Long Term Motorglider Launch costs

Eric Greenwell wrote on 12/14/2019 5:04 PM:
Nick Kennedy wrote on 12/14/2019 3:23 PM:
Several years ago I was helping Wilf Krueger K2 strap into his DG 800B motorglider.
He looks up at me and says "here goes the most expensive tow I'll ever buy"
He smiles and takes off.
I'm curious from those in the know, how much did that launch
really cost him?
Over say 25 flights a year over 10 years how much roughly does it cost per
gasoline powered motorglider launch?
* Including ALL maintenance and fuel and parts. And hands on time to keep the
engine running at say 75/hr labor. Extra annual inspection costs too.
That's 250 launches
In my LS3a my average launch seems to be about 65 bucks.
65X 250 launches = $16,250

What are you motorheads really paying per launch over time?
Do you try to* keep track?
Or is it just one of those necessary life expense's you really don't want to
know the total as you'd pay it no matter what ?

The direct cost of a launching my ASH 26 E is small, I think. A typical launch
uses 0.5 gallons of fuel, puts less than 10 minutes on the engine (including taxi
time), and that's about it. What has cost money over the years is AD's (like
requiring a muffler replacement); age related items such as coolant and hoses,
fuel lines; and drive belt changes (one belt in twenty years). A water pumped
began leaking around 10 years, an oil hose leaked after 20 years.

The extra cost of the annual inspection due to the motor varies, but about 3 hours
if the engine is removed, one hour if it isn't.

The motor is not just for launches, but for retrieves: I've avoided some long car
or aerotow retrieves by starting the motor and running for just 10 minutes;
sometimes I've used for it up to 20 minutes, but it's pretty cheap compared to
having a towplane come for me. And you should consider how much your time is worth
to avoid siting around for few hours at a lonely airport, waiting for the car or
towplane, when you could sitting around with your buddies, back at the field instead.

So, focusing on the launch costs misses the cost avoidance of retrieves. If you
never land out, you don't have retrieve costs, but you are flying very
conservatively. You would find a motorglider very liberating, setting you free to
explore the weather, find the real limits of your soaring ability, and still get
home for the after flight festivities. My wife thinks our motorglider is the best
glider we've ever had, and worth every penny!

Adding to the above: You may be able to reduce launch costs with a motorglider, if
you can avoid a long drive to the towplane, and, instead, self-launch from an
airport near your home. And, while traveling with the glider, you can launch from
a nearby airport when you see cu forming, rather that deviating from your route to
a more distant gliderport (or weeping softly as you realize you will not be able
to fly in those lovely cu).

Some of my best flights were when traveling with motorglider, flying when things
looked good. There are lots of places with good soaring and no towplane for 100's
of miles. Think if it as improving the ROI in the "glider" part of the motorglider
- more flight time in better places!