Jeff,

Our club is into its second year of owning an L-33,
so our experiences won't be as valuable as operators
with longer times of working with the Solo.

We have not incurred any damages due to the pilot,
but last year, a thunderstorm did damage the aircraft.
It was tied down outside, with the tail resting on
the ground rather than on a stand, when the storm hit.
Since the aircraft has no tie down points, it is secured
by sliding steel collars or sleeves or whatever they
are called over the wings and connecting the tie-down
to this collar. The collar wedges to the wing and
acts not only as a tie-down anchor, but also as an
aileron lock. Well, the winds were strong enough to
get the glider jumping up and down. How is that possible?
We used chains vertically from the collar to a steel
cable that ran along the ground parallel with the wings.
This cable, while tight along the ground, still had
enough slack to allow vertical movement. With the
ship's tail on the ground, the angle of attack of the
wings permitted 'flying speed' with the winds of the
thunderstorm. So, the ship must have been jumping
up and down, vertically. The result is the mild steel
collars on the wings deformed! The bottom section
was pulled down towards the ground, thus effectively
shortening the 'chord' of the collar. This shortened
chord had to have some relief of the aircraft's wings
to match and the 'slack' was created in the ailerons.
Yep, they got crunched.

We had to order new ailerons from the factory. They
had to build them. In all, I think we lost four or
five months of flying time.

Now, we have the tail tied down on a stand. We also
bought new 'collars' from Blanik and then took them
to a metal shop where a vertical web was welded to
the lower section and runs the entire length, from
leading to trailing edge. Also, fabric tie-down straps
go straight down to ground anchors augered into the
ground and topped with about 4 or 5 inches of concrete.

Otherwise, we are happy with it. Club members are
getting their first taste of cross country flying with
it and one recently earned his Silver Distance by flying
90 km to Ball Field in Louisburg, North Carolina.

I think it is fine for club use. Being all metal gives
you the chance to tie it down outside which, for us,
is the biggest reason we chose it for a single seat
glider.

And, althougth I've flown it only once, I was amazed
at how easily it flew and how quiet it was. I've never
flown another metal ship that was that quiet. It is
more quiet than my LS-1d which has some leaks around
the canopy.

I think it is a nice ship.

That's my two-cents worth.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA





At 01:12 07 May 2004, Jeff Rothman wrote:
Our club is seriously considering buying a Blanik L-33
but I have heard a
few reports that the fuselage can be easily damged
if a tail first landing
is made. I would appreciate it very much if clubs that
own an L-33 could
give me guidance.

Is a Blanik L-33 rugged enough for club use?

Does the paint last?

Is it easy to work on? I know that the L-23 and L-13
are difficult to
service.

Does Blanik support it well? Are parts readily available?
Is it expensive to
fix?

On the balance would you recommend an L-33 for club
use?

Thank you for any information.

-Jeff