Ka-8b

After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring, although
I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up for
sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:45:46 AM UTC-4, Ryan Wubben wrote:
After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring, although I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up for sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

These are getting pretty old - get a *really* good inspection.
Especially glue joints!
One of these lost a chunk of wing in flight a few years back
due to deteriorated glue (landed safely but yikes).

Enjoy,
Best Regards, Dave

At 15:58 02 October 2015, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:45:46 AM UTC-4, Ryan Wubben wrote:
After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring,
although I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up
for
sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

These are getting pretty old - get a *really* good inspection.
Especially glue joints!
One of these lost a chunk of wing in flight a few years back
due to deteriorated glue (landed safely but yikes).

Enjoy,
Best Regards, Dave



This particular one has had a full BGA type inspection by Chad Wille.

Ryan

At 15:58 02 October 2015, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:45:46 AM UTC-4, Ryan Wubben wrote:
After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring,
although I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up
for
sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

These are getting pretty old - get a *really* good inspection.
Especially glue joints!
One of these lost a chunk of wing in flight a few years back
due to deteriorated glue (landed safely but yikes).

Enjoy,
Best Regards, Dave



This particular one has had a full BGA type inspection by Chad Wille.

Ryan

Ryan Wubben wrote in news:d4yPx.1889$wu1.1402
@fx03.fr7:

At 15:58 02 October 2015, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:45:46 AM UTC-4, Ryan Wubben wrote:
After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring,
although I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up
for
sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

These are getting pretty old - get a *really* good inspection.
Especially glue joints!
One of these lost a chunk of wing in flight a few years back
due to deteriorated glue (landed safely but yikes).

Enjoy,
Best Regards, Dave



This particular one has had a full BGA type inspection by Chad Wille.

Ryan



Lovely old gliders - you can thermal them on a mosquito fart !

Richard

Ryan Wubben wrote:

[...] thinking of a Ka-8b that is coming up for sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

A lovely glider, utterly viceless and soars on a breath. It
doesn't penetrate very well into wind, so cross-country
ambitions need to be modest (though Karl Striedieck did
a 767km out-and-return in one).

Things to watch out for?

I can't think of anything other than the glue and the state
of its trailer.

Difficulty rigging?

Not at all.

Of its the one that John Hardy used to own that is now in Reno, I think you should get it. That's a really nice Ka8 with a good trailer. John pulled KT to a lot of Vintage rallies.

On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 10:45:46 AM UTC-5, Ryan Wubben wrote:
After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring, although
I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up for
sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

Ryan, great to see you found your way back into soaring. Regarding the Ka-8, I made my 50 km private license flight in one in Germany back in 1981. It was an old glider then that I barely fit into and getting to the next thermal was a bit difficult. Don't get one, it will be frustrating seeing your buddies doing 180 mi while you land at a nearby field. Buy a used fiberglass ship like an ASW-20 or similar and find out about the freedom of movement they allow.
Herb in Chicago

Lovely glider. I have owned a fair few of them in the past. X-country is
possible, but slow, of course. But they are a cheap and delightful way to
fly.

Glue issues have been mentioned. They tend to be more profound on kit-built
gliders, gliders that have seen little maintenance and lots of outdoors
use, and the pre 1964/65 examples for some reason. A full BGA-inspection
would be a very big plus.

Other things to watch for:
- Cracks in the lower rudder hinge flanges that bolt it to the vertical
spar
- Corrosion on/in the lower fuselage tube, especially around the tail skis
and at the Y-joint behind the wheel
- Disbonding of the joint attaching the root D-nose of the elevator to the
elevator D-nose skins (there's a three-yearly mandatory AD on this)
- Symmetry of the elevator drive in the fuselage (base of the vertical
stabilizer), there's a yearly AD on this
- Welds on the middle elevator attachment hinge (three-yearly AD)
- Play on the front and aft fuselage-to-wings pins
- Cracks in the welds of the rudder pedals (hinge tube to vertical tube)

Sounds like a long list, but it is not. Very durable glider. Enjoy!

On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 5:13:33 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Friday, October 2, 2015 at 10:45:46 AM UTC-5, Ryan Wubben wrote:
After a long (12 year) absence, looking to get back into soaring, although
I've
been an active power pilot and have owned a variety of airplanes.

I used to own a Ka-6, but am thinking of a a Ka-8b that is coming up for
sale.
Any thoughts on the Ka-8?

Things to watch out for?
Difficulty rigging?

Thanks,
Ryan in Madison

Ryan, great to see you found your way back into soaring. Regarding the Ka-8, I made my 50 km private license flight in one in Germany back in 1981. It was an old glider then that I barely fit into and getting to the next thermal was a bit difficult. Don't get one, it will be frustrating seeing your buddies doing 180 mi while you land at a nearby field. Buy a used fiberglass ship like an ASW-20 or similar and find out about the freedom of movement they allow.
Herb in Chicago

Ryan, if memory serves me right, you reported at one time of a trip you took with your wife to Iceland. You then posted pictures of a Ka-8 and other gliders that you found there at the only glider club they have. That turned out to be the glider I did my Silver C in back in Germany at the Luftsportverein Hameln, we sold it to Iceland. Do you really want to operate such an ancient glider? Modern soaring is about going x-country, traveling to soaring sites in the East and West (forget the stinkin' prairie). The Ka-8 will comply but do that somehow fast only if you head down-wind.