On Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 5:37:42 PM UTC-6, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 4:15:05 PM UTC-6, Jonathon May wrote:
At 18:42 27 April 2017, Renny wrote:
On Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 12:08:02 PM UTC-6,
wrote:
I am looking to buy my first glider and wanted to get some feedback on
to=
tal cost of ownership. Excluding tow fees and club membership fees, what
d=
o you typically spend on insurance, annuals, spare parts, etc.?
=20
Looking to buy an ASW20, Discus B, Discus CS, LS3, LS4, DG-202, DG-
300,
e=
tc. Trying to get a good quality ship for under $30K. Thanks

You ask a good question, but a lot has to do with where you fly and where
y=
ou are going to keep your glider. You may want to ask others who fly
where
=
you fly to get an idea of their various expenses. To me here are the some
b=
asic expenses to consider..

1. Tiedown fees for trailer - For some locations there is 0 expense. At
M=
oriarty, NM the charge is $200. year.
2. Hangar costs - If it will be kept assembled (or in a trailer) in a
hanga=
r it can be sizable....=20
3. Insurance - If you are in the US you may want to call Costello and
perha=
ps other companies for a quote or ask your friends.
4. Annual - Costs can vary all over in the US, but could easily be $100
to
=
$200 (maybe more) if there are no issues.=20
5. Parachute repack - Needed normally twice a year in this US and this
coul=
d easily be $ 50 - $60 or more per repack
6. Oxygen - If you fly out especially out west this will be another
expense=
..
7. Maintenance - Depending on the overall condition of your ship it can
be
=
minimal in any particular year, but in another year it can be several
hundr=
ed USD if you need a tire or even minor touch up work.... =20
8. There is also the cost of money to consider. Will you have to take a
loa=
n? If you have the funds there is the opportunity cost of not having the
mo=
ney invested.

Now, this all being said....You can compare all of this against having to
r=
ent a ship and the many limitations you face in renting whether from a
comm=
ercial operator or when using a club ship. The benefits of having your
own
=
ship are many and sometimes the hard benefits are somewhat difficult to
qua=
ntify, but they can be very worth owning..(and indeed, I have owned 6
glide=
rs over the years!)=20

Again, the KEY is to check with local pilot friends to see what they are
ac=
tually having to pay for various services wherever you live and fly.
Every
=
location can be very unique in the expenses you will have to pay.

Good luck!=20

Thx - Renny


Shared ownership can be a good system,over here in Briton we call it
syndicate ownership.
Not only does it reduce the cost it means that there is at least one person

that has an interest in helping to rig,retreave and de rig .
It helps if you are friends but as long as you can get on its not
necessary.
It does mean the choice of ships is different because you have more money
but you both have to agree.
Jon

10.5 years in UK in two tours. Our syndicates were generally 4-way, often with one non-active partner. Yes kept costs down. Always an available seat. IIRC, at the end of my first 4.5 years I had logged at least 30 makes/models. Only 4-5 new during the second tour, but a lot more XC as I had I had interests in three gliders at one point; one wholly owned, one 3-way, and another 4-way.

In my own case, I made myself known at the glider port and got to know the other member pilots and their flying skills pretty well. That sort of engagement facilitates entering and leaving syndicates.

Frank Whiteley

I would add that in those days, you got trained by be engaged. Training was not done as a convenience, it was first come, first served. So if you arrived and put your name on the list, then helped rig the fleet (yes, a daily task), you might get a second lesson by getting your name back on the list after the first lesson. That mean the students were there all day and many members adjourned to the local pub for the evening. Some of the larger clubs had on-field amenities, which helped finance things also. That level of engagement made it much easier to form syndicate groups and allowed for a reasonable assessment of those in the group as participants.

Frank W