Last week I sold my beautiful glider and feel sad about it. Now I have to find another one. Gliders are owned by syndicates of 2-12 people to share the expense. There are 3 of us and we decided we would like a dual seater rather than this single seat Ventus 2cT. We are currently negotiating for one.
It is not like selling a second hand car because there are no defects that can be hidden. Each glider has an annual airworthiness review certificate, logbook, a weighing certificate and a few other documents. We had 2 sets of buyers. The first went over the glider with a toothcomb and found minor scratches and other minimal faults and wanted to negotiate a price. The second lot had a quick look and said OK, let’s shake on it. So we did.
The seller has to let the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) know about the sale. The poor buyer has to send in about 6 documents and fill in a 6 page form. The season starts in April but we will go an a flying refresher course to practise getting out of difficulties and landing in farmer’s fields before starting.
Flying is easy enough when you know how. It is getting out of trouble when things go wrong that really tests your skill.
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This picture is absolutely stunning. What is the glider’s wing span? I’ll make an origami version to show you next time.
Wingspan 18 metres. Has a glide angle of nearly 50:1. Top speed about 150 mph but cruising at 65 mph usually. Highest I have been in it is 13,000ft. It is not fitted with oxygen otherwise I would have gone up to 20,000ft.
Are you searching for solitude in gliding?
13,000ft is equivalent to the height of Mount Kinabalu, the 20th most prominent mountain in the world.
How do you deal with – fear?