On Mon, 4 Jul 2005 21:35:50 UTC, Dave Ruttle
wrote:

Ian Johnston wrote:
I stand completely by what I wrote. Ten or so launches
to do
it reasonably well, twenty to be giving bang on, optimum
speed,
perfect height launches every time.

Define reasonable? If this is above safe climbing speed
and below max launch speed, and the winch driver can
hold steady within 2- 5 knots (on a windy day, through
a wind gradient) up the launch, I would call that reasonable,
in fact pretty good, all our winch drivers will achieve
this well within 10 launches, normally within 2.

That sounds reasonable to me. And yes, if it's an easy day and the
gliders are the same each time it can be easy to get your hand/eye in.
But if there's a big wind gradient and you're launching a lot of
different aircraft, it takes longer.

You are implying or inferring - wrongly, that our
winch drivers don't take care.

Not at all. Sorry. Didn't mean to insult them. It's just that they may
not have te opportunity to develop their skills as well as they might:
winch driving is easy to do reasonably and rather harder to do well or
very well - I just think it's worth (the club) taking the trouble to
arrange things so they can be done very well.


In case you were wondering, I am a complete sod to
winch drivers when
I'm flying. I pull off for overspeeds without a second's
hesitation

I wasn't wondering.......
Hmmm that must be interesting and demoralising for
the winch driver, everytime you hit the wind gradient!

If the glider overspeeds when it goes through a wind gradient, either
the pilot or the winch driver is doing something wrong.

Or are you talking about the last third of the launch,
you didn't make it all that clear?

I check the placard. If I go over the winch launch speed I pull off,
at any phase of the launch. I absolutely do not subscribe to the
belief that it's OK to overspeed - and particularly not at the the
time when the glider is dangling 1500' of cable from it.

Well Ian, hope you never give a 'cr*p (my words not
yours) launch and no one will ever pull off after one
of your polished launches, wouldn't want to put ideas
into your club members heads here

Yup, sometimes I get it wrong. I hope pilots would not hang on to a
dangerously fast or slow winch launch to protect me ego. When I do get
it wrong I apologise, sincerely, and try to do better next time. When
I get it right (this is easier on circuit days) I ask the pilot how
the launch was, pay attention to what they say, and try to get it
better next time.

Maybe it takes your WD's 10 launches to get their eye
in, because they know its you on the other end instructing??


I'm only a winch instructor. When I'm at the other end I want to fly!

Ian