ASK-21 New AD

AD has been issued for ASK-21.
2014-06-07 requires compliance of TN 4b and revising the flight manual.
Effective 5/8 with 30 days to comply.
UH

Looks like a placard AD to make sure the tail spin ballast weights are removed before solo flight. If not resulting aft CG could make stall recovery difficult to impossible.

BT

On Friday, April 4, 2014 9:15:47 AM UTC-5, Bill T wrote:
Looks like a placard AD to make sure the tail spin ballast weights are removed before solo flight. If not resulting aft CG could make stall recovery difficult to impossible.


Not meaning to argue at all, but this AD might not be that simple. Depending on your ASK-21, it may be more than just a placard. Go to the Schleicher website and read Technical Note TN 4b (USA version.) If your ASK-21 has spin weight capability, then a bolt may need to be installed in your instrument panel. My ASK-21 is new and already has the bolt, but I need to replace pages in my flight manual and maintenance manual. Actual replacement pages are found on the Schleicher website, not as text in the FAA AD. They mainly relate to CG calculations.

In the new manual pages, Schleicher also wants the PIC to fly from the front seat in most situations. I've been giving glider rides (not students) from my front seat for several years, as I can better see the towplane, towrope, emergency signals, the radio and vario controls, etc. Ride passengers in the back seat are more comfortable near the CG and don't need to put their feet on the rudder pedals, as they must do in the front seat. Oops, thread diversion!