Jonathan Dietch <<nmerider>>
writes:

On Monday I replaced all seven (7) internal pulleys (the sweep
wire pulley counts as two). Several of these pulleys were found to be pretty
well worn upon inspection. I don't suggest anyone recycle their sweep wire by
cutting off the double pulley and attaching a new one via heavy duty shackle but
it's what I did. For only $50 more, you can simply buy a new sweep wire assembly
and avoid the hassle.

I flew the glider yesterday at Sylmar for 1:44hrs. The air was 'active' enough
that I was frequently pulling and releasing anywhere from zero to 5/4 with
relative ease. I do have the 24:1 reduction system. The VG system worked
noticeably smoother and with less effort in addition to the large reduction in
drag I previously described from simply replacing the corner bracket bearing.

As with bicycle maintenance such as chain and cable cleaning and lubrication,
the drag on the VG system builds up so gradually that it doesn't always get
noticed until something fails and as with a bike ride, a flight is compromised
and a good day lost. I hope that pilots consult their glider manuals and work
through their dealers for this level of maintenance.