Gee Mike,
I can see that you have never had to work on these "eastern-bloc" metal
gliders. I consider that they were a Communist plot to send western
glider pilots mad.
I spent 30 years working on Blaniks and they were a nightmare to keep
tight. Forever replacing control circuit bearings for one thing. I
understand that IS28's are similar. I have many, many more hours
tearings Blaniks apart and putting them back together than sitting in
the cockpit, even though a Blanik is quite nice to fly. The only thing
in a Blanik I never took apart was the oleo strut.
Back in the days Mike Burns was CTO, I said to him that I could ground
every Blanik in Australia because one AD required measuring spar pin
holes to 3-decimal places with tolerances to 4 IIRC. I had access to
metrology equipment that could measure those numbers. Our Blaniks were
out of spec then and I imagine no used Blanik then or now would comply -
if that joke of an AD is still applicable.
After we sold our last Blanik, I followed the new owner down to the
airfield gate and locked it behind him so he couldn't get back in if he
changed his mind. Then I went to the RTO/A and had all my metal ratings
removed, so now I cannot even DI a tin can.
These things were never meant to last as long as we have had them.
Especially in our dusty climate. In the Communist countries, I'm led to
believe that they replaced them regularly. I'm sure they never slaved
over them like we have. There are even odd individuals who LIKE working
on the things. These people are very 'special' to be politically correct.
Having flown an IS28 once, I find your comparison to an ASK21 puzzling.
Maybe on paper, but certainly not in practice. I found that you could
thermal the thing with negative flap and it didn't appear to make any
difference to positive flap. It's front pole was even longer than a
Blanik's. I seem to remember feeling like having to look around my hand
to see ahead. Anyway, the IS28 is nowhere near as pleasant as an ASK21.
At least in a Blanik, I could thermal with full flap, elevator and trim
against the back stops and 25kts or less on the dial.
Let us know how many hours you have flying a Blanik, IS28 and ASK21 and
I'll dig out mine so we can compare experience.
Cheers and happy xmas,
Leigh Bunting
On 22/12/14 15:08, Mike Borgelt wrote:
Shameful is what it is. It is well known that metal aircraft have two
problems when they age:
Fatigue and corrosion, both of which can be inspected for and
rectified if required.
Now it may not be economical to do the rectification but that can
depend on the particular circumstances of the owner.
Nothing to do with calendar life at all and an IS28 is hardly obsolete
for the purposes for which it is flown. As I have noted before, an
ASK21 is essentially a fibreglass IS 28. Look them up in Martin
Simon's book on sailplanes 1965 to 2000.
What a pity we don't have in this country an organisation dedicated to
promoting the interests of glider pilots and glider owners.
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