A good place for statistics is:

http://www.esgc.co.uk/BGAdata.htm

Search and study the reports. There is much written between the lines. If
you look at the number of accidents where the launch was originally a winch
launch you will find that a lot of accidents occur soon after the launch is
completed and are attributed to other factors but which would really not
have happened if they had aerotowed. (Rigging errors not found in the speed
of the launch, not watching airspeed and spinning after the launch because
of distraction with the high workload of the winch and not dealing with the
angle of attack in the launch properly and so on). It is not possible to
give clear cut statistics without a significant degree of human
interpretation and you will really need to make your own mind up. I am
certain winching is a lot more dangerous. There are more things that can go
wrong and if they can go wrong, they will given time.


"Gary Boggs" wrote in message
...
I like all these points and I suspect that because of the short time
required in a winch launch, and the faster acceleration, and the fact that
you are in a position to land on the runway that you are using at all
times,
the winch launch would be safer, but I still see no statistics! Come on
folks, someone surly has crunched the numbers. Training is crucial in
both,
but what I'm looking for is numbers, I have plenty of opinions myself.

Boggs