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Touring Motor Gliders Association (TMGA)

Cobra Trailer for the Phoenix?


edwalker

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I just saw this photo of a Cobra Trailer designed for the Lambada. Since the Phoenix is not that dissimilar in size, does anyone know if a Cobra trailer has every been built for the Phoenix? I just sent the Cobra factory a note asking if it can be done and for what price. 

I've looked locally over several states to find someone who will build one similar to the custom trailer that Don Boardman had built in upstate NY, but there aren't many options near Seattle. Also, they tend to be quite heavy, and I don't have a pickup to haul it around. I have a Subaru Outback that can tow 3000 lbs, so I'm hoping that Cobra's experience with the Lambada will allow them to make something not too heavy. I'll let you know.

lambada.jpg

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Mike, you must live in Florida! :)

The best soaring in WA State is on the other side of the Cascade mountains. For example, the Region 8 competition is held in Ephrata, with some of the best conditions in the country. The problem is that I frequently get grounded by IFR in the mountain passes and miss the best flying. Everyone else in the club just trailers over the pass and they have a great time. I’m tired of missing the fun. :angry:

Eric is lucky — he lives near there!

Ed

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It’s not that bad to remove the wings if you have some help, 2 additional people is ideal. I usually never have more than a few gallons of gas in the wings, and I have two 5-gallon gas containers. It’s no more finicky than any other glider I’ve rigged.

ed

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  • Registered

A Cobra trailer with a Phoenix might work well, but I'll guess the loaded trailer with some stuff in it will weigh around 2300 lbs based on what my ASH 26 E and it's Cobra trailer weigh. I towed my ASH 26 E trailer (about 2400 lbs) with a 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan, about 3700 lbs, 150 hp. It did OK, but 60 mph was a sensible speed, 70 mph was asking for trouble. For coming to Ephrata from Seattle, 60 mph is plenty good enough. It'll be interesting to learn the cost of the trailer. It will be fat and short compared to my 26E trailer! Likely an advantage, however.

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Ed, a Cobra (Spindleberger) trailer for the Phoenix will cost about $20K by the time you get it here with shipping.  I don't think there is a Phoenix Cobra trailer.  You can get a Haulmark  type trailer modified in height only for around $8K.  The weights of the trailers will be about the same.  The big difference in weight depends on 1 or 2 axles.  2 axles tows much smoother for the plane, and provides extra safety in case of a blowout.  Don tows his trailer with a Honda Pilot.  Here is a photo of Don's trailer.

The Haulmark types are around 7 feet high inside.  Don's trailer was about 5' 10", and there was around 5" of space above the canopy.  So it would be possible to have one made with around 5'5" inside height.  Measure your Phoenix to the top of the canopy and see how low you can go.  But if you go back to Don's trailer photo, you can see that he needed that extra room above for the wingtips and tail.

Several years ago when I looked into trailers, a local company could build one to my dimensions for the same price as the usual size, $8000 with tandem axles.  I would think the Seattle area would have a company which does this work too.

DSCN8714.JPG

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Jim -

Thanks for the info. I already knew about Don's trailer and the Haulmark, but I don't have an adequate tow vehicle to pull either option. What got me started on this was that I found out that Cobra has made at least one Lambada trailer that was suitable to be towed by my Subaru Outback, so I wrote to them about what it would take to do a Phoenix version. Unfortunately, as you point out, it's quite a pricey transaction, probably close to $25k, and I doubt it will have any resale value. Back to square one.

Ed

 

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Hi All,

Having a trailer for my Phoenix has been great. Yes, the Phoenix has a motor and is a quite capable touring machine as we all know (to Costa Rica Jan 2014). Since taking delivery in May of 2013 my Phoenix, snuggled in its trailer, has averaged 8K miles per year. So we are looking at approximately 40K miles. Escaping the NY winter I see the majority of my airtime in Florida and Arizona returning home at the end of May. Having a Phoenix trailer allows me to have my vehicle on this annual adventure.

The trailer is all aluminum made by Blizzard. I had the interior height reduced from 6'6" to 5'10" (my height) it allows the canopy to open a bit with access to the package self for charging etc. The empty weight is aprox 2300 Lbs with a max gross of 7k Lbs. It tows well behind my Honda Pilot. It is stable seeing 80 MPH on occasion without a problem. Of course significant cross winds are a factor. I can rig and derig the Phoenix alone if the wind is not too strong. It is a straight forward process. Leaving just less than five gallons in the wings on your last flight allows fuel to drain into two 5 gal containers before disassembly. After assembly at your destination you have fuel and are ready to find some Cu's.

Blizzard is willing to customize their trailers and ship then everywhere, including overseas as far as I know. See:  http://www.blizzardmfg.com    I beleive my model is a modified 716 or 718. 

Detailed pictures of my trailer are somewhere on this site or at least where at one time. Sorry don't have a link to there location.

 

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  • 4 years later...

This doesn't help Ed with trying to keep the tow below 3000lbs but I used a generic 24' double axle trailer to ship #44 to Honolulu. Yes Mike, I could have flown part way.  Afterwards, I used the trailer for several months, packing and unpacking to fly, until I got a hanger.  Nice thing about buying a large generic trailer is the high resale value it will have if/when you decide to sell it.  I rented a reasonably priced U-haul to tow it from Minden to Oakland.  The black steel cradles holding the wings came from Czech Republic, are specifically designed for the Phoenix and were purchased from the newly retired Jim Lee (congratulations!).  There are side stories on all phases of this adventure that I'd love to share if anyone is considering this route.

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IMG_7604.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...

I ordered a Phoenix U15 trailer in Poland from Avionic in Februari this year. I found another solution, so I do not need the trailer anymore. Unfortunately, I already paid part of the price which will not be refunded...

Anyone interested to buy a great trailer for Phoenix??

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