Or the sport in general. Mike
> On 30 Jan 2017, at 2:44 PM, Mark Newton <new...@atdot.dotat.org> wrote: > > I’m alright Jack, too. > > Not exactly to the collective benefit of glider pilots though, is it? > > - mark > > >> On Jan 30, 2017, at 5:42 PM, Richard Frawley <rjfraw...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> lucky i have a PPL... i guess i have options >> >>>> On 30 Jan 2017, at 3:26 PM, Mark Newton <new...@atdot.dotat.org> wrote: >>>> >>>> On Jan 30, 2017, at 2:40 PM, Richard Frawley <rjfraw...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> why register it [an electric self-launcher] as a glider? >>> >>> Because the GFA system only authorizes pilots trained by GFA to fly >>> GFA-registered gliders that have been maintained under the GFA >>> airworthiness system. >>> >>> So if you register it as a light aircraft, you can’t fly it until you make >>> it airworthy to GA standards, and acquire (at least) an RPL. >>> >>> The GFA syllabus is not aligned with the RPL syllabus, so that means you >>> have to pay a CASA school to be trained all over again to legally fly the >>> aircraft that you would be able to fly if you were under the control of a >>> GFA CFI as a member of a GFA club (typical cost for a GA RPL syllabus is >>> about $7000, plus whatever you need to pay to get a cross-country >>> endorsement). >>> >>> If you already have a pilot license and you’ve never encountered GFA >>> before, you might be able to buy an electric self-launcher, register it GA, >>> and fly it under an RPL. >>> >>> But only if it’s brand new. If it has previously been maintained under the >>> GFA form-2 system, it won’t be airworthy to GA standards, and probably >>> couldn’t be flown at all by anyone regardless of their license status. >>> You’d have to pay a LAME a considerable amount of money to bring it under >>> the GA maintenance umbrella and issue it with a GA maintenance release. >>> >>> And once you’ve done that, GFA pilots without CASA licenses wouldn’t be >>> able to fly it anymore, so you’d have extreme difficulty ever selling it >>> again afterwards. >>> >>>> Is there a choice? >>> >>> In practical terms: No. >>> >>> >>>> its has over 200Klm battery range and it takes off from the ground, sounds >>>> like a light aircraft to me >>> >>> Then only a tiny minority of GFA members (who have RPL or PPL CASA >>> licenses) can fly it. >>> >>> That doesn’t sound like a particularly sustainable outcome for gliding, >>> does it? >>> >>> It’s certainly not the kind of thing that half a dozen qualified glider >>> pilots who aren’t club members are going to form a syndicate around. >>> >>> - mark >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Aus-soaring mailing list >>> Aus-soaring@lists.base64.com.au >>> http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring >> _______________________________________________ >> Aus-soaring mailing list >> Aus-soaring@lists.base64.com.au >> http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring > > _______________________________________________ > Aus-soaring mailing list > Aus-soaring@lists.base64.com.au > http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.base64.com.au http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring
