Pilatus B4 questions

I am looking to purchase a Pilatus B4. Does anybody have any opinion/ideas about this aircraft. Or how about an appropriate price for a 1975 build date with approx 2700 hours and the AF modification.

Only that I'd not pay too much for one since they are very hard to find parts for........and metal gliders can be harder to repair than most wood or fiberglass designs. tim

Hi,

I flew a Pilatus quite a bit a few years ago. It's very fun to fly. But a bit touchy due to the very large elevator and other controls. I wouldn't recommend it for a low time glider pilot. That said, I got a lot of my badges in it as a low time glider pilot.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde

Our club has a B4. I would not consider it a well matched ... pitch versus roll. I found it very pitch sensitive versus a very slow roll rate. If you're flying into a strong thermal...good luck Chuck!

In the 70s, the Surrey & Hants had two of them and I did quite a bit of time in them after Ka8s. They are 'pitchy' and even in my previous gliding life when I weighed a lot less, I found them difficult to keep in a spin although that could have been cured with a small tail weight.

They are also difficult to rig so you will need more than average help if you land out.

There are still two privately owned ones at Lasham. You could try putting out a post on the Lasham website.

George Emsden Moderator - Kestrel Newsgroup on Yahoo <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kestrel401>

I don't know that I agree about rigging difficulty. We have no trouble with ours, although it is only de-rigged annually for its Inspection. The ones built by Pilatus in Switzerland are beautifully constructed, as you would expect from a professional aircraft manufacturer. (They are the only European glider I know which uses AN bolts and nuts, not metric.) There are B4s built under license in Japan. I have not seen one of these, so cannot comment on build standard, except that I am told that they do not use zinc chromate corrosion protection on all the aluminium components as is done in the Swiss ones. They are great fun to fly, and are intended as aerobatic gliders, with the 'AF' version certified for even flick manoeuvres. Penetration is not great, so they are less interesting for cross country flying. Cheers, John G.

In the 70s, the Surrey & Hants had two of them and I did quite a bit of time in them after Ka8s. They are 'pitchy' and even in my previous gliding life when I weighed a lot less, I found them difficult to keep in a spin although that could have been cured with a small tail weight.

They are also difficult to rig so you will need more than average help if you land out.

There are still two privately owned ones at Lasham. You could try putting out a post on the Lasham website.

George Emsden Moderator - Kestrel Newsgroup on Yahoo <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kestrel401>

> Our club has a B4. I would not consider it a well matched ... pitch versus > roll. I found it very pitch sensitive versus a very slow roll rate. If you're > flying into a strong thermal...good luck Chuck! > > Vince

I had one for a few years. Great fun, probably the best built all metal ship around. Easy enough to assemble, as long as it comes with a good trailer and rigging gear. Parts are available from a guy in Switzerland. I can chase down the name if you get to the point of buying one.

The AF mod makes the rudder base stronger, allowing for more aerobatics.

Price, I'm guessing $15-$18k. Jim H. CFIG N483SZ

Is it a problem that you cannot keep this glider in a spin ? Why would you correct this behaviour with a weight in the tail ?

For me, a glider that is reluctant to spin or will not stay into a spin looks quite safe.

Joeri.

When I was quoting the difficulty of rigging I was quoting someone else. The one thing I did learn when looking for a glider was to go and see things for myself.

George Emsden

Joeri, The Pilatus B4 is an aerobatic glider, and as such, should be able to do a spin in a fully controlled manner, as this is a recognised aerobatic manoeuvre. The glider has a hole through the aft section of the fuselage specifically for bolting on weights to put the C of G in the correct place for best aerobatic performance when heavy pilots are flying it. Cheers, John G.

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Is it a problem that you cannot keep this glider in a spin ? Why would you correct this behaviour with a weight in the tail ?

For me, a glider that is reluctant to spin or will not stay into a spin looks quite safe.

Joeri.