For the guy who has everything

It's a motor glider. Glider rating, and self launch endorsement is all that's needed. Oh yeah no medical needed either.
 
Pete, does one need a medical to soar above 24,000? I wonder if that altitude would be allowed in the USA on waiver only.

I was reading about the "Banyard Wave" down in Canberra and those guys go to the low flight levels. ICAO wants ADS-B installed on gliders.
 
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There was a jet powered glidered at OSH this year. I thought it was the coolest part of the show. Except maybe a (static display) helicopter that used rocket thrust to power the blade rotation.
 
Richard, most high altitude wave flights in the US are done inside a "Wave Window" via waiver from the FAA. These waivers allow VFR flights into the class A airspace above 18,000MSL. AFAIK for those flights no medical is required. There are a very small number of glider pilots who fly that high on an IFR block clearance. I do not know what if any requirements exist for medicals on a glider IR.
 
there is no medical required to fly any glider period, regardless of the flight rules or altitude the pilot operates at.

i think i'd actually prefer an electric self launch over the jet.
 
yes it's a glider, but it's also a jet powered aircraft... so wouldnt it need a type rating? what if you dont use the jet? i think you still need one. what if you only use the jet? do you need a glider rating?
 
it's a motor glider just like a glider that has a piston engine or electric engine. so you need a glider rating and a self launch endorsement.

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(a) Type ratings required. A person who acts as a pilot in command of any of the following aircraft must hold a type rating for that aircraft: (1) Large aircraft (except lighter-than-air).
(2) Turbojet-powered airplanes.
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since it is a glider not an airplane a type rating does not apply. this is nothing new, there have been jet powered self launch gliders around since at least the 70's (Caproni A21J "Calif") and even before then there were people experimenting with jet power. I just was reading through a Soaring magazine fromt he 60's or 70's that showed Pulse Jets mounted on a Schweizer 1-26!
 
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tonycondon said:
it's a motor glider just like a glider that has a piston engine or electric engine. so you need a glider rating and a self launch endorsement.

since it is a glider not an airplane a type rating does not apply. this is nothing new, there have been jet powered self launch gliders around since at least the 70's (Caproni A21J "Calif") and even before then there were people experimenting with jet power. I just was reading through a Soaring magazine fromt he 60's or 70's that showed Pulse Jets mounted on a Schweizer 1-26!
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U-2 looks an awful lot like a glider, too. :D
 
tonycondon said:
there is no medical required to fly any glider period, regardless of the flight rules or altitude the pilot operates at.

i think i'd actually prefer an electric self launch over the jet.
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The one difference is that for an IR you have to have a medical at some point, however. You can't get an IR for a glider, you have to get it on a powered plane to get the privileges applied to your glider category.

Actually, if you had an IFR equipped self-launch glider and a PP-ASEL, could you take your checkride sans-medical in the glider?
 
no because it's an instrument airplane rating. as you say there is no instrument rating for gliders.
 
tonycondon said:
no because it's an instrument airplane rating. as you say there is no instrument rating for gliders.
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Slightly off topic - some gliders from Europe are equipped for "cloud flying". Is there a European rating of instrument glider?
 
i think some countries might have a glider instrument rating or a cloud flying rating. not sure.
 
Matthew said:
Slightly off topic - some gliders from Europe are equipped for "cloud flying". Is there a European rating of instrument glider?
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[Ron Mode]

I was curious so I looked it up, and in Germany there is what I'd call a cloud flying endorsement (Wolkenflugberechtigung) which is defined in LuftPersV § 85

The requirements are:
70 Hours TT in Sailplanes
10 hours of IFR training in the preceding 12 months or a prior IR
Take a checkride with an examiner

In addition to the rating you will also need a clearance from ATC

In England it used to only require a clearance from ATC, and no specific licensing requirement as far as I know.

[/Ron Mode]
 
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