$75,000 2-33

On Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 9:50:44 PM UTC-5, wrote:

Hour long training flights are overrated. Figure the time between first tow of the day and last. With ground handling/debriefing/pre briefing the next student how many club members can a glider serve in a day if they are all hour long flights?

I cited the student's perspective above.

From the perspective of a pilot who comes to the field, takes an aerotow to 1500 AGL, and comes back 4 hours later. Students who help with ground handling for most of the day, who pay for three 3000 AGL tows, really help the cash flow that pays for the fixed expenses associated with the tow plane. It keeps the annual dues low.

Most capable glider pilots in the USA have 'paid their dues' in time and treasure in a 2-33, so it is only fair that new people coming to the sport persevere though this initiation period. If they can't hack it, they don't have the moxie to be a glider pilot.

Okay. Back to my real perspective. I think the cost of remanufacturing a 2-33 all at once reflects the cost of remanufacturing it piecemeal over years (putting a dollar value on volunteer time). Maybe you can do it for less than $75K. IDK. What does K&L charge for a remanufactured 2-33?

Using a 2-33 as bait to attract new pilots has hidden costs. For a variety of reasons, I think it cuts down on the number people that become capable and dedicated glider pilots. It is hard enough progressing in a weekends only club.

Clubs that fly 2-33 often charge a token fee for air time. I'd rather pay for glider rental time and long flight than for lots of tows and short flights. I was happy to pay $1 a minute to do some post-PPL training in a DG1000, and so were a lot of other students. It is a very seductive plane. It opened my eyes to what you can do in a high performance glider, and I wish that I had flown in a plane like that sooner rather than later.