Originally Posted by
Mechta
A typical Viking flight is about six minutes. Significant loads on the airframe come from the top of the winch launch, and landing and retrieve on rough ground. Soaring flight on the occasions that it occurs is unlikely to impose large loads, so basing the life on the number of launches is more meaningful.
Stress at the top of the launch is only significant if either a weak link is not used, or the wrong one is used e.g. black instead of brown.
Gliders are built to be operated from grass airfields which by their nature are not that smooth. A retrieve on exceedingly rough ground won't cause undue stress, neither will landing unless repeatedly on a surface that shakes the fillings out of P1 in the back seat, over the wheel.
As above, this model of glider in civilian clubs would have decades of useful life ahead given the relifing schedules available.
This leaves me even more convinced that part of the Southern Sailplanes operation should have been to transition them to the G-register and back onto the normal Grob maintenance schedules. Gliders flying with heavier weight limits retain them on transition, at least BGA ones do.