How to Buy a Previously Owned Hang Glider
If you are looking to purchase a hang glider, but looked at the price tag and nearly fell over, you wouldn’t be alone. New gliders can cost anywhere between $3500 and $5000. If you intend to make gliding a fairly regular part of your life, then you can expect to purchase another glider or at the very least make repairs to the one you own, at least every four to five years. This can be a very intimidating prospect for future gliders.
Used Hang Glider Cost
A used glider, will generally cost less than $2000, which is a huge break from the price you would pay for a new one. Okay, now that you’ve gotten back on your seat, it gets better. Now, with the worry of needing to shell out between twice and three times that, you might be ready to start flying, right?
Making the decision to buy your own glider instead of continuing to rent one is a major step to being a determined hang glider. While renting might be more cost-effective initially, if you get pretty serious about the hobby, it won’t take but a few rentals to match that $2000. And so, it might behoove you to lay out the bucks. There are several things you will need to think about before actually acquiring used equipment.
While you do not want to ever take the risk of purchasing equipment that is considered “cheap”, you do want to keep the cost as low as possible if that is an issue for you. “Cheap-ER” price is good, “cheap” construction is bad. If you wind up with a defective wing because you chose to get the dirt cheap one with possible safety issues, sure you’ll have saved money, but then you’re in the hospital having suffered myriad of injuries.
Something you need to consider when you are looking at used equipment is the rust factor. Rust is an evil thing that can cause major safety issues when you are in the air. No matter what Webster’s Dictionary says, the definition of “rust” is: dangerous; cause of many deaths; absolute opposite of safe! Bolts can fall off and bars and wires can break right in half…and if this happens while your feet are not on the ground, you are in a huge amount of trouble.
Another great bit of advice is to always fly any used glider before you actually agree to purchase it. While the serious experts out there probably think this is a very logical thing to do, any novice at purchasing used equipment may not know how important this is. Anything can affect the performance of a wing. The weight of the bolts and bars, any wear and tear, and even the type of fabric it is made of can all quickly become serious issues. These things will always be different in any used wing. You need to know how the wing is going to fly before you buy it and are depending on it every time you decide to go out.
Safety, safety, safety: the three most vital components to making the decision to purchase a used hang glider. This piece of equipment is the one thing standing between you having an amazing experience floating on the breeze and something that is altogether far too unpleasant to discuss in this blog.
