Does anyone use a tug tow hook that releases automatically when glider kites?
At 17:57 24 February 2014, Don Johnstone wrote:
At 16:59 24 February 2014, Peter Wyld wrote:
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)
From another thread, "With limited trim capabilities, it takes quite a
bit
of forward stick pressure in level tow in a 2-33". Is this part of the
problem? Could this be one of the causes of kiting incidents? If so
should
this be corrected? If a pilot was to let go of the stick would a 2-33
kite?
I've several hundred hours on 2-33's, unless the C of G is well aft the
forward pressure required is not great. The hook is only just under the
nose, it wouldn't kite but it would get out of position high (and probably
off to one side) quite quickly. Any glider, even if trimmed exactly right,
would get out of position very quickly if you let go, a divergent
horizontal 8 is the normal result of letting go.
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