Lady is selling her Dad's Pik-20. Pik is a Finnish made 42:1 glider, pretty high performance that go for $16 - $20,000. This one comes with a trailer that lives in a garage. If I wasn't all wound around the axle with a car, I would buy it, shine it, put a few flights on it and sell it for an easy $6k in my pocket.
This is what I got from the seller:
"This glider was my dad’s glider, who was a glider instructor. There is a lot of paperwork, but I haven’t found the log with hours. He didn’t put a lot of hours on it. This glider has an experimental classification and is registered with the federal government. The N number is 5362G. The trailer is aluminum and the glider is stored in it inside a building, so I don’t have other pictures to share. You are welcome to come take a look at it."
Only one picture in the ad, it can be researched via the N number. Below is what they look like.
Damn, that looks like a hell of a good time
dan0
HalfDork
3/15/24 7:13 p.m.
Back when I was in high school I had a fascination with gliders. Visited the national soaring museum with my parents when we were out visiting my sister at college. Almost got to go up in one as that was something the museum offered but the weather conditions were off that day so I didn't get to.
I've been tempted in the past to get my glider rating. Being "hi performance" would this be like getting your SEL ticket and buying a Lancair IV-P?
"High performance" is over a 35 : 1 glide ratio. My first was 40:1, then a DG-300 @ 42:1 and my last was a motor glider of 27:1 that cruised at 115 mph on 2.5 GPH. GREAT visibility!
We have several power pilots in the club, one military and every one has said soaring made them better at power.
To go from glider to SEL is some time with an instructor (we have 8) and a check out by the DPE ( two in our club).
The motor glider performs well enough for me so I won't bother with an SEL, but with a 27:1 glide I have more time and choices if things go south.
I would recommend an intro glider flight just to learn momentum control and see possibilities. 😁
nocones
PowerDork
3/16/24 5:15 p.m.
Your motor glider got 46mpg? That's.. damn good. How big of a tank did you have?
Gotcha, I was hoping it didn't mean it would be like flying a Pitts. We've got Tampa Bay Soaring club over in Zephyrhills, I need to run over there and give it a shot. I've been too busy to commit aviation lately, I need to change that.
