On Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 6:51:21 PM UTC-7, BG wrote:
Many years ago I visited the Untterwossen glider port and was super impressed with their electric winch. It had all the controllable feature you would ever want to get a glider to the maximum height with a given cable length. It was something close to 2/3 the cable length in height. Programable for glider type and loading by a push of a button. They were installing a solar array and battery system that converted the thermal energy to another type that got you airborne!!!

Anyway with the availability of EV cars and their power trains, it is a no brainier to think how they could be adapted to a winch design.

I hope someone out there has the vision to make this a reality, It solves so many problems and the cost to get airborne is peanuts compared to the current commercial rates being charged.

As we watch in real time our sport headed towards near extinction, it would be a breath of fresh air to make it more affordable across the board.

Buzz Graves

The operation at Unterwossen had 4 spools and could launch gliders at a incredible rate. The cables were laid out in parallel, the used wooden beams in the ground every 5 meters or so to prevent wear on the cable as they were dragged. The four cables were connected to gliders that were staggered. After four were launched a single cable retrieve car with a bridle, pulled the cables back to the launch area. The biggest delay between launches is retrieving the cable, using 4, it was 4 times more efficient.

We are just now getting to the stage were people are hacking on EV cars now that there lots of them out there getting to the junk yard. The controllers have to meet automotive standards on conformity and this is making it possible to roll your own.

BG