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#1
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USA: Experimental Certificates
Do new gliders delivered to USA customers have Experimental Certificates?
If so, why? If not, why do most second-hand gliders have Experimental Certificates? Please reference any replies. Thanks! Chris |
#2
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At 22:00 27 October 2003, Todd Pattist wrote:
My understanding is that the (US) process is much easier now if the glider is certified in its home country. Perhaps some European ras-ers can comment on whether and how individual countries' aircraft certification processes are up for revision with the EU craze. Do I understand correctly that there are some interim procedures attempting to 'harmonize' things right now? What lies ahead? Judy |
#3
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No idea who now populates the BGA technical committee, but they had a long
standing trust in the US FAA's philosophy towards experimental aircraft as an approach to reasonable airworthiness and modification approvals (as discussed with Dick Stratton over a beer at Bicester one summer afternoon in 1991 IIRC). I suspect there is some pressure from CAA and EU workings. Other than Polish aileron hinges wearing a bit quickly, I'm not aware of anything that wouldn't pass muster at periodic, say 1000-hour, special inspections following the intial 3000-hour life. Hopefully, said gliders will continue to fly under the experimental condition inspections in the US if they can't fly under TC, if they are impacted at all here. Frank Whiteley "IanR" wrote in message ... Not sure about general airworthiness situation here in the UK, but my syndicate's a/c has been grounded for three months now, thanks to red tape. There doesn't seem to be any resolution in sight, either. It seems that the BGA are now enforcing manufacturers' suggested service-life figures as mandatory. Not sure if this has come from Brussels, but I wouldn't be at all surprised. At the same time, some manufacturers have imposed new and very severe lifetime-restrictions on their products. The worst aspect is that both did this without prior warning, and without publicising the fact until well after the event. At present we cannot establish whether there is any engineering or safety-basis for these changes, and the manufacturers refuse to disclose their reasons. (Which I view as unacceptable - if there is a safety-issue, we should be told what it is.) More info he http://www.internet.plus.com/pzl/ **************************** On 27 Oct 2003 23:07:03 GMT, Judy Ruprecht wrote: At 22:00 27 October 2003, Todd Pattist wrote: My understanding is that the (US) process is much easier now if the glider is certified in its home country. Perhaps some European ras-ers can comment on whether and how individual countries' aircraft certification processes are up for revision with the EU craze. Do I understand correctly that there are some interim procedures attempting to 'harmonize' things right now? What lies ahead? Judy |
#4
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Agree. After all, SZD aircfaft have been flying for many years without
serious problems. They do have their weak-points, like the airbrake-tube failures on the Puchacz, and the insecure winch-hook of the Bocian, but then what doesn't have some repair-requirements? For comparison looking at German bulletins reveals just as many, or maybe more, directives to repair suspect parts. (Discus mainspars for example!) Th BGA CTO is now Jim Hammerton, and I get the impression he's reluctant to commit himself to any definitive statement on the matter. I also strongly suspect that Brussels has an evil hand in this, as they have in so many things bureaucratic. The CAA generally don't want any involvement with gliders, so I would be very surprised if they had influenced the mandatory life-limitation. Other than Polish aileron hinges wearing a bit quickly, I'm not aware of anything that wouldn't pass muster at periodic, say 1000-hour, special inspections following the intial 3000-hour life. Hopefully, said gliders will continue to fly under the experimental condition inspections in the US if they can't fly under TC, if they are impacted at all here. |
#5
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"C.Fleming" wrote in message ... Do new gliders delivered to USA customers have Experimental Certificates? If so, why? If not, why do most second-hand gliders have Experimental Certificates? Please reference any replies. Thanks! Chris I think you will find that gliders are delivered to the US without any certificate at all - the owner makes an application to the FAA for the airworthiness certificate. If the glider was certificated under the Joint Aviation Regulations (JAR) then it is eligible for a standard certificate. Otherwise, there are other hoops to jump through to get a standard certificate, if one can be had at all. So in many cases the experimental certificate is issued because the glider is either not eligle, or because it was too much touble to get the standard. Having an experimental certificate also gives you more latitude in making modifications to the glider and so some gliders that are eligible for a standard certificate have an experimental instead - in these cases the owner felt the benefits of the experimental certificate outweighed the limitations. As to why so may used ships have experimental certificates, all the above applies plus I think you will find that the further back you go the small the population of gliders that were eligible for a standard certificate. Ivan |
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