How to hang a glider from the ceiling of a hangar

We are looking to put a 1-26 on a lift or hoist. Its a steel building with a very beefy structure.
This is commonly done in Europe. Has anybody experience and sketches/pictures/BOM for such a construction and is willing to share?
Thanks.

Early 1-26's, open he turtle deck, hang from the tripod behind the main spar. Other models....likely similar but may require to cut surface skins.
Spar is rather close to CG....

On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 4:33:52 PM UTC-4, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
Early 1-26's, open he turtle deck, hang from the tripod behind the main spar. Other models....likely similar but may require to cut surface skins.
Spar is rather close to CG....

That is a good description of what we do. We use a 400 lb electric hoist from Harbor Freight. One connecting loop to the roll cage. At the tail we run a loop down from the ceiling and use it to support right in front of the tail.
Works great.
UH

Chris,

A harbor freight electric winch and a sling on the wing connections should work.
I know where you are trying to doo this :

Tim


On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 3:16:40 PM UTC-4, Chris wrote:
We are looking to put a 1-26 on a lift or hoist. Its a steel building with a very beefy structure.
This is commonly done in Europe. Has anybody experience and sketches/pictures/BOM for such a construction and is willing to share?
Thanks.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 4:46:50 PM UTC-7, wrote:
Chris,

A harbor freight electric winch and a sling on the wing connections should work.
I know where you are trying to doo this :

Tim


On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 3:16:40 PM UTC-4, Chris wrote:
We are looking to put a 1-26 on a lift or hoist. Its a steel building with a very beefy structure.
This is commonly done in Europe. Has anybody experience and sketches/pictures/BOM for such a construction and is willing to share?
Thanks.

Having recently seen the devastating results of trusting the specs of cheap tools from China to hoist an aircraft, I'd suggest using more trustworthy manufacturers.
Jim

On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 2:16:40 PM UTC-5, Chris wrote:
We are looking to put a 1-26 on a lift or hoist. Its a steel building with a very beefy structure.
This is commonly done in Europe. Has anybody experience and sketches/pictures/BOM for such a construction and is willing to share?
Thanks.

The MN Soaring Club at Stanton hangs a bunch of gliders using electric chain winches and a custom made cradle that fits over the top of the gliders with hooks at the front and back that hold web straps that go under the fuselage in front of and behind the wings. Properly positioned hanging sandbags over each wing keeps the glider level after it is winched into place.

They use this system for a K-21, K-8, and other gliders.

1: don't save on equipment and buy the good stuff
2: always have a backup system (chain, etc) for when the good stuff fails
anyway
3: when somebody tells you otherwise, always remember 1 and 2

Two examples spring to mind where 1 & 2 were not adhered to. The first
destroyed two gliders, seriously damaged three others and effectively put
the club out of action for 3 months when a glider fell from the ceiling
when the hoist failed (poor quality cable brake) and there was no back up.
The second seriously damaged three gliders and injured two club members
when a glider fell from the ceiling when poor quality steel cable snapped
and there was no backup. Seperate airfields.

And for God's Sake, please understand the difference between a Winch and a Hoist.

https://www.gregsmithequipment.com/W...ch-And-A-Hoist

https://www.grainger.com/content/sup...h-one-does-job

https://lug-all.com/blogs/blog/winch...ble-as-a-hoist

There are lots more, if you like. But, these should be enough to keep you from buying a winch to do a hoist's job.

Steve Leonard

I regularly suspend my Pegasus from the main support structure in the hangar, utilizing a hoist from Harbor Freight (1,500 lb. capacity). The hoist is higher capacity than needed, as I prefer a substantial safety margin. A trolley on a 5 inch "H" beam allows the hoist to travel 25 feet, making it handy for many other uses besides just raising a glider. The hoist cable attaches to a "Strongback" with an adjustable CG screw. The strongback is "T" shaped, with one 2" webbing strap in a "U" under the cockpit, forward of the landing gear. The rear strap loops once around the fuselage to prevent rotation (side to side tilt). Two PVC pipe stands attach to the wingtips to hold the glider level when the wing wheel is removed for hoisting. The tail dolly is also removed. The glider is suspended in a slightly tail down position after I learned that if the main wheel touches the floor first when lowering, the tail slams down rather hard. The CG is adjusted with the Acme thread screw to a position that holds the main wheel a few inches higher than the tail wheel. After seven years of flawless operation (and regular cable inspections) I discovered some minor "birdcaging" of the cable, along with some broken strands. Not willing to rely on cheap cable for replacement, and dissatisfied with the flexibility and specifications of other cables, I went with a 1/4 Dyneema cord with a 10,000 lb. rating. It winds on to the hoist drum neatly and exhibits less tendency to twist and stack unevenly. All in all, I am pleased with the hoist system. It makes the hangar much more spacious for other temporary projects or to allow a guest aircraft from time to time.

Thank you all for the responses. Mark, would you be able to send a picture via PM when you have a chance. Thanks!