Experimental Catagory: Pros and Cons?

What are the pros and cons of putting my Schweizer glider under the
Experimental Catagory? With recent trouble in getting parts etc., it
seems to me that is might make some things easier.

I don't think it's necessary to register an aircraft as experimental in
order to legally owner/manufacture parts for it. There's a section of the
FARs that allows for owner built parts. This section allows orphaned classic
and antique aircraft to keep flying.

bumper
wrote in message
oups.com...
What are the pros and cons of putting my Schweizer glider under the
Experimental Catagory? With recent trouble in getting parts etc., it
seems to me that is might make some things easier.

I did not think you could take a type certificated aircraft and change
category from standard to experimental. Any "thought" good DAR can certify
"home made" parts as suitable and place into service.

BT

wrote in message
oups.com...
What are the pros and cons of putting my Schweizer glider under the
Experimental Catagory? With recent trouble in getting parts etc., it
seems to me that is might make some things easier.

Earlier, wrote:

What are the pros and cons of putting my Schweizer glider under the
Experimental Catagory? With recent trouble in getting parts etc., it
seems to me that is might make some things easier.

First off, realize that there's not one big happy "Experimental"
category. FAR 21.191divides Experimental into several sub-categories,
each with its own purpose and limitations. A few of the more common
ones a

Racing and Exhibition - Like it sounds; operation of the aircraft is
limited to races, shows, transport to and from said events, and also
practice for those events. Fortunately, soaring being what it is,
almost every flight can be said to be "practice." Oh - and every year
you have to send the FAA a program letter that states what events and
practice flights you're going to do (it's easier than it sounds). All
ASW-20, Zunis, and Russias (for example) in the US are licensed as
either Experimental Racing or Experimental Exhibition.

Amateur built - You demonstrate that most of the aircraft was built for
the purposes of education and recreation. After that, you get assigned
a test period (usually 25 or 40 hours) during which you can only fly it
so it drops pieces over sparsely populated areas. If the test period
goes well, you receive operating limitations that are pretty much no
more restrictive than a certificated glider. You can also get a nifty
Repair(perspon)s certificate, unsuitable for framing, that allows you
the dubious priviledge of performing your own annual Condition
inspections.

Research and development - You are testing a prototype aircraft. The
FAA looks quite askance at what you're doing unless you're serious
about the testing.

For all of these Experimental certificate types, the basic ground rules
are that you can do any maintenance or repair work yourself, either the
repair(person) or an A&P does the annual condition inspection, and you
must carry a copy of the Operating Limitations document that says what
you can do with the aircraft, and where.

Anyhow, if your Schweizer is a two-seater, realize that if you really
want to certify it as (for example) Experimental Racing or Experimental
Exhibition, the FAA might hand you OpLims that say that only required
flight crew members can fly. The way I understand it, that's what has
happened to virtually every Antonov AN-2 biplane that has reached the
US - a pity; as otherwise they'd make great skydiving jump planes.

Furthermore (and this is probably the important paragraph for you),
note that buried in the FARs (I think it's 21.303) are rules that allow
the owner of a type certificated aircraft to make their own replacement
parts for the aircraft. Note that the owner can't install the parts,
just make them. That might not sound like much, but it is what keeps
many many little puddle-jumping Aeroncas in the air.

Here's a neat article by Don Dodge on the topic:

http://150cessna.tripod.com/parts.html

Also, most of that is from memory; if I've gotten something wrong I
hope somebody will chime in with corrections.

Thanks, and best regards to all

Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24

I put my standard category Salto into experimental
exhibition category a few years ago to be able to fly
it at night. I still have to do a 337 for major alterations,
but I had some latitude in establishing new operating
limitations. In this case I am able to fly at night
under certain conditions, which was prohibited under
the original certification. I still must comply with
ADs, and I have to submit an annual program letter.

Certificate changes are done through a MIDO office,
not a FSDO. A DAR can do the inspection and paperwork.
But then a DAR can inspect and approve the manufactured
parts.

Bob

At 03:30 08 March 2006, Btiz wrote:
I did not think you could take a type certificated
aircraft and change
category from standard to experimental. Any 'thought'
good DAR can certify
'home made' parts as suitable and place into service.

BT

wrote in message
roups.com...
What are the pros and cons of putting my Schweizer
glider under the
Experimental Catagory? With recent trouble in getting
parts

etc., it
seems to me that is might make some things easier.

I don't think it's necessary to register an aircraft as experimental in
order to legally owner/manufacture parts for it. There's a section of the
FARs that allows for owner built parts. This section allows orphaned
classic and antique aircraft to keep flying.

The rule is interesting. Owners can make their own replacement parts. But
there are guidelines. My friend owns a Funk airplane that had rusty struts.
After researching the rules, he learned that in order to manufacture the
replacement part, he had to have the blueprints for that part. He could not
simply remove the old part and make a copy of the part. He had to locate a
place that had the blueprints, then purchase a copy of that part of the
blueprint that had that part on it. Once he had that, he could legally make
a replacement part.

Colin

Bob, where in the FAR's (or whatever they are really called these days)
does it state the requirement for an annual program letter to be sent
to the FAA if your glider is EXPERIMENTAL - RACING AND EXHIBITION?

Kirk
66

Kirk,

The requirement for me to submit an annual program letter is specified
in para 35 of my Operating Limitations.

Andy

I think it changed a few years ago as my 84 Ventus
is Racing and exihibition limited to the 48 continental
US states and no program letter, very liberal compared
to the later ones that I have seen.

At 14:00 08 March 2006, Andy wrote:
Kirk,

The requirement for me to submit an annual program
letter is specified
in para 35 of my Operating Limitations.

Andy

Andy,

That's what I thought - my LS6's Operating Limitations does not have
any requirement for a program letter, and very liberal limits. So it
seems to be up to the local FAA dude to impose program requirements on
new gliders.

I was curious if any of the new requirements were codified in the
"FARs", or were imposed via internal FAA "guidelines".

Tom Knauff says he has picked up a contract to train FAA examiners -
let's hope he can explain to them that the program letters are pretty
much useless.

Good thing my Ops limit letter doesn't have an expiration date!

Kirk
66