"Mark James Boyd" wrote in message
news:4046baa4$1@darkstar...
I spent a good portion of the past few days looking into
auto-tow launching. After some fairly extensive
searching, I found that, as far as I can tell, nobody has
used auto-tow OR winch launch at a public airport
in four years.


About 90 percent of my launches are by auto-tow on the ramp at Hobbs
Industrial Airpark, a city owned, public use airport with limited power
traffic. The club at Hobbs does not own a towplane and they launch almost
completely by winch. Local power traffic is sophisticated about the
problems of ground launch and the people doing ground launch are careful.
It has been many years since there were any incidents. One I heard about
was a Bonanza getting a prop tangled up in a winch wire on the ground.

I keep a reel in the back of my Ford Escape that has the 1500 foot launch
rope on it. After a launch the rope is reeled in by an electric motor on
the reel. Very tidy and easy. I average around 1,200 feet on the very long
ramp at Hobbs with a PW-5. Rarely do I have to take a relight but when I do
I feel like I can stand the 35 cents or so it costs to take another one.
Those $40 contest tows are quite a shock for me.

Larry Pardue 2I