Glider Transportation ID->MA

[Matthias Jaffe]

Looking to get a glider in a COBRA trailer from Driggs, ID to Sterling, MA.  While towing the trailer 2,300 miles over the Rockies is a possibility, I'd prefer to put it on a truck (flatbed, hotshot, car transporter).  Time-frame is mid-March.  Anyone have a good recommendation?  Thx!

Matthias

[Middleline Airfield]

Place a posting on uship.com and you can get bids on what you are looking for. Had great success in the past.  

[Bud Shaw]

I used UShip twice and communicating with the driver on each occasion was frustrating.  On one occasion,  the driver called me from a location 15 miles from the one I had given the dispatcher at the time of booking and on three other occasions when they called me back to "re-confirm."  The other time, they awakened me at around 2300 to come get my glider and trailer at the agreed location when I had been assured they wouldn't arrive until 8 am the next day.

No damage occurred either time, which is most important.

At the recommendation of Rex Mayes, I have twice used Alan Gold.  He's great.  Communicates frequently, didn't get lost, and delivered right on time.  Of course, he also charges a bit more, but I feel it was worth the little bit extra.

Alan Gold

360 536-0630

[Scott]

I don't think you want to consider a flatbed or similar. You need the cobra shock absorbers to do their job. On a flatbed they will chain it down with the front "jockey wheel" (no shock absorber) being the third point of contact and chains preventing the rear of the trailer from compressing and rebounding.

On Monday, January 27, 2025 at 8:23:25 AM UTC-6 Matthias Jaffe wrote:

[John DeRosa]

Alan,

Based on listening to the stories from my Son-in-law who works in the area of transportation there is a significant amount of scamming of innocent drivers by their being fooled into believing that the delivery address has changed.  That might be the situation you mentioned of the repeated "re-confirming" of the delivery address and/or being at the wrong address.  Sad but true.  

- John (OHM)

[Tom Phelps]

I would agree with Scott about avoiding the flat bed. 

With the trailer springs compressed, all that road vibration being transmitted into the glider cockpit cannot be good for sensitive avionics & instruments. Plus loading a long, single-axle glider trailer onto a flat bed using normal ramp slopes guarantees that the chassis will be dragged rather than rolled on.....doing who-knows-what to the chassis. Unless you have access to an elevated platform from which the trailer can be rolled on from the same elevation.  

I am in the midst of getting a glider from UT to NC, but do not (yet) have someone to recommend.   

[Frghtdg]

Looks like you got yourself a Genesis.

Congratulations.

R

On Monday, January 27, 2025 at 9:23:25 AM UTC-5 Matthias Jaffe wrote:

[Charles Norman]

You might want to reach out to the US distributors of the glider manufacturers. I once was able to take advantage of a empty hitch from a delivery of a new glider from the east coast to the west coast. I was able to tow my new-to-me glider to the east coast for the cost of gas. They got their tow vehicle back and I was able to get my glider home. Plus, I still talk about that crazy road trip. 

This Forerunner had over 250,000 miles on it, and from what I understand many of those miles were from towing gliders back and forth across the country. 

[Ian Molesworth]

All the talk of chained down trailers. And yet high value gliders are shipped around the world every year, packed 5 or more into 40' steel containers. Run on trailers from place to place, multiple stacked on ships and craned around at ports.

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[Greg Arnold]

Gliders actually are rather tough, especially now that instruments mostly are electronic rather than mechanical.  What is there in a glider that might break? 

Also, semi-trailers have shocks and springs, and they carry fragile items like eggs.  If you were to ride in one, you probably would not enjoy the ride, but I am guessing you would not enjoy the ride in a glider trailer.

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[Nicholas Kennedy]

I always wanted to get inside my Cobra [ with the ship out of it] Have someone close the lid and go for a drive and see how it rides.

Never did get to do it, yet

Nick

A2

[Dennis Vreeken]

Have you not been hurt enough Nick ! Just saying…

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2025, at 5:36 PM, Nicholas Kennedy <nickkennedy...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Uli N]

Two kids in my old club in Germany tried that! They went on a short retrieve in the closed trailer and thought they could just ride back in the loaded trailer, too. They arrived at the off-field landing site very sea-sick and the way James Bond likes his Martinis - shaken, not stirred. Since they didn't want to take the same mode of transport back there was no extra room in the car, they decided to take the bus home!

Uli

'AS'

[Roy Bourgeois]

Having driven thousands of kilometers on retrieves over the worst dirt roads in South Africa, and imported 5 gliders ( both RORO and container) to the USA, I find the idea of a glider  - properly in its trailer -  lashed to a well sprung truck on US highways, akin to a baby in its carriage.  Don't worry about it.

ROY 

[Mark Mocho]

By "lashed to" do you mean hitched to a tow vehicle? Or do you mean tied down on a flatbed trailer and hauled by a semi-truck? I have had experience riding in trailers hitched to trucks, as well as riding on the back of a semi. Unloaded, the semi had possibly the WORST ride of anything in my experience. It's like there is no suspension at all. If you REALLY want to beat the crap out of a glider and trailer, ship it by rail. You'll be lucky if the glider isn't damaged in some way.

No matter what method you choose, remember that the travel forces and shock loads are MUCH higher than anything your aircraft will experience in flight. (Except maybe a really crappy landing.) Even after a 20-mile trip, the G-meter is pegged in both directions. You can buy G-force indicator labels from shipping suppliers, but most are expensively priced in packs of 50. I would suggest 10G, 25G and 50G to get an idea of how the trailer rode.

I sent an Aviat Husky to Australia in a shipping container a few years ago. G-force labels showed that it took loads of over 25G behind the truck. Before going on the ship, the indicators were replaced, and in Australia, the 10 G indicator hadn't tripped. (There was also a half-empty can of Coke that was still upright in the container.)

If you aren't going to be there to ensure your glider is properly secured and adequately padded before the trip starts, don't be surprised when the trailer is opened, and you find damage. The shipper you choose is NOT responsible for improper loading. Modern Cobra trailers have decent methods to secure a glider, but many homebuilts do not. I've seen some that really needed to be filled with Styrofoam shipping peanuts because the tie-downs were useless.

[Soartech]

I am not surprised that anyone riding in a totally dark trailer would become "sea sick". There is no visual reference at all.