Mark628CA wrote:
The 3000 hr. life limit was discussed in a previous thread. My findings
were reported there, but in a nutshell:

Greg Davison from the FAA in OK City has ben working with the people
who support the Centrair line in France to come up with a 3,000 hr
inspection protocol that will allow the Pegase models to continue
flying. Othe glider manufacturers like Schleicher have a 3000 hr
inspection that must be performed (think of it like an annual on
steroids) to retain an Airworthiness Certificate. The inspection is
extensive- it could cost several hundred dollars and require
substantial disassembly of things like ailerons etc.

Centrair did not have this provision when the glider was first
certified in the US. They are working on it now, and according to Greg
(he was at the SSA convention in Arlington this weekend) it should be
available this spring. If it is not, he said (without elaborating) that
other options may be considered. He stressed that the FAA has no desire
to ground (and render worthless) an entire fleet for something like
this.

We've also had a French speaking member of our club chat with the
Centrair folks a bit too. We have 3 101A's in our fleet (that's half
the fleet) and between the 3,000 ruling and waiting on a replacement
aileron, things are getting ugly. Last season it was the rudder pedals.

Jeremy