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Old April 25th 20, 05:17 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dan Marotta
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Default Glider Purchase Procedure - Annual & Pre Purchase Inspection?

When I bought my LAK-17a, I drove 10 hours to get to the site and spent
the weekend.Â* I spent a couple of hours examining the ship after the
owner and I rigged it.Â* I discovered some minor scraping on the nose of
the glider which the owner explained happened when he got enthusiastic
on the brake.

We did all the things 2G mentioned and then I got a thorough briefing on
the aircraft and we found a CFIG at the club who signed my log book.Â* I
then took a two and flew the ship for 2 hours, staying within about 25
miles of the airport.Â* After landing, we agreed to the price and I went
to the motel.Â* Next morning we met at the club, exchanged paper and
money (wire transfer), and I was on my way home, arriving on Sunday
night.Â* I flew that ship for four years and about 650 hours.Â* Great times.

Recently I heard from the guy who bought it from me.Â* He's still loving it!

On 4/24/2020 6:31 PM, 2G wrote:
On Friday, April 24, 2020 at 2:34:53 PM UTC-7, NMD wrote:
Hello,
I am closing in on my first glider purchase and have narrowed it down to three.

What is a safe purchase procedure for an older glider? Two are LS3's and one is an LS3A. All have been refinished in PU.

Is a new annual sufficient or it is advisable to have a pre-purchase inspection as well?

If an additional purchase inspection I would assume it would be prudent to have a 2nd A&P do it? 2 sets of eyes can’t hurt?
How thorough is a common annual and/or purchase inspection? Is a written report produced, similar to a Boat survey?

In addition to the commonly discussed items including damage history, exterior finish, and trailer condition, what are typical issues, pit falls, and specifics to look out for with an older glider?

New pilot, first ship, and I want to avoid spending more than the purchase price on repairs & maintenance.
Or is this inevitable and a false economy? Should I be 2X / 3X'ing my budget and considering a newer ship?

Thank you in advance for the replies! Jason

Legally, an annual (or condition) inspection only means that the glider is airworthy. It does not guarantee, for example, that any of the instruments work (they should, but no A&P that has done one of my annuals even powered up the panel). Or that their are significant finish issues. They will have cycled the gear, but do not check the brake. Most of the time the glider is not rigged, so any problems with rigging won't be identified. They will not have gone over the wings with a coin and have done a tap test to identify delaminations. The will not have checked the wing resonant frequency. They won't care about cracks in the canopy. Of course, the trailer isn't a part of an annual and has its own issues. Damage history SHOULD be entered in the logbook, but I have heard of this not being done.

Worse still, some A&Ps may be friends of the seller and may not be conscientious. Of course, some A&Ps are more thorough than others and may do more than the minimum. You should insist on a current weight and balance which will likely detect undocumented repairs. Any seller who balks at this may be trying to cover up a prior repair.

Tom


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Dan, 5J