BTIZ wrote:

way..... your tow might last 5-7 minutes.. are you counting the return time?

We pay airborne time of the tug (take off to touch down). Another
eternal discussion: So the cost of the tow depends on the tug pilot?
Yes, it does. And the glider pilot pays for a go around? Yes, he does.
We believe that it averages out over a season.

our average tow in good weather is about 2K AGL, at 500fpm climb rate,
that's about 4 minutes.. plus the time to get back (2 min ?).. then

Yes, that's about it. The glider pilot usually releases somewhere
between 2k and 3k AGL. Depends on the weather, of course. (The shortest
tow I've ever made was 3 minutes! Released at 1000 ft. But this was an
exceptionally good day.)

Unfortuately, our geografic situation is such that we cannot reliably
find lift from the winch. This would make flying considerably cheaper.
(And more fun! Hell, I do love those winch launches!)

Stefan