On Thursday, December 20, 2012 12:40:43 PM UTC-8, CTEX wrote:
I'm hunting for a first glider and have come across a few with repairs to a broken tail boom. In such a major repair, how do the shops insure that the tail group is realigned to its original position? Do they use jigs built to factory specs? Or rely on measurements? Or just eyeball it?



Is it customary for a buyer to measure a glider that has had such a repair, and if so, where does he find the specs? For instance, the distance between wing tip and tip of horizontal stabilizer?



Maybe this just worry-wart thinking, but I've had experience with out-of-alignment repairs on a tail dragger that caused it to fly slightly skewed - and a little slower. Is this an issue with these long-winged ships?

Yes. And you also want to pay close attention to the W&B. And yes a jig is used, often set up exactly off another glider if one is available. Quality of such repairs are all over the place. Improper alignment, improper composite repairs, improper W&B, etc. You either need to know/trust who did the repair and/or need a A&P glider repair expert who is experienced in this to pre-buy inspect the glider. Including doing a proper W&B measurement.

Darryl