Sticking my toe in the "buy a glider" conundrum.
I'm definitely not confident enough to go somewhere--many many miles away: I live in the northern part of Virginia--and look over a glider and trailer rig and determine whether or not to go all in.

So, how would I go about getting in touch with an A&P (aviation maintenance technician) to help with a "purchase pre-inspection"--I've looked for A&Ps "near me" and I get the society they belong to, school choices, or job offers and that's about it.

Additionally, the annual on one glider I'm interested in has expired. I'd like to see if I could get an A&P Authorized Inspector (AI) to come along and do an inspection, conditional prior to purchase--that sort of thing--reasonable?

Finally, some of these gliders are a long way away from me. Forget them altogether? Buy, and then hire a driver to bring it to me? What do I google for that?

Thanks in advance for any help, Dan

On Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 6:53:17 AM UTC-7, LoftusRoadLad wrote:
> Sticking my toe in the "buy a glider" conundrum.
> I'm definitely not confident enough to go somewhere--many many miles away: I live in the northern part of Virginia--and look over a glider and trailer rig and determine whether or not to go all in.
>
> So, how would I go about getting in touch with an A&P (aviation maintenance technician) to help with a "purchase pre-inspection"--I've looked for A&Ps "near me" and I get the society they belong to, school choices, or job offers and that's about it.
>
> Additionally, the annual on one glider I'm interested in has expired. I'd like to see if I could get an A&P Authorized Inspector (AI) to come along and do an inspection, conditional prior to purchase--that sort of thing--reasonable?
>
> Finally, some of these gliders are a long way away from me. Forget them altogether? Buy, and then hire a driver to bring it to me? What do I google for that?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help, Dan

Hi Dan,
I have been on both sides of this issue and the best advice I can give is to insist on a current annual inspection even if the glider didn’t pass inspection, ask for a written explanation from the inspector and ask for contact info on the inspector! Then, contact the inspector and you’ll probably get the third party evaluation of both the ship and it’s trailer.
You might consider flying out to see things for yourself, make the deal, and then fly home and have U-ship bid on delivery. I sold a D2 this way and things worked out well.
Hope this helps,
JJ

Dan,

The gliding community is a small one. Chances are, someone in your club/FBO knows someone who knows someone who knows the glider you are looking at. If you can get close (e.g. someone who flies from the same airport), find out who they trust to do their glider annuals/condition inspections locally. You want a real inspection and not just a pencil-whipped signoff. I've helped with a number of purchases on both sides, and it's always better if there is some personal connection in the chain IMO.

If you'd like to PM me with some info about where you fly, we can start the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon (glider edition).

Erik Mann
P3

On Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 9:53:17 AM UTC-4, LoftusRoadLad wrote:
> Sticking my toe in the "buy a glider" conundrum.
> I'm definitely not confident enough to go somewhere--many many miles away: I live in the northern part of Virginia--and look over a glider and trailer rig and determine whether or not to go all in.
>
> So, how would I go about getting in touch with an A&P (aviation maintenance technician) to help with a "purchase pre-inspection"--I've looked for A&Ps "near me" and I get the society they belong to, school choices, or job offers and that's about it.
>
> Additionally, the annual on one glider I'm interested in has expired. I'd like to see if I could get an A&P Authorized Inspector (AI) to come along and do an inspection, conditional prior to purchase--that sort of thing--reasonable?
>
> Finally, some of these gliders are a long way away from me. Forget them altogether? Buy, and then hire a driver to bring it to me? What do I google for that?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help, Dan