New low budget two seater

Oh, and where is your club?
In North America most new gliders are imported, thus currency exchange, duties, shipping, etc.
Eastern Europe can be cheaper for the same ship.

On Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 2:43:06 PM UTC-6, wrote:
American clubs need to bite the bullet and start renewing our fleet or we will continue to shrink. 100k for a glider shared across the membership and amortized isn't that much. An ASK21 is a steal compared to a c172.

Its a little hard doing that when your "club" consists of 4 working stiffs, all of which don't even have the money to go out on their own and get a glider pilot's license. We're trying to get something started here in MT. And I can find a used airworthy c172 for easily as much or less than I can find a used ASK21 (which I have yet to see a used one go for anything less than $75,000).

You've certainly got a challenge with 4 members and a low population density to draw from up there. I was referring to new c172 vs. new k21 price however. Every club has its challenges, keep pushing! You'll find the right glider to get you going, but when you do, don't let your progress stop there. Too many clubs stopped advancing decades ago and now SSA membership is half of what it was when I was a kid.

On Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 12:48:07 AM UTC-5, John Foster wrote:
On Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 2:43:06 PM UTC-6, wrote:
American clubs need to bite the bullet and start renewing our fleet or we will continue to shrink. 100k for a glider shared across the membership and amortized isn't that much. An ASK21 is a steal compared to a c172.

Its a little hard doing that when your "club" consists of 4 working stiffs, all of which don't even have the money to go out on their own and get a glider pilot's license. We're trying to get something started here in MT. And I can find a used airworthy c172 for easily as much or less than I can find a used ASK21 (which I have yet to see a used one go for anything less than $75,000).

When my club, SES, started, we were launching with a car, a rope, and a pulley. I think there were around 10 members at the time. We found a Ka-8 and a Ka-7 that needed some love. Financed them at a local bank and paid interest only on the loans for a few years. I think we were paying something like $60/month for the Ka-7. Now we average around 40-50 members, 2 Ka-8's in pristine condition, a pretty good looking Ka-7, and a high(er) performance 2 seater (Scheibe SF-34), a Standard Cirrus, and a Pawnee tug. All paid for now, by the way. Regardless of what gliders you have, if they fly regularly, your club will most likely make it.