Avionic trailer.

Thinking about new trailer and would like to know pros and cons from Avionic owners.
Since Avionic is about 40% cheaper than Cobra right now it looks like good deal....
Also if anyone owned Cobra and Avionic and can compare both models. Thank you Pavel

Hi Pavel -

I have owned both. I had an Avionic trailer for my PW-5 and have a Cobra trailer with my LAK17at. Both had fiberglass tops. Both were well outfitted with jigs, etc. Both were about 2002 vintage.

I really liked the fluted floor of the Avionic trailer. The Avionic trailer had more running lights around the exterior and on the tire fender.

The Avionic was higher than the Cobra. They both trailered quite well. I'd have to give a slight edge to the lower Cobra in high cross winds. I can tow at a little faster speed than the Avionic before I'm concerned about sway.

I hope this helps.

Lou

On Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 4:27:24 PM UTC-8, wrote:
Thinking about new trailer and would like to know pros and cons from Avionic owners.
Since Avionic is about 40% cheaper than Cobra right now it looks like good deal....
Also if anyone owned Cobra and Avionic and can compare both models. Thank you Pavel

- I owned Cobra and had two Avionics parked right next to mine. Avionic trailers come in different height/size, so the one hosting Pw-5 is in fact taller, but one parked next to me was home to SZD-55 and it was about the same size as my Cobra. Both are great and if you considering purchasing new go for Avionic. I don’t think it is 40 percent lesser value than Cobra. Also, bare in mind Cobra spare parts come at a premium price.

On Friday, January 20, 2017 at 10:15:12 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 4:27:24 PM UTC-8, wrote:
Thinking about new trailer and would like to know pros and cons from Avionic owners.
Since Avionic is about 40% cheaper than Cobra right now it looks like good deal....
Also if anyone owned Cobra and Avionic and can compare both models. Thank you Pavel

- I owned Cobra and had two Avionics parked right next to mine. Avionic trailers come in different height/size, so the one hosting Pw-5 is in fact taller, but one parked next to me was home to SZD-55 and it was about the same size as my Cobra. Both are great and if you considering purchasing new go for Avionic. I don’t think it is 40 percent lesser value than Cobra. Also, bare in mind Cobra spare parts come at a premium price.

I have a 2008 Avionic AVG-15 for my SZD-55. I'm very happy with it. It is very stable; I normally drive speed limit so 65 mph/105 kph for mileage. It's easy in/out and I like the over centre lock that raises the fuselage instead of the hydraulic or screw versions. I would have bought the third rail if I had to do it again. The wing dollies/fuselage dolly/tail storage all were correct for my glider (shipped from Europe in it). I recently had to replace the clamshell gas struts - inexpensive and quick from the factory. I have the glass top but probably would get the aluminum top the next time - just less maintenance.

I'd buy another Avionic, should I marry money or win the lottery and upgrade to an 18m glider.
Dan

Others have Cobras - I've crewed for XG's 29 and Joerg's LS-8/18, both with Cobras, and they are nice, though a bit more 'spendy'.

I've owned 2 Avionics and have been quite happy.
They pull well and hold up well. I've had my current one for 15 years.
Support from Jerzy (North America) has also been good.
Definitely a good value if you don't want to pay Cobra prices.

Cheers,
Tim

The difference is in the details. Many people will never know or care about what I notice.
I have had a Minden Fab trailer, an Avionics trailer, a trailer made by a trailer manufacturer that I never heard of, and now two Cobra trailers.
The Avionics seems to be an attempted knock-off of a
Cobra. It looks very similar. The construction, dollies, keepers, track system, and running gear look very close.
My experience says that Cobra pays GREAT attention to details. Especially nuts and bolts that do no protrude into the spaces that your hands will occupy when you begin to move things around in the trailer. I do all one man rigging so I am very intimate with my trailers.
Bottom line, I spent significant money to replace an Avionics trailer with a Cobra when the dollar was weak. The bolts that extended 1/4 to 1/2 inch beyond the nuts and would "catch" your hand or fingers got to be too much.
Avionics are well built but not refined.

I have owned both and towed both with the same tow cars. No difference in towing. Both were stable at speeds up to 85-90 mph. (Note, my comments are based on the trailers I have owned, mid 1990's vintage Cobra and Avionic.)

Avionic
pro: slightly lighter, less expensive, good service from Windpath
con: possible for the wing root dolly to disengage from the tracks,
the ramp does not remain engaged to a track when it is deployed,
the front of the trailer is not as well set up for storage of
rigging gear.

pro: more attention to detail in construction and design making it
more "user friendly"
con: more expensive, the tongue wheel can slip down while towing

Advice:
Given comparable trailers (vintage, condition, options) for the same price, get the Cobra.

If money is a factor, get the Avionic.

