On Tuesday, 11 February 2014 18:41:48 UTC, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Tuesday, February 11, 2014 3:56:33 AM UTC-5, Chris Rollings wrote:



What was needed was a hook that

responded to the vertical component of the load, not the angle at which it

was applied...



This statement defines the starting point, not the ending point.



How about a weather proof calibrated mechanical device placed between the Tost release hook and the tug that pulls the Tost release lever when the vertical component exceeds a limit? There is a well-proven mechanism that does something like that on my downhill ski bindings. A rocket-scientist is not required.



Is it a matter of the FAA and insurance underwriters making any change to the status quo cost-prohibitive? What sort of gauntlet does one need to run?

My statement that an automatic releasing hook was beyond our capabilities refered to the situation over 30 years ago, it is quite possible that technology has moved on a bit since then and it is now possible. It would certainly constiute a modification to the aircraft under UK/European rules, and I strongly suspect ander FAA rules too. As such it would need approval, time consuming and possibly expensive.