On Jun 23, 12:33*pm, John Smith wrote:
T8 wrote:
Apart from anything else, your hand should be on the release knob during
the launch,
That's surprising to me... a non-winch qualified guy. *On an aero tow,
I would call that very risky business indeed.

Some do, some don't, but event those who don't do have their left hand
very near the knob and grab it several times during the pre-flight
routine. Because if you should happen to drop a wing and start a ground
loop, then things develop *extremely* quick on the winch.

I'm not an instructor, but our instructors teach "near" and "conscious
of". I understand "on" at the beginning of the roll, and I
occasionally do this, especially given conditions that might cause a
ground loop (no wing runner for instance) but we'd strongly discourage
hand on the release after the glider leaves the ground. Hand on the
knob in rough air and subsequent inadvertent release led to a very
serious accident a year or two ago. We'd wondered where the heck the
pilot picked up that habit.

-T8