On Saturday, June 22, 2013 1:41:41 AM UTC-6, Alan wrote:
In article Bill D writes:



I'm positive that if it's done right, winch launch is far safer than aero t=

ow. Germans suffer one accident on average every 180,000 winch launches wh=

ile we suffer one every 24,000 aero tows. I know there are cultural differ=

ences but, presumably, we're pretty good at aero tow and they're at least a=

s good at winch launch so the comparison is probably valid.



But, what is the severity of these accidents?

The severity is exactly the same for both aero tow and winch. The German LBU accident statistics are available on-line just as the NTSB data is. I suggest you verify them yourself.

I have no idea where the SSF got their numbers but it may have been the UK since no translations are required. 2011 data shows the UK suffers one accident every 16,000 launches while Germany suffers one every 180,000. German numbers are roughly comparable to the rest of continental Europe. The SSF needs to take another, wider look.