should be friends with them, as with other
aviators.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA