Originally Posted by
Olympia 463
I admit it is a magnificent trainer but it is GLASS with all the attendant problems you get with repairs.
What are these attendant problems? The civilian glider world has been successfully repairing composite airframes far more complex than Vikings or K21s for over fifty years now.
Originally Posted by
Olympia 463
Why not get Schleicher to knock off a hundred or so K13s , at what would be clearly be a lower price and quicker to make than the 21 ?
And while we're at it let's get Jaguar Land Rover to quickly knock together a hundred or so Series IIa at Solihull? I'm sure it wouldn't take much to tool up a new production line...
Originally Posted by
Olympia 463
In the good old days we used to repair our T31s with minor damage during the week ready for next weekend. I was Technical Officer in my club and I know about these things.
There is absolutely no reason, other than a lack of expertise or drive to "get the job done", that this can't be the case for GRP gliders. At international gliding competitions it is by no means rare for a glider to be damaged one day, have a couple of guys work through the night to carry out a repair, and for it be ready for the pilot to fly the very next morning.
Originally Posted by
Olympia 463
I maintain that a programme to build NEW K13s in quantity would be the most economical method of getting the ATC back into the air. Modern production methods and the economy of scale would both save money and TIME. and TIME is of the essence here I think. Glass ships are expensive and slow to make.
Who would build these K13s? Schleicher? They haven't build a wood and fabric glider for 40 years and Rudolph Kaiser has been dead for a quarter of a century. They have the capacity to build about five gliders a month and have a years-long waiting list for their world-leading ASG29/32 and ASH30/31 gliders, alongside a steady stream of K21s.