in article , Robert Ehrlich at
wrote on 2003/10/30 4:11:

Bob Johnson wrote:

I 'member a time only a couple of years ago that I experienced the
dreaded aerotow line break at 200 ft and 60 kt over the...fence.

This raises the interesting question of the height loss during a 180
degree turn in a glider or an airplane with a dead engine.

The considerations are not so different for a power plane or a glider, but
the parameters are different. See the cites/sites below in their entirety at
the inlcuded URLs for the discussion as applied to Genral Aviation ASEL
types:

--------------------

Should You Turnback?
or
The Possible `Impossible' Turn
by
David F. Rogers, PhD

Copyright (C) 1991 by David F. Rogers. All rights reserved.


"Most of us fly single engine aircraft. If the engine quits
on takeoff, should you attempt to turnback to land on the
runway? The turnback problem is extremely complex. Like many
complex problems, there is no single right answer. Each
situation must be judged individually. Thus, the answer is
a qualified maybe or the classical `it depends'. It depends
on the Conditions, the Aircraft, the Altitude, the
Proficiency of the pilot and on Planning. CAAPP for short."

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~dfr/flying/possible.html

================================================== ==========

The Possible `Impossible' Turn

David F. Rogers
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, Maryland 21402

Copyright 1994 David F. Rogers, All rights reserved.
Originally published in the AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 32,
pp. 392-397, 1995 with permission.

"Turning back after engine failure during the take-off phase
of flight in a single engine aircraft is examined using a
simplified analytical model. The important parameters are
identified. The analysis shows that the optimum flight path
is teardrop shaped with a 45-degree bank angle at stall
velocity during the turn. The effects of engine failure
altitude, wind direction and velocity, and bank angle on
the required runway length are examined. The results show
that the typical recommendations for general aviation
single engine aircraft are not optimum."

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~dfr/flying/aiaa1col.pdf

================================================== ==========