Our club has had one for at least 3 years. We have had no problems with the
tail, but we only let licensed pilots fly it who have had a checkout in the
L-23 and can demonstrate good landings to an instructor.

We did have an incident where a pilot did an intentional spin. He did not
realize a battery charger was in the cockpit. It jammed the controls
momentarily. After freeing the controls, he over-reacted and overstressed
the wings. They were permanently deformed. Our local aero engineers who
work at NASA estimated the pilot snap loaded to about 8g for just a moment.
We ordered new wings and the glider is flying again.

Paul

"jeff rothman" wrote in message
.net...
Our club is seriously considering buying a Blanik L-33 but I have heard a
few reports that the fuselage can be easily damged if a tail first landing
is made. I would appreciate it very much if clubs that own an L-33 could
give me guidance.

Is a Blanik L-33 rugged enough for club use?

Does the paint last?

Is it easy to work on? I know that the L-23 and L-13 are difficult to
service.

Does Blanik support it well? Are parts readily available? Is it expensive
to
fix?

On the balance would you recommend an L-33 for club use?

Thank you for any information.

-Jeff