hours on fiberglass airframe

I'm planning to buy my first glider and am opting for a fiberglass standard class that I may find for a reasonable price. How should I factor in total airframe hours when I consider ships within my price range? Should I consider the 'type' of hours flown? Number of launches?

Most early ships are rated to 12000 hours or so. If you buy a 20 year old ship with say 6000 hours on it, even at 200 hours a year you've got another 20 years to run!

The number of 'cycles', landings and take-offs will have more bearing on the condition.

Ian

Tango4 a écrit :

However, you have to be aware that Polish have much lower spanlife (that's the way they were certified). Extending life is not always possible.

IIRIC, the early glass gliders were initally given a conservative 3000 hour service life, based on 1/6 of their 18000 hour design life given the then unknown mechanical, UV, damage creep, etc design expectations of composite structure. Most have required special inspections to extend this service life, and may require replacement of metal spigots, pins and the like to gain this extension. Were a glider in the US to reach it's service life and no extension were grantable under the STC, I would think it may continue to fly in the experimental category following a condition inspection and sign-off. You might have to agree to periodic tests or inspections as a condition for continued use and it would be prudent to do so.

Anyone in the US have a glider that's exceeded all life extensions?

IMHO,

Frank Whiteley

Yes, most of them are certified for 3000 hours only. There is an ongoing discussion about the lifetime extension but maybe Janusz can write us more about it. Regards,

ROFLMAO

Jantar Std 9000h Junior 6000h

Older wooden ships - lifetime not limited, depending on their actual technical shape.

Janusz Kesik a écrit :

In Canadian type certificate, SZD-41/48 are given to 3000 hours. How do you get the extra 6000 hours ? Maybe an AD ?

Primarily there was 3000 (1000 or 1500 for SZD 41a) and next extended to 6000, later to 9000.

This is a lack of communication between the factory, country of export, and current owners. Due mostly to lack of factory representation or overdependence on the national air authority to keep abreast of develop and inform owners.

This was one of the problems WRT the IS-28B2 and it's life extension inspections. There were at least two updates to the service life, both extensions, from the original. Finally, an agreement to extend even further after special inspections were performed, at least in the US. Canada, as I last recall, had grounded their's that exceeded the 20-year 'shelf life'. Any change in this status?

AFAIK, this is not an AD, but a modification to the operators handbook. Technically, it should be a modification to the STC, but this is not applicable to those flown under experimental type certificates. So, unless there is factory representation or direct contact with the factory, such changes escape notice.

Frank