BUILT IN THE USA SAILPLANE

Hi Alan,

I just saw your post here. This is a touchy question which I asked myself for a long time.
The cost of labor in the US is certainly a factor but it is definitely higher in Germany. I can’t comment on the labor rates in eastern Europe or South-Africa – it may be lower than in Germany or the US.
There was a very promising Std. Class design in the US, which had all the potential to give the German counterparts a good run for the money (Genesis) but no US manufacturer could be found. One of the reasons I remember was the question of ‘Product Liability’, which scared any potential manufacturer away. The glider was then produced in Lithuania, which had its own challenges.
There were two promising other US-design in the 13m and 15m class, the SparrowHawk (13m) and DuckHawk (FAI-15m) by Windward Performance. Their performance was impressive but production has apparently been halted. I think the numbers didn’t add up for the manufacturer to continue producing them.

>> Tariffs on imported sailplanes are high and expected to rise. With Trump in office Tariffs could go sky high. We could be paying 25% or more. <<
I imported a factory-new two-seat trainer about three month ago and the glider and trailer cleared customs without any import duties. That is not to say that this will continue to be the case with the new administration, which has been very unpredictable so far. I hope that gliders will continue to ‘fly under the Radar’ of the US-Customs (pun intended! ;-) )

Uli Neumann

One other aspect of the reluctance of US-manufacturers to domestically build a glider may be the product liability laws here, which do not exist in the same form in other parts of the world. This was the main reason for Cessna to start building/assembling single engine planes in Reims, France. If I remember correctly, they were C182s. We had one of them stationed on our field in Germany and it was labeled ‘Reims-Rocket’.
Soaring is unfortunately categorized as a high risk activity in part due to the stupid things people do. Remember the ‘Zuni’ accident which almost bankrupted the designer after being sued by the estate of the pilot? If a domestic manufacturer wanted to buy insurance against these kinds of law suits, one couldn’t pay for the glider.

Uli