Sailplane Refinish Part 1

This first part of a series on refinishing an LS-3A and 3,000 hr inspection. The first part documents how to remove the inner and outer wing seals, remove the flap, and remove the ailerons.
Refinish work by Schaefer Aviaition www.schaeferaviation.com/
Mylar Seals wingsandwheels.com/tapes-seal...
Inner Seals wingsandwheels.com/tapes-seal...
Embroidered Shirt wingsandwheels.com/pilot-supp...

[@stevetownsend3211]

Hey, I know this glider when I flew out of Ionia, MI. I flew #98 (Kestrel 19M). Cool to see this restoration!

[@NWA320DRVR]

Looks like a great series. I know it takes a lot of effort to produce a quality video so thanks for taking the time to do it. Our soaring club in Minnesota hauled our 1983 AS-K21 out to Schaefer Aviation for a 6,000 hour inspection and complete refinish. Danny and his team did an excellent job.

[@schaeferaviation]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@julietsierra]

Nice work! 🔥🤘🏽 I wish your channel existed earlier when I tuned my Ls4!

[@TheSoaringChannel]

Thank you for making this video series! One day, if I'm up to it: I may have to do this on the 505. That will be quite the undertaking.

[@schaeferaviation]

We are happy to share the huge amount of work that goes into refinishing a glider. I agree with your thoughts about the 505, that is a big bird!

[@physiognomy_ua]

Subscribed and liked, waiting for new series!

[@IgorVolkov]

Super !

[@itchy108]

Cool, I'm in the middle of stripping the gelcoat from my Ls3

[@markplain2555]

Wings & Wheels - than you for this video series. I have bought my glider through you and I have just bought a couple thousand dollars of lxNAV instruments from you. . When it comes to UV protection - why are we not using a simple vinyl wrap? I have already seen them being used on gliders. The vinyl wrap is lighter than paint and gel coating. Vinyl is very easy to apply, it can be easily removed (in the future), has great UV properties, but most of all comes in an amazing array of colours and patterns.

[@TheSoaringChannel]

Because fiberglass resins need to stay cool, generally the only acceptable color choice is white to avoid reducing the strength of the glass and resin.

[@noelwade]

In addition to the issue of temperature (as mentioned by "The Soaring Channel", its worth noting that vinyl wrap would hide any evidence of cracks in the gelcoat. While this might seem like a benefit for non-structural minor cracks in gelcoat as it ages, this could be a serious problem if it hid a structural crack or an area of delamination.

[@wingswheels]

Hi Mark, I heard about the wrap you described used by some in Europe. Not convinced it's right for me. Thanks, Sean

[@markplain2555]

@@wingswheels The above is all very good advice. I have an HP-18 which is a metal plane (except for the cockpit). Can any see a problem with me using vinyl wrap? I'm thinking of a matte white colour.

[@schaeferaviation]

Hi Mark, Vinyl can work well in some applications. I often use it for accents and ID's. It is currently not an approved finish by most manufacturers for repairs, let alone full refinishes. I agree with the previous comments.

[@rickemmet1104]

Amber, get out of my shot! That was pretty cool to see, and I'm looking forward to the rest of these. It seems that this should be very boring, but I can already imagine what the refurbished sailplane will look like. Can new "improved" winglets be attached to an old LS-3?

[@wingswheels]

Hi Rick, Amber spends her day at W&W greeting delivery people and visitors. I already check with DG. They don't make neo-winglets for the LS-3. Thanks, Sean

[@rickemmet1104]

@@wingswheels Thank you Sean, that's good to know. There are a ton of older sailplanes on the site and seeing the restoration of the LS-3 will give all of us a good idea what the result will be. I'm I correct in assuming that the winglets would do more to increase performance than just about any other modification?

[@SeanFranke]

@@rickemmet1104 I haven't seen an LS3a polar with and without winglets. I'm not convinced the increased performance beats the handicap penalty in competition. No doubt it helps in handling but the LS3a is really good as-is.

[@thesep1967]

More!!!