TO BE legal OR NOT TO BE legal

While I was working on the front end flat, my mind kept drifting back to the issue of legal flying.  I have been thinking about this for a while, but pulling the fiberglass wheel spat made me think of the issue again.

The issue I refer to is FAR Part 103 flying (legal ultralight) vs. registered flying, such as Light Sport, Experimental, General Aviation, etc.

There are a variety of constraints that an aircraft must meet to be a legal ultralight.  Weight of less than 254 lbs. is just one of the them.  The Mitchell Wing A-10 is too heavy to be a legal ultralight.  The specs show the aircraft to weigh in at 270 lbs, assuming the standard Zenoah G25B engine. 

My A-10, has a Kawasaki 440 hp engine, making it even heavier.  So by weight alone, it will not be legal to fly as an ultralight.

Here is the rub.....it is very difficult now, maybe even impossible to get a aircraft such as mine....a heavy ultralight, legally registered under the new LSA, or experimental rules....unless you built the aircraft, or have the records of the build, including logs, photos, etc.

My aircraft was built at the old factory so getting it legal is probably not going to happen. 

Back to the fiberglass wheel spat.....what got me thinking again.  The wheel spat is what I would consider to be in fair to good condition.  The fiberglass on the aircraft in general is old, shows stress cracks and other imperfections here and there.

Furthermore, I am not a huge fan of fiberglass pods, wheel spats, etc.  The Pros are that they make the aircraft more streamlined, less draggy, and therefore contribute to a better L/D.  The cons are that they require upkeep, are easily damaged, and make it very difficult to clean, work on and inspect a lot of the aircraft.

In summation, I am flirting with the idea of removing all of the fiberglass from the aircraft.  First of all, this is the only way I am going to be able to completely inspect everything, and make sure it is airworthy.  Secondly, with all of the fiberglass and other weight added items removed from the fuselage, it is going to be much closer to being legal as an ultralight.

At the end of the day I would prefer to be flying under ultralight rules, without all of the regulations and inspections required under LSA and experimental flying anyway.  I also really enjoy being in the open airflow while flying vs. being in a enclosed cockpit.

However, we must be aware of the fact that removal of the fiberglass will have effects on the performance of the aircraft.  The aircraft will become more draggy, so the L/D will suffer somewhat, although the overall weight will also decrease which may help sink rate.  The Center of Gravity of the aircraft may be effected and will need to be checked as as well.  Overall it should perform almost as well.

So, I have pretty much decided....it is all coming off.  This will make the A-10 into a A-10B.  It is always possible that it may all go back on again.....but by the looks of it, it will come off a whole lot easier than it will go back on....so not too likely to happen.