This has got nothing to do with the EAA ... they don't regulate or run the
Light Plane categories - they have however been active in lobbying the FAA
and they chair the ASTM concensus committee. The SSA is the one that you
should be writing to - they need to get involved in the process in a similar
manner to the EAA and work on behalf of glider pilots.

The regulations (Part 21 etc) already make provison for gliders.

The ASTM apparently have a subcommittee to establish a consensus standard
but it is not clear how active this is. Anyone know ???? Who are the
members.

However before you get too excited. Carefully consider what value the
existing sport plane regulations are to glider manufacturers and pilots.
Remember that gliding is a very international sport and most of the gliders
come from O/S. At this stage there are only a few countries that have
regulations for light sport aircraft and this will probably restrict the
usefullness of the regulations ... unless the US is going to start making
gliders in a big way again.




"Slick" wrote in message ...
The new FAR's address the issue with gliders and sport ratings.
"Mark James Boyd" wrote in message
news:41abcbc9$1@darkstar...
I'd like anyone with interest to e-mail EAA at



asking why they haven't included gliders in their list of
Light Sport Aircraft, and why their literature doesn't
address gliders in the Sport Pilot summaries.

I've been in touch with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
here in the USA, and they haven't seen much interest from the
"soaring community." Please e-mail them and encourage them to
promote gliders in their Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft
publicity.

I know there are a lot of experimental glider owners, and
the Light Sport Aircraft maint. section will likely affect you
if you have a glider with Vne below 120 knots. Here is your chance
to affect the course of forming regulations...

And for you glider manufacturers (Bob K., Greg Cole, SZD USA,
Pipistrel, etc.) you may want to get a finger in the pie as the
LSA glider "industry consensus standards" are written. I'm
told at the recent ATSM meeting for LSA, all LSA categories had
representatives EXCEPT gliders.

Write EAA and tell them you are interested in their promotion of
gliding.

Cheers!

Mark J. Boyd

P.S. The Soaring article is done, and should appear in Feb 2005.
If anyone has SZD 50-3 Puchasz or Bocian photos with caption, I'd
still like them. Please e-mail me a web link to them, as my anti-spam
filter will bounce e-mail that has big files otherwise...
I can also give another e-mail to interested parties...
--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd




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