Safety of winch launch vrs. aero tow?

Indeed, aerotow can sometimes be interesting! Some years ago I was flying in
a local club competition and found myself behind an underpowered Rallye,
piloted by a man with a recently diagnosed heart condition who therefore
needed a safety pilot with him. (Yes, I know the correct response is to
refuse the tow, but competitions soften the safety cells in the brain, even
local club competitions).

We climbed (very slowly) to 400ft and then stayed there while we flew in a
straight line at least 3 miles from the airfield. It's the only time I've
been field spotting on tow for such a long time.

Not suprisingly, I failed to soar once we reached the release height of
2,000 ft (partly because I only had time for once centreing turn if I was to
remain within gliding range of the field). My relight was a winch launch!

"Bill Daniels" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Chris OCallaghan" wrote in message
om...
A related remembrance...

Years ago I attended a mid-summer's eve cookout at Ridge Soaring in
central PA. For entertainment we were armchairing the end o'day
training flights. A glider released just after take-off, landing at
the far end of the field. The tow plane landed, then taxied down to
launch the glider in the opposite direction. As the tug passed us,
2-33 in tow, KS asked what was going on. I explained that a series of
rope breaks were practiced as a student got close to solo. They had
just completed a straight ahead release and recovery and would now
practice a 180 for return to the runway. As the tow plane and glider
reached 20 feet above the ground, still short of the runway boundary,
Karl said, "Now! It would be hairy, but you could do it."

Karl and a handfull of other pilots probably could. The rest of us
wait until we have enough altitude to more than measure the sins we're
likely to commit as the emergency unfolds -- 200 feet being an
appropriate indulgence.

For those who need to know to the inch, don't forget to include 35% of
your wingspan, lest you bury a tip. And don't forget that anytime the
controls are not neutral, your sink rate goes well below the arc of
the polar.

So far, of the math I've seen, success would only be achieved for
gliders of zero span requiring no control input (and resulting drag)
to initiate a bank or roll out of it.

Not to belabor the obvious, but a 180 return to the runway from a 200 foot
airtow rope break is not always possible. We tend to talk as if it were
true but if believe it, we may be setting up a disaster. With a heavy
glider, weak tug, high density altitude and unfavorable wind (and maybe a
thick headed tug pilot) you may need as much as 1000 feet to be in a
position for a safe return to the airfield.

There have been many occasions when my left hand hovered near the release
in
preparation for a simulated rope break. But, looking back over my
shoulder
at the airfield, I thought, "I don't theeenk so" and let the student
continue.

Over the last year a young friend of mine (A CFI-G) suffered two low
altitude rope breaks (weak link failures) and each incident resulted in an
off-airfield landing. (To his credit - no damage)

Bill Daniels