Our club operates at an uncontrolled municipal airport with a 3600'
paved runway. There is no landing on the grass to the side of the
runway as it is too rough. Depending on wind direction, we either take
off from the grass with about a 300' run before crossing the threshold
(gliders are airborne by this point) or pushed out onto the runway when
going from the other end. Radio communication with the power pilots is
crucial as there is alot of transient traffic. Club rule require that
ships stop on the runway and then get pushed off. This is due to more
than one encounter with runway lights that put the glider out of action
for a time. I agree that opposing patterns is a recipe for disaster at
our airport but it may work well elsewhere. We enter the pattern at
1000' - the same as power. That way everyone knows where to look for
conflicts.

As a somewhat interesting aside, we also have a medivac based at our
field. The chopper sits well off the runway near a hanger. One day the
chopper was spinning up as a launch was getting ready to go (no wing
runner) at the opposite end of the field. Winds were light and variable
and traffic was very light. I was at mid-field and could see both but
it was unlikely they could see each other. I know the view of the
chopper is obscured by aircraft on the ramp and assume he couldn't see
the tug. I was walking and had no radio. The launched commenced and
just as the tug got airborne the medivac lifted off and basically flew
over the taxiway offset but head-on to the tug/glider. The tug pilot
banked a little to increase the separation and both went on their merry
ways. It was close but didn't require radical maneuvering by either
pilot.

Minutes later a CFI and FAA Airport Safety Officer (or some such title)
came down and basically chewed me out for having the launch proceed
while a medivac was taking off. She let me know in no uncertain terms
that the medivac has the right of way and we should have waited. I told
her a) I wasn't even there and b) once the tug/glider launch they have
very limited ability to maneuver especially that close to the ground.
There was no question that the launch started before the chopper lifted
off. She didn't want to hear it and went off in a huff.

When the tug pilot returned he said that he didn't see the chopper
spinning up, announced his take off, heard nothing from the medivac and
didn't view it as a particularly close call. I never talked to the
medivac pilot and never heard any complaints from them. I did notice
that the medivacs now seem to "taxi" out to the runway and take off
down the runway rather than climbing out right from their pad. Just
another thing to be aware of.

Mike