3rd class privileges and a glider rating

Matthew

Matthew

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Matthew
A buddy of mine is a PP-ASEL, but hasn't flown in at least 20 yrs, maybe more.

He knows I'm a pilot and he keeps getting the itch to fly again. I told him about our local glider club where I'm just about to join, and he's pretty interested in checking into it.

My questions - his medical has long since lapsed and he's had enough medical/physical problems over the last few years that I am not sure he would qualify for his medical renewal, or if he did, that he would think it would be worth the trouble to pursue.

Since he has his certificate, the glider rating would be an add-on to his private certificate. Would any of the training for that rating, or solo, or post-checkride ever result in him 'exercising the privileges' of his 3rd class and thus require a valid medical?

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't, but I can't figure out a simple way to explain it to him.
 
there are no medical certificate requirements for gliders. only the general requirement that all pilots have to self certify we are healthy enough to safely fly. Also, the issues with denied medicals etc. that effect sport pilots do not apply to glider pilots. so no, he will in no way shape or form ever need a medical certificate to get his glider add on.
 
Flying gliders does NOT require a medical. As long as he does not fly aircraft he should be ok. Interestingly enough, he would be able to fly motorgliders as long as they are certified as a glider instead of an aircraft without the medical as well.

hope this helps
 
Thanks for the quick responses - I was getting hung up on the rating being added to the PP. Then using that rating without the same requirements as the underlying certificate.

A buddy of his took him up for a bit the other day in an old Taylorcraft - he was telling me about it a couple days ago and I saw that look in his eyes. I'll talk to him some more today about gliders.
 
vontresc said:
Flying gliders does NOT require a medical. As long as he does not fly aircraft he should be ok. Interestingly enough, he would be able to fly motorgliders as long as they are certified as a glider instead of an aircraft without the medical as well.

hope this helps
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Oh -One of the club CFI-Gs chewed on me about the this. Gliders ARE aircraft, they are NOT airplanes. I can't remember just what I said to set him off, but he jumped all over me (in a friendly way, though, he's a good guy).

Thanks again for the help.
 
lol you'd think a commercial glider pilot would know the difference between an aircraft and an airplane. who signed this guy off for his checkride??? :)
 
tonycondon said:
lol you'd think a commercial glider pilot would know the difference between an aircraft and an airplane. who signed this guy off for his checkride??? :)
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heh - now if I could just get those commercial glider pilots to start hauling checks, I wouldn't wake up at 2 in the morning when a freight dog flies low over my house every other night.
 
D'oh! I maent to say Airplanes...not Aircraft.... Yeah that college kid from IA State will sign just about anyone off for a checkride :D
 
Technically if he hasn't been denied a medical, I believe he's still allowed to self-certify for sport pilot, and also if he already has his private he's allowed to fly light sport planes under the sport pilot regulations.

If he wants to get back into powered aircraft, an LSA might be in his future, and worth considering, but it also depends on what he wants to do. If he just wants to get up in the air, the gliders sound like a good way to go.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Technically if he hasn't been denied a medical, I believe he's still allowed to self-certify for sport pilot, and also if he already has his private he's allowed to fly light sport planes under the sport pilot regulations.
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No technical about it. This is exactly my situation. He would, however, have to have a driver's license to fly an LSA airplane this way; there's no such requirement for a glider.
 
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Ted DuPuis said:
Technically if he hasn't been denied a medical, I believe he's still allowed to self-certify for sport pilot, and also if he already has his private he's allowed to fly light sport planes under the sport pilot regulations.

If he wants to get back into powered aircraft, an LSA might be in his future, and worth considering, but it also depends on what he wants to do. If he just wants to get up in the air, the gliders sound like a good way to go.
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Assuming, of course, that his medical issues don't limit his ability to safely pilot either a LSA and/or glider.

But you knew that.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Assuming, of course, that his medical issues don't limit his ability to safely pilot either a LSA and/or glider.

But you knew that.
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Haven't we all been saying the pilot needs to self-certify?

Probably good to state it directly for those who don't know what that means.
 
jmaynard said:
No technical about it. This is exactly my situation. He would, however, have to have a driver's license to fly an LSA airplane this way; there's no such requirement for a glider.
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Correct, and I'm assuming that he has a driver's license.
 
Since it's a glider, DL doesn't matter, and medical certificate history doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is whether he can honestly say that he is not a person who "knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would make the person unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner." (61.53(b)) That's what "self-certification" is all about. Given your statement that he has "enough medical/physical problems over the last few years that [you're] not sure he would qualify for his medical renewal," that's not a question any of us can answer, but one which he must ask himself and answer honestly, not wishfully.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Haven't we all been saying the pilot needs to self-certify?

Probably good to state it directly for those who don't know what that means.
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Actually I missed the words "self certify" in your post that I quoted. Guess I was reading too fast...
 
Ron Levy said:
... Given your statement that he has "enough medical/physical problems over the last few years that [you're] not sure he would qualify for his medical renewal," that's not a question any of us can answer, but one which he must ask himself and answer honestly, not wishfully.
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With his history of cancer and some other things that I don't know about - I just wonder if he'd even try to get his medical or if he'd see that as too big a hurdle to even bother with. He does have a DL, and is bright enough to know when to ground himself - heck, he has already grounded himself for several decades (but that may have just been because of life changes and not medical).

LSA is an option, but realistically, there aren't any around here to rent and I don't think he can afford to buy/partner, so that's probably out. He did seem interested in following up with gliders and it would be more practical for him since there are a couple clubs around here to choose from.

Anyway - I'm going to talk to him today or tomorrow and try to put that bug in his ear again and see what happens.
 
Matthew said:
With his history of cancer and some other things that I don't know about - I just wonder if he'd even try to get his medical or if he'd see that as too big a hurdle to even bother with. He does have a DL, and is bright enough to know when to ground himself - heck, he has already grounded himself for several decades (but that may have just been because of life changes and not medical).
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One would like to know which. Cancer, in particular, is a show-stopper for the FAA for medical certificates due to the potential for incapacitation either from the disease itself or the drugs used to treat it.
LSA is an option,
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No more or less than glider -- the same paragraph of 61.53 applies.
 
Ron Levy said:
No more or less than glider -- the same paragraph of 61.53 applies.
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Yeah - I understand the self certification would be the same, I was trying to get to the practical matter of availability.

Ron Levy said:
One would like to know which. Cancer, in particular, is a show-stopper for the FAA for medical certificates due to the potential for incapacitation either from the disease itself or the drugs used to treat it.
Click to expand...

Ron Levy said:
The only thing that matters is whether he can honestly say that he is not a person who "knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would make the person unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner." (61.53(b)) That's what "self-certification" is all about.
Click to expand...

When I get a chance to talk with him, I'll have to make sure he fully understands this (without me prying too much into his life).

Thanks for the help.
 
vontresc said:
Flying gliders does NOT require a medical. As long as he does not fly aircraft he should be ok. Interestingly enough, he would be able to fly motorgliders as long as they are certified as a glider instead of an aircraft without the medical as well.

hope this helps
Click to expand...

Von,,, A Glider is an "aircraft".. I'm sure you meant to say.. as long as he does not fly "airplanes".. he should be ok.
 
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