JET CLUB

NEW!
Jet Glider Club
now forming

Don’t just check IF the soaring conditions are good...
check WHERE they’re great!

Jet Glider Videos:
Jet Glider Fly-by

Jet Glider PDF Brochures:
304s Shark
304s jet option

Jet Glider web links:
HpH factory site
(Please note the factory does not have much information published yet on the jet option since they are still in the final testing stages of the jet option. The sailplane performance info is published though and the non-powered sailplane version is already being delivered.)
HpH U.S. Dealer
(Wings and Wheels is also a mail order business for glider related items.)

Jet Retraction System

Hollister Jet Glider Club


The Hollister Jet Glider Club is in the initial stages of getting started. We currently have 2 new 304s Shark Jet Gliders on order with an approximate delivery date of July 2008. We plan to start selling memberships in October of 2007. All memberships will be sold prior to the gliders delivery. You will need to be a licensed glider pilot to join the club. Membership prices and structure may change some before club set up is complete so currently we are not taking any money for memberships. You can be put on a waiting list now but no money will be collected. If you are potentially interested in joining the club please let us know and we will make sure to keep you informed about the clubs progress.

The HpH 304s Shark ‘jet glider’ will open up new soaring opportunities for Bay Area glider pilots. The personal time commitment required to fully enjoy the great soaring conditions in our area can be greatly reduced with the jet glider’s capabilities.

You can launch out of Hollister and be over the Sierra Mountains in about an hour, which is a gateway to one of the World’s best soaring locations, and still have half your fuel left to get home at the end of the day. In less than 30 minutes you could be thermalling in the Panoche Valley or ridge soaring Mission Peak with a beautiful panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay. Just check the weather to see were the best soaring conditions will be that day.

The HpH 304s jet glider has a very simple single switch operation for getting jet thrust. You either turn the engine on or off. Everything else is automatic. The glider is not a self launch and will require a short tow to start so the throttle has been eliminated for simplicity. The best rate of climb is about 550 fpm at 75 knots and you still get 125 fpm at 95 knots. Glider pilots can now feel like Buck Rogers with the flip of a switch. Because of this engine operational simplicity and the fact that the engine only has minor effects on the glide performance when extended but not running they will be much safer than propeller powered versions of the glider or ones like it.

The 304s jet gliders should be about $180,000 each with all the bells and whistles plus shipping and taxes. The club is based on 12 members per glider but the days available to schedule have been divided into 6 members on weekdays and 6 members on the weekends. This should allow good glider availability for the members while keeping the buy-in cost and monthly club dues low.

Membership Options:

Weekend Membership
Buy-in: about $20,000 (1/9 of actual cost of a glider)
Monthly: about $75 /mo. (1/12 of monthly fixed expenses)
Reservation ability: one weekend day at a time*

Weekday Membership
Buy-in: about $10,000 (1/18 of actual cost of a glider)
Monthly: about $75 /mo. (1/12 of monthly fixed expenses)
Reservation ability: one weekday at a time*

*Any glider not reserved by 7 p.m. can be scheduled by any member for the following day. This reservation will not effect any other day you may already have reserved. This makes sure we get maximum use of the gliders while still being fair to all members.

You can buy one of each membership type if you want the additional scheduling ability. There will be a maximum of 6 pilots that can schedule on weekdays and 6 that can schedule on weekends per glider. This membership ratio and scheduling system should provide plenty of availability for everyone. Reservations can be for the whole day but do not have to be.

The jet gliders are well suited for making long cross-country day flights out of Hollister. This is because of their ability to go to the lift even if it is not so good locally that day and still be able to make it home that night. The number of soaring days available out of Hollister would be increased for the jet gliders. Because of this we felt that only being able to schedule one day at a time would be enough for most Bay Area pilots needs and desires. You would be able to schedule weeks ahead of time and have a good chance of being able to reach soaring conditions to play in that day. Once the club is formed the members can decide if they want to allow some form of a ‘vacation reservation’ once or twice a year so safari trips can be made.

There will be an hourly engine fee to cover fuel, maintenance and engine overhaul. This is going to be about $180/hr. A 5000’ climb would only take about 10 minutes and cost about $30. You will only use the engine though for about 20-30 minutes for a typical 3-5 hour flight in the Panoche area and about 1.5 hours for a long flight to the Sierras. The gliders will hold about 2 hours of fuel on board. They will still have capacity for plenty of water.

The jet engines will consume about 12 gals an hour of jet A fuel and require a hot section overhaul every 100 hours. The engine will be sent back to the engine manufacturer in Germany for overhauls. This will not be a big problem since their shipping weight with electronics is only 8.8 pounds. The factory has also offered to lease us a spare engine while ours is in for overhaul so we do not have any down time.

As a jet glider club member you will have an equity share of the club which will own the gliders. HGC will be paid to manage and maintain the club’s gliders.

Memberships can be sold by their owner at the owner’s asking price. Their resale value may vary up or down based on demand and current new glider prices.

Once the first 24 memberships are sold we will begin collecting additional membership deposits to purchase a third glider. As of 8/1/07, the next delivery spot available was already into 2009. If the third glider is not ordered until Spring of 2008 the estimated delivery date would be around summer of 2010.

The glider has been doing very well in European competitions this year and is on tour through out clubs in Europe. This is why they have had their sales increase so much lately. They have offered to give us demonstration flights in Europe if we come over. Tempting.

Details of pilot requirements will need to be worked out later but if you can fly the BASA DG-1000 and Pegasus then you should not have much trouble flying the 304s. Follow-the-leader type training in the jet gliders should be an easy way to learn cross-country soaring.