Does anyone use a tug tow hook that releases automatically when glider kites?
Not very relevant to the discussion, but on one occasion a long time ago, I
was on the long rope (low tow) of a dual tow going up to do a formation
aerobatic display at an airshow. The glider I was in was a Pilatus B4
which only had a C of G hook (this was 1974 some years before the tests
described earlier).
Approaching the release point, the tow-plane ran into strong lift under a
small Cb that had drifted in over the airfield. He throttled back and
lowered the nose to avoid being sucked up into the cloud (and Heathrow's
airspace). Both gliders started to catch up with the tow plane and
developed slack lines. I didn't release because I didn't want to have my
rope wrap around the other glider on the short rope and he hadn't released.
Almost at once my rope back-released and the rings, flailing about,
smashed a large hole in the canopy and put a medium sized dent in the
wing.
Not an arguement against low-tows with a single glider I agree.
At 09:14 24 February 2014, Don Johnstone wrote:
Can we just not agree that the use of low tow and the non use of CoG
hooks
for aerotowing reduce the likelihood of a kiting event occurring?
The available evidence may show that neither will completely prevent the
occurrence but there is evidence to show that there is an apparent
reduction in occurrence. Complete eradication might be the ideal but
reduction is a start in the right direction.
There is a lot to be said for studying "Best Practice" but you have to
act
on it. If you are used to high tow I would be the first to admit that low
tow looks weird but it is much more stable and requires much less work to
keep the proper position. It appears to me that people are saying that
out
of position in low tow is a much less serious situation that out of
position in high tow (too low is better than too high)
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