Glider Design Life

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I'm at the informational gathering stage of a future glider purchase. I have been to a few websites for new gliders and I see "design life" data. Do all gliders have a design life and after that life limit is exceeded, then what?

[son_of_flubber]

The other terms of interest are "Service Life", "Actual Approved Operating Life", "Extensions", and "Service Life Extensions" and the relation of those terms to each other and "Design Life".

I will defer to those more knowledgeable except to say that "everything eventually wears out, gets old, and breaks" and that sometimes more is known and/or declared about that inevitable progression.

[Bill T]

You will find these limitations, mostly with European gliders.
A prime example would be the Grob 103. "Service Life Extentions" are due every 3000 hours up to 9000hrs (I'm working from memory here), then inspections every 1000hrs up to 12000 hrs. Major components are inspected, some are replaced at these time inspections.

Some gliders have calendar life drop dead dates.

The information on service life and inspections will be either in the Type Certificate Data Sheet or in the aircraft manual.

Bill T