First Glider, a few more questions

On Aug 4, 7:26*pm, tstock wrote:
Great info guys, I am paying close attention.

Thanks
Tom

Cost of ownership and maintenance are some other considerations.

In CA Riverside county the yearly airplane "USE" tax is 1% of the
purchase price.
The Yearly annual is about $200-400 if everything is in good condition
and no fixes are needed.
Insurance is between $500 plus, up to 3% of purchase price per year.
Trailer License renewal is cheap, and maintenance is low on trailers
typically,
Check you car and glider insurance coverage to make sure you are
covered for your glider and trailer when towing.


Maintenance:

With a certified aircraft you tend to post phone maintenance due to
cost and mechanic availability many times figuring that if you meet
the
letter of the laws you are still OK, but with an experimental you are
free to repair things as they get worn and you will
end up with a better maintained aircraft, and therefore safer in my
opinion.

Some people have an aversion to Experimental Aircraft because there is
a perceived risk, but
in reality it actually makes you much more responsible for the safety
of your own butt and you tend to err on
the side of caution.

Honestly, I prefer experimental now because it allows you the freedom
to make improvements with far less fuss
and cost of ownership is definitely cheaper if you are mechanically
inclined to maintain it yourself.

Case in point is that before an annual, I do a pre annual and fix up
or note anything that needs attention and minimize the need for
an aircraft mechanics time.

Then at the actual Annual I ask questions and point out things to the
inspector that are of concern to me that he may not be aware of.

After the inspectors annual I do a post annual inspection to make sure
everything is back in place and set as it should be.

I had one annual that upon reassembly a rudder cable ended up wrapped
around the elevator tube.

The preflight revealed a "resistance" in the control freedom that I
was not normal. A quick look in the inspection port revealed the
condition and I corrected it in a few minutes.....I could not imagine
how that happened but now do my own thorough post annuals.

You will find that the Inspectors come in flavors varying from one
extreme to the other, one that does the bare minimum, signs your book
and takes your money, (Cheap cost/ high risk)
and those that will accept nothing less than absolute perfection
before signing (And their time is money so you pay double or triple/
lower risk)

You need to find one that matches your comfort and DIY level.

Ray

On Aug 5, 8:29*am, jb92563 wrote:

With a certified aircraft you tend to post phone maintenance due to
cost and mechanic availability many times figuring that if you meet
the
letter of the laws you are still OK, but with an experimental you are
free to repair things as they get worn and you will
end up with a better maintained aircraft, and therefore safer in my
opinion.

Not true in my experience. I have owned one standard airworthiness
glider, one experimental glider, and been in partnership on 2 standard
airworthiness airplanes. The level of maintenance I have done on the
airplanes is far greater than on either glider because they require
much more maintenance.

If you are a competent mechanic, and have a good relationship with the
AI or A&P that will sign off either the maintenance or the next
inspection, there is essentially no difference between the maintenance
work a competent owner can do on standard vs experimental.

So far I have found no advantage to being experimental except perhaps
for better availability of persons qualified to perform the
inspection. The known downsides to experimental are the program
letter and its associated restrictions and the possible loss of
coverage under a life insurance policy. (quite likely to be a factor
for someone with a young family).

Andy

On Aug 5, 10:33*am, Andy wrote:
...The known downsides to experimental are the program
letter and its associated restrictions...

Not all "Experimental" aircraft have the same limitations. There are
big differences between Amateur-built experimentals and Racing and
Exhibition experimentals.

Unless it says otherwise in the operating limitations (and, again, I
have never seen such a limitation), operators of amateur-built
Experimentals are not required to submit an annual program letter as
is required of operators of post-moratorium racing or exhibition
experimentals.

Thanks, Bob K.

On Aug 5, 10:52*am, Bob Kuykendall wrote:
On Aug 5, 10:33*am, Andy wrote:

...The known downsides to experimental are the program
letter and its associated restrictions...

Not all "Experimental" aircraft have the same limitations. There are
big differences between Amateur-built experimentals and Racing and
Exhibition experimentals.

Unless it says otherwise in the operating limitations (and, again, I
have never seen such a limitation), operators of amateur-built
Experimentals are not required to submit an annual program letter as
is required of operators of post-moratorium racing or exhibition
experimentals.

Thanks, Bob K.


as is required of operators of post-moratorium racing or exhibition
experimentals.

Actually the last 2 lines above vary. I just reapplied for a new
Special Airworhtyness cert and "Negotiated" the Operating Limitations
with the FAA this past
June, 2010 as an Experimental Exhibition/Racing.

I reapplied because when I bought the glider the Special Airworthy
Cert and Operating Limitations did not have the same date and the FAA
had no records of the matching set. The Original Cert was dated in
1984 so perhaps that is pre-moratorium and exempt from the program
letter requirement?

I added the /Racing and got the annual program letter requirement
removed, and it was a painless easy process....I even had the FAA
office do the inspection instead of a DAR, so it cost nothing, and
they were very nice about the whole thing. I was pleasantly
surprised.

I think each FAA office will be different as so many things are up to
interpretation apparently.

Ray