Partially Assembled
GlaStar Kit For Sale
For sale: GlaStar Kit #5844, originally purchased in 2000. $19,500. Please scroll through this page for photos and additional information, or use the menu below.
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This Kit
Disclaimers:
THIS KIT IS OFFERED FOR SALE STRICTLY AS IS. I OFFER
ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEES ABOUT THE OVERALL CONDITION OF THE KIT OR WORKMANSHIP.
BE AWARE THAT THIS PROJECT HAS LANGUISHED IN STORAGE FOR MANY YEARS, SO THERE COULD BE SOME OCCURRENCES OF HANGAR/STORAGE RASH. THERE ARE SOME MINOR SURFACE CORROSION ISSUES ON SOME OF THE ALCLAD SKINS.
ALSO, THE ENTIRE FUSELAGE STEEL-TUBE CAGE WILL REQUIRE EXTENSIVE WORK TO STRIP THE INFERIOR POWDER COATING, CLEAN UP MINOR RUST ISSUES, AND REPAINT (see photo below).
IT IS THE BUYER'S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY TO INSPECT AND DETERMINE TO HIS/HER SATISFACTION THE CONDITION OF THE KIT.
Workmanship:
Though I am not a professional aviation mechanic, I expect that the workmanship is on a par with most
amateur-built projects. Prospective buyers, of course, will be able to access, view, and evaluate most of the work that has been completed to date (only the control surfaces have been completed to the point of limiting internal inspections). I feel it's only fair, though, to inform prospective buyers of
the mistakes that I know about:
- Belly Fuselage Attach Bolts: Brackets attach the fiberglass fuselage shell to the steel cage. When drilling the holes through the fuselage belly attach brackets and the fiberglass shell, I wasn't satisfied with the quality of some of the holes (I didn't do a great job with the drilling snake). So I stepped all of the holes and bolts up one size. I'm comfortable with this arrangement, since edge distance standards are still met on all holes - though just barely on some. However, if the buyer is not comfortable with this change, I expect that the fiberglass could be filled, new attach brackets fabricated, and the process repeated. (I'd recommend contacting the factory for advice on filling the fiberglass around the attach points.)
- Extraneous Hole: One of the wing skins was initially misaligned. Fortunately I caught the error after only one hole was drilled. But that extraneous hole will need to be patched - probably a doubler patch of some sort.
- Bad Rivets: A handful of rivets in the partially-complete left wing will need to be replaced. The most convenient and logical time to do that will be when the wing is returned to the jig for final assembly, after initial fitting to the fuselage.
- Deviation from Manual: Not an error, but this seems a logical location to inform prospective buyers of the one time that I intentionally deviated from the build manual instructions. The construction manual specifies cutting an inspection hole of several inches diameter in the belly, just a little forward of the aft end of the fuselage. The primary purpose of the hole is to allow access to the nut ends of the bolts that fasten a shearweb in place. To save marring the sleek fuselage by cutting that hole, I followed the course of many GlaStar builders: fabricating a fiberglass flange to which the shearweb is bolted using nutplates embedded in the flange. If the buyer were uncomfortable with this change, it would be a fairly simple matter to grind off the fiberglass flange, and repeat this construction sequence per the manual. See photos below:
IT IS THE BUYER'S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE WHETHER WORK COMPLETED TO DATE COMPLIES WITH ANY SERVICE ADVISORIES AND BULLETINS THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY MANUFACTURER.
Kit Completeness:
If you're knowledgeable about the early history of the GlaStar, you may
know that the original manufacturer of the kit, Stoddard-Hamilton, went
bankrupt. Many builders, including myself, were awaiting many backordered parts
at the time of the bankruptcy. As a result, I had to re-purchase thousands of dollars worth of
parts and components. I did do so, but some re-purchases I put off until the
parts would actually be needed - and for some of those, that time has never
arrived.
So below, to the best of my ability, I've assembled a list of parts that the buyer of this project will have to purchase (my understanding is that many GlaStar parts are still readily available from Glasair Aviation, but each item in the below list could also be sourced from a number of popular suppliers (Aircraft Spruce, Wicks, etc.)):
- Stainless-steel sheet for firewall fabrication
- Main gear wheel/brake assemblies
- Nose gear wheel assembly
- Nose gear tire and tube
- Matco brake reservoir
I OFFER NO ASSURANCE THAT THIS IS A COMPLETE LIST OF PARTS/COMPONENTS THAT REMAIN TO BE PURCHASED. PROSPECTIVE BUYERS ARE WELCOME TO PERFORM A COMPLETE INVENTORY USING THE ORIGINAL BILLING MANIFEST.
Kit Extras:
- I purchased the factory-built spars
- I purchased the cowling kit for a Lycoming 0-320
- I purchased prefabricated bulkheads from a third-party supplier
Photo Documentation:
The entire construction process has been thoroughly documented with photos, and copies of all will be provided to the buyer. Following are a few selected photos from the construction process to date...
Wings:
Fuselage:
Horizontal Stabilizer:
Elevator:
Ailerons:
Flaps:
Rudder:
Interested?
This project is currently hangared at Mineola Wisener Airport (3F9), Mineola, Texas. If you have questions or would like to arrange a time to view the project, please contact me initially using the form below. After initial contact, a phone conversation can be arranged if desired.