Getting Top Dollar for Your Used Glider
So you want to sell your glider to make room for the new HpH Twin Shark. The first thing is taking-off the rose-colored glasses you have been using when viewing your glider. By now you are used to those sweat stains on the interior, however it is not going to be as attractive to a potential new buyer. They may even consider it a little disgusting as they imagine laying in it for multiple hours.
If you have a mechanic that has been letting items slide and you have grown accustomed to that sailplane which potentially has been getting worse it might seriously decrease the value of your sailplane. Gelcoat crazing many times catches owners by surprise.
Make sure all of the squawks are taken care of or make sure you are very open with the potential buyer. Take care of all of the life-limiting parts and know when they are due.
Some prospective buyers find a lot of value in having a fresh annual, personally I feel it is more important knowing who was doing the annual. Also if the mechanic was aware that the glider is listed for sale. Sometimes things slip by when the glider stays at your home field but when it moves some of those items may need to be taken care of.
If it is not shiny and white make it shiny and white, put some elbow grease into it. Actually I recommend WX block/seal. We all know that the first impression means a lot. When the easy to reach lift pins are rusty you can only imagine what the difficult to reach areas are going to look like. You may also consider doing a thorough job cleaning the trailer.
Sometimes a pre-buy inspection can eliminate some headaches later down the road. But this is a lot more common in power planes, even required with some loans. Going through the log books and making sure the paperwork is in order is a must. I remember one glider trailer was still registered two owners back.
Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.