P9

Hi

I bought a new Avionic trailer in 2016 for my DG-808B
I haven't only done 1 rigging / derigging with it, but have done countless similar operations with Cobras or Schroeder trailers.

There are indeed differences with Cobra trailers:
1)
The first one is the door at the back which is not (and shouldn't be) used as a rest point to stabilise the trailer. You have to deploy the "crutch" and make sure the door doesn't support any weight as it's not designed to do so (2 smaller hinges compared to door wide hinge on the Cobra).
You also have to make sure the door is far enough from the ground not to damage the wing supports located on the inside of the door. They're longer than the door and can easily be damaged.

2)The central rail on the ramp does not fold sideways. There are two additional central ramps that are store on the side of the trailer that you have to put in place before use.(main, and last ramp that guides the tail to the ground.

3)The wing dolly can disengage from the ramp if you're not careful or too quick in the manoeuvre.

4) I ordered a "luxury" version with aluminium floor and aluminium top. Not sure Cobra has an option for aluminium floor ?

Again, this might not be true for all types of gliders (wing supports on the door for instance...), this is only reflecting my experience with an AVG18 and DG-808 with wing parting.
My advice would be to double check with the factory that they have already the exact dimensions for your glider and accessories before the manufacture is started. If not, send them the info.

I'm sure the factory will take these differences and inconveniences into account and try to improve their product.

All in all I'm quite happy with it. I don't think the higher price of the Cobra is worth the difference, unless maybe you have to rig at every flight.

In conclusion: I would definitely recommend an Avionic trailer.

There are a few Avionic (and Cobra and Komet) trailers at my club. Mine was the first. I bought it new in late 2004 to replace the disintegrating wooden trailer my ASW-15 came with. Two years later another club member bought one to replace his old trailer. More recently a LAK-17B-FES and an Apis were purchased by two of our pilots and they came with Avionic trailers. There have been some changes to the details over the years but the basic trailers are very similar. We all rig our gliders from the trailers for every flight so we've got a lot of collective experience with the trailers. Fittings have been very good. The "over center" lifting mechanism for the ramp is an improvement on the double scissors jack that mine has as it's a lot quicker to use. Ours are all fiberglass top models and the nicest thing about them compared to the Cobras and Komets is the amount of room inside. I think they made the mold for the top rather large to be sure the trailer could hold older ships with thicker and/or broader chord wings. It makes it really easy to store all the assorted glider accessories up front. They are very good trailers really and I don't think you can go wrong with one. I've never had a problem with the wing root dollies coming out unintentionally or a problem with protruding hardware on mine or the others.

It's probably worth looking around for a used Cobra or Komet if buying a new trailer isn't an urgent necessity as it was in my case. You would probably have to do some refurbishing and adjusting or replacing of fittings but it might be worth your time and money to do so if you can find a good used trailer.

On Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 7:52:22 PM UTC-8, wrote:
There are a few Avionic (and Cobra and Komet) trailers at my club. Mine was the first. I bought it new in late 2004 to replace the disintegrating wooden trailer my ASW-15 came with. Two years later another club member bought one to replace his old trailer. More recently a LAK-17B-FES and an Apis were purchased by two of our pilots and they came with Avionic trailers. There have been some changes to the details over the years but the basic trailers are very similar. We all rig our gliders from the trailers for every flight so we've got a lot of collective experience with the trailers. Fittings have been very good. The "over center" lifting mechanism for the ramp is an improvement on the double scissors jack that mine has as it's a lot quicker to use. Ours are all fiberglass top models and the nicest thing about them compared to the Cobras and Komets is the amount of room inside. I think they made the mold for the top rather large to be sure the trailer could hold older ships with thicker and/or broader chord wings. It makes it really easy to store all the assorted glider accessories up front. They are very good trailers really and I don't think you can go wrong with one. I've never had a problem with the wing root dollies coming out unintentionally or a problem with protruding hardware on mine or the others.

It's probably worth looking around for a used Cobra or Komet if buying a new trailer isn't an urgent necessity as it was in my case. You would probably have to do some refurbishing and adjusting or replacing of fittings but it might be worth your time and money to do so if you can find a good used trailer.

The lack of a fuse jack makes one man rigging more complicated. I use the jack on my Cobra trailer to fine tune the dihedral angle of the wings to the fuse. Also, the angle needs to be changed somewhat during derigging to unload the main pins, all done with the jack. Without a jack I would be making multiple trips to the wing dolly and, worse, the opposite wing stand. There is no way I would buy such a trailer.

Also the ramp tracks are much less robust than the Cobra, and I see no extension for the tail wheel (believe me, you don't want to carry the tail of a Schleicher motorglider any distance, not even a foot - if my back goes out so does my flying).

Tom