At 00:44 12 December 2016, Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 16:03:09 -0800, stephanevdv wrote:

1. Balance the wing, not just level it.
2. Point the glider EXACTLY at the winch.
3. PRECISELY center all controls and don't wag the stick
around in the
roll.
4. Above all, don't force a pilot to wobble along during an
extended
ground roll while struggling to keep the wings level.

I have an issue with points 2 and 3: you're of course right if the
winch
hook is on the center line of the glider. However, many gliders
(e.g.
Ka-6, ASK-13, ASK-21) have an off-centre winch hook. With a
left of
centre hook, the initial acceleration causes a marked yaw to the
right.
It is much better in this case to align the glider pointing slightly
to
the left of the winch, and giving left rudder at the start.

There was a discussion about this during my club's launch
marshal meeting
today. The consensus was that there is a potential problem with
point 3
because many pilots think 'balanced turn' and also add some
aileron, thus
inviting wing drop, when leaving the ailerons centralised and just
applying rudder is the correct course. Centralising all controls
avoids
this. I should add that we use SZD Juniors, which have a larger
left hook
offset than any of the gliders you mention and consequently a
stronger
tendency to swing right, especially if there is a cross-wind from
the
right!

I start winch launches with controls centred regardless of whether
I'm
flying my Libelle or one of the club's fleet (Junior, ASK-21,
Puchacz or
Grob G103). In all cases you can get rudder on fast enough to
control a
swing if you're paying attention, and what are you doing as PIC if
you
aren't paying attention?


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

You are absolutely right Martin and the point you make is crucial.
Whatever the glider, the crosswind or any other factor the controls
should all be centered, or in the case of the elevator, neutral to the
trim setting or takeoff position (I find a T21 needs the stick well
forward). The controls should only ever be used to correct a
departure from the attitude required, or to select an attitude
required, never, in the context of a winch launch, to anticipate a
perceived or potential problem.
If any force is needed by the wing tip runner to hold the wings level
with the ailerons central this can be corrected by lifting or lowering
the wing by a small amount to balance, a Bill has said. If however
balance cannot be achieved with a small lowering or lifting then
serious thought should be given as to if the launch should be
attempted.