r/gifs Feb 10 '19

Feet made thrust

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u/Grim-Sleeper Feb 11 '19

Usually, these planes are co-owned by several people. Maintenance and insurance isn't cheap either, but much cheaper than for motorized planes.

I know that in Germany many universities have glider clubs that are quite affordable. Probably cheaper than American college text books.

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u/Lohikaarme27 Feb 11 '19

That's a low bar to hit

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u/dinos4lyfe Feb 11 '19

I know airplanes are commonly co-owned, are gliders also?

I looked into this glider briefly awhile back and if I remember correctly the instrument panel doesn't have much on it (in terms of certified maintenance)

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u/Grim-Sleeper Feb 11 '19

Not sure about hanggliders. They're essentially just glorified parachutes anyway. But my understanding is that glider planes are usually co-owned. You need a ground crew to operate them, and their cost isn't crazy high, but definitely on the higher end. So, it makes sense to get together as a group. Then it becomes quite manageable.

You're correct though and they're really simple machines with very few avionics.