OK, I'll try but it's been a few years since I was IFR current so I may miss
some newer requrements.

I think the best way to answer this is to say that, in general, the FAR's
require you to have the equipment needed for the flight you plan to
undertake. For example, if an airplane pilot wants to fly to an airport
that has only a NDB (Non Directional Beacon) approach, then the airplane has
to have and ADF. If it has only a GPS approach, you need GPS. Equipment
onboard is coded as "/" codes such as /R which means the aircraft is capable
of area navigation. "/A" means you have a Mode C transponder.

Obviously, gliders would never be flying approaches in VMC but might want to
cloud fly or exploit Class A airspace. Class A airspace has it's own
requirements,for example DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) which I think
can be satisfied with GPS. Of course, you also need an attitude indicator,
a quality 760 channel communication transceiver and a transponder. I think
GPS ground track will suffice for heading. (A glider flies so slow that
tere is usually a big difference between heading and track - it's track
you're interested in anyway.)

The way it works is for the pilot to request a clearance that defines a
flight or a portion of a flight and then ATC will respond with an offered
clearance that may, or may not be exactly what the pilot requested. The PIC
then has the option of accepting, rejecting or asking for a modification of
that clearance . This is called "negotiating" a clearance. As above, you
have to have the equipment (and skills) required to fly the clearance you
accept.

A glider, which can not hold an assigned altitude, would be requesting
"block" or "cruise" clearances that define a 3-dimensional block of airspace
in which the glider would be cleared to fly. No other aircraft would be
cleared into that airspace - you would "own" it. As the glider moves cross
country, the block would move with it subject to ongoing negotiations with
ATC. My discussions with ATC representatives have centered around two types
of clearances. For thermalling in cloud, a "climb while holding present
positon" with defined altitudes would be requested. For XC glides, a cruise
clearance to a specified waypoint along a defined route with defined
altitudes would be requested.

This is way too brief and has skipped over some very important points that
would be in an instrument training program. You can see that operating a
glider under IFR rules adds a lot to the pilot workload and may become
overwhelming. One of my personal equipment requirements when flying
airplanes IFR was a working autopilot. Of course, any time you find
yourself in class E airspace and clear of clouds, you can cancel your IFR
clearance and proceed VFR as usual.

Bill Daniels

"Soarin Again" wrote in message
...
something that the FAA specifically states as illegal?

Got a specific FAR to back up that statement?
Bill Daniels

Bill

Could you enlighten us as to what equipment we would
need to have installed in our gliders in order to be
able
to legally fly IFR in the U.S.?