You are a really luck guys!

In many countries you have to pay importation tax and
duties…

To import my Ventus 2cM I paid ocean freight, container
rental fee, insurance, and 30% as tax…

A few years ago, I paid USD 2k jus to delivery a Cobra
trailer to SZD in Poland, and 50% importation taxes...
and the glider delay 3 months due a frozen port in
Poland and more 60 due a port straick in Brazil...

So, USD 120k for a glider or USD$ 150k for a motorglider
ready to fly is a nice bargain!

Sds. VoLo.

Armando R. Pucci
Ventus 2cM (AR) s/n# 115
Sao Paulo/Brazil

At 03:42 29 May 2004, Jack wrote:
Marc Ramsey wrote:

The price of new gliders affects all of us. If a significant
portion of
those who would normally buy new gliders stop, then
they don't sell
their old ships, which means those who would have
traded up to the newer
used gliders, hold on to their older used gliders,
etc., ultimately
raising the price of a smaller number of decent lower
cost gliders that
end up on the market.

Yes, I've heard the Mantra before. I don't believe
that's the real problem.

There are 1-26s on the market for a few thousand. These
and other low
performance ships are what new guys and gals should
be buying and flying. If
those with more lofty aspirations gave the entry level
ships their due around
the campfire instead of disparaging them, it might
help retention of new glider
pilots who are not blessed with deep pockets.

The availability of $100,000+ ships is not going to
save soaring in N. America.
Newbies don't invest in Deutsche-glass while paying
off their student loans. The
availability of a new generation of low to moderate
priced N. American ships to
which beginners can actually aspire is more likely
to be the answer to our
prayers -- if we can hangar our sophomoric lust for
dream-ships whose potential
99% of us will never reach.

Let's spend our money where it counts -- on tows and
trailers and training and
practice, practice, practice.



Jack