On Jan 4, 3:59 pm, John Smith wrote:
This has been discussed here many times, and if you search the archieves
you'll find plenty of material. Anyway, a short summary:

Pro:
- it is safe *if* done properly. Be sure to get thorough instruction by
experienced people.
- cheaper than aerotow
- "greener" than aerotow
- it is fun!

Con:
- it mixes poorly with power traffic (but it is doable if you have a
plan and everybody cooperates)
You only need the airspace over the airfield for less then a minute so
if you keep everybody advised on CTAF, there's no real problem. Pull
the rope out on the grass between the asphalt and the runway edge
lights where it's out of everyone's way. Many winch groups operate
from fairly busy single runway public airports.

- boring for the winch driver
Well, it's fun for me.

- needs more ground staff
You do need a wing runner with a CG hook, but otherwise, it's the same
number of people as aero tow (either the wing runner or winch driver
can pull out the rope) - of course, you can use more people with a
winch
..
- limited in height and distance, i.e. you can't tow to that thermal 10 miles away if there's none nearby
The practical reality is that you rarely actually know there is a
thermal 10 miles away. If there's lift around, you can find it with a
2000'AGL winch launch - if there's no lift around, why consider an
aero tow?

Bill Daniels