Hi Jeff,

I owned a 1993 L-33 from for about 2 years. It lived outside in the South
Florida sun and rain. It rains everyday in summer. I had wing covers and a
durable canopy cover made and I would remove the horizontal stabilizer and slide
a Sunbrella "sock" over the fin to protect the fabric rudder. I waxed it with
Nufinish car wax 2-3 times a year. It held up very well. Had red trim that faded
a little in the sun but the ship kept its shine. I did have some small paint
blisters where the felt padding on the tie-down sleeves stayed wet and loosened
the paint. I believe it would hold up very well in most climates.

I heard lots of talk about fragile tails. The L-33 was the first single-place
glider I ever flew after training in L-23's. I never had any trouble landing it.
My instructor (Burt Compton) taught us to land gliders level - not tail first. A
bunch of other pilots with less than 100 hours time flew it without problem.
Everyone seemed to like it.

I now have a Discus with gelcoat starting to go. I would much rather repaint
than refinish gelcoat. I would imagine that the pieces of an L-33 would fit many
automotive or truck spray booths and the ship could be repainted for a couple of
thousand dollars instead of 15-20 thousand for gelcoat.

My 2 cents: Its a great club glider.

Stuart



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