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Gliders have been shipped to Douglas airfield for almost four years now. Instead of sitting in a trailer through the European winter, your glider could be loaded with others into a 18m shipping container, sent by us to Douglas, South Africa and flown in the most fantastic soaring conditions in the world.
Many pilots send their gliders this way, fly them for two or three weeks and hire the glider to other European pilots for several more weeks, covering their initial shipping cost. The containers used are privately owned, and have internal fittings to accept between 4 and 6 gliders, depending on the size. It is not practical to send trailers as well, but we have a few large trailers available for any out landings. Since the container remains at the airfield for the duration of the glider's stay at Gariep Dam, it is used to store your tools, spares and cleaning equipment etc.
Your glider can also remain in the container until you arrive at Douglas, and also repacked when you depart. We have assistants at the airfield who will help you with this. If you decide to send your glider to Douglas in this manner, please book a position early, deliver your glider to the container park by the beginning of October, and we will handle the rest. The container will be resting on the ground at our airfield in South Africa by mid-November. Earlier departures are possible.
Containers normally depart Douglas by the end of January, arriving in Germany a month later. The cost for the round trip depends on the size of the glider. Please inquire with us, stating glider type, earliest date available for packing and current location.For those shipping private containers, we have information available about reduced port charges, VAT exemption and we are also able to arrange offloading at the airfield. Ask your shipping company to contact us before exporting from Europe.